Towards Maturity: Academic Governance in the Non-University Higher Education Sector

Appropriate academic governance arrangements for non-university higher education providers are critical to ensure continuing quality in the academic programs of those institutions. Over the last fifteen years there has been substantial growth in the number of institutions in this sector and the regulatory environment has also changed. In recognition of the existence of many common issues, the chairs of academic boards of the non-university higher education sector have met regularly since 2011 as the Chairs of Academic Boards Forum (CABF). At the behest of CABF and with the assistance of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training, a survey of current academic governance practices was conducted across the sector. On the basis of the outcomes of this survey, and in light of the changing regulatory environment, the CABF is developing a set of good practice guidelines on academic governance. Selected findings of the survey are presented in this paper and discussed in the context of relevant regulations/guidelines. Draft academic governance guidelines for non-university higher education providers are presented