The Committee of Academic Quality Assurance is responsible for the quality assurance and accreditation of pre-registration courses leading to degrees in podiatry that are registrable by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and the academic component of training for post-registration courses eg, podiatric surgery and CPD.
Undergraduate course accreditation process
Programmes may be presented for accreditation in any of the following methods. In the first instance the Programme Director must write to the Education and Quality Officer, (alison.hart@rcpod.org.uk) advising of the intention to submit a programme for accreditation.
- A Higher Education Institution (HEI) may choose to present one or more routes of training within its portfolio at the normal quinquennial review or;
- An HEI may present a programme/programmes for accreditation at any time during the academic session.
The Education and Quality officer will liaise with the Programme Director or Quality department at the HEI on all requirements for an accreditation visit.
Benefits of undergraduate programme accreditation:
- The events provide the opportunity to engage with the wider programme team and its stakeholders
- Allows the RCPod to monitor the academic and clinical standards of undergraduate podiatric provision
- Provides an opportunity for the RCPod to ensure that the core curriculum is implemented in full and the HEI is responsive to future academic development
- Facilitates a strong working relationship with the RCPod
- As the accrediting professional body, it generally means that the the majority of graduates (roughly 300 per year) will select the RCPod as their preferred choice for membership
- Strategically it ensures we are closely linked to the next generation of the profession and have the opportunity to encourage them to progress the profession in appropriate ways
- Allows the RCPod to have a mutually beneficial and closer working relationship with the education providers
Postgraduate course accreditation
Submission of a programme for accreditation
MSc programmes may be presented for accreditation in any of the following methods. In the first instance, the Programme Director must write to the Education and Quality Officer, (alison.hart@rcpod.org.uk) advising of the intention to submit a programme for accreditation.
- A recognised Programme of Podiatry may choose to present one or more MSc programmes within its portfolio at the normal quinquennial review of its pre-registration training programme for podiatrists
- An HEI may present a programme for accreditation at any time during the academic session.
Accreditation process
The Academic Quality Assurance Committee (AQA) will appoint an accreditation team who will make a recommendation concerning the nature of the approval event. Where a visit is to be undertaken, the Programme Director or HEI Quality officer will liaise with the Education and Quality Officer to agree dates and a schedule for the event. The AQA requires at least 12 weeks’ notice of the validation/accreditation event and receipt of the final programme documentation no later than four weeks prior to the event. The AQA will normally nominate up to two representatives to the validation panel.