MAP:HE My Accredited Pathway: Higher Education Fellow guidance and application forms
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Preparing for Submission of Portfolio for Fellow Congratulations on deciding to prepare a claim for Fellow (D2) of the HEA. This category has been specially designed for people whose role involves a substantial amount of engagement with learning, teaching and assessment as well as wider student engagement roles such as personal tutoring. You may be a lecturer with responsibility for modules or even a small programme and will be operating at the level where you are not just teaching but also have input into learning design at curriculum level. If you are a member of professional services staff as well as the input to students you have within your own domain, you may have a substantial input into programmes at curriculum level. For example, as a liaison librarian you may be working alongside academics in designing activities to increase information literacy or research skills and you may be delivering these directly to students. If you are working in Career Development you may be developing employability initiatives which are embedded into programmes. Now that you have decided to prepare a submission it is really important to familiarise yourself with the requirements of Descriptor 2 (D2) of the United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UK PSF) because you will need to provide evidence of your work which meets these descriptors.
The rest of this handbook will guide you through the process of preparing your claim for Fellow.
MAP OUT
Your Support
A Strong Claim
The Benefits
Your Evidence
Your Plan
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MAP:Your Support Plan in advance
Make use of mentor & available workshops
Access MAP Resources to support your claim
Be proactive and plan in advance If you have not already done so, you should inform your line manager or your appraiser of your intention to submit a claim for Fellow to ensure you are engaging in the right kind of activities and set of responsibilities to support your claim. They may be able to give you some additional opportunities to increase your experience and evidence. This will help you to develop an appropriate CPD record to support your career aspirations and pathway.
Make use of your mentor and available workshops You will be allocated a mentor either in a group or individually. They will help you to prepare your claim by giving advice and signposting you to opportunities such as writing workshops to help familiarise you to the expected content and style of submission. You will decide deadlines with them for both formative and summative assessment of your claim (although your mentor will not be involved in the summative assessment).
Access MAP:HE resources to support your claim You will be enrolled on to the MAP:HE Blackboard where you can find the templates you need for you and your referees. There are also many resources and links to useful websites to support your claim and also generally to learn more about learning and teaching and student engagement. New materials will be added regularly. The Blackboard site also hosts the Turnitin submission point where you will post your final submission for assessment. Please also visit the Staff Development site and take a look at their workshops and courses as many of them are relevant to your claim. For example, Learning Technology offer many different courses and workshops on the use of all technologies for learning from PowerPoint to advanced functions within Blackboard you might find useful. There are also courses on personal tutoring, blended learning, employability and the inclusive curriculum. These all relate to different parts of the UK PSF and when you take a closer look at what evidence you have to provide; you may decide to upgrade or learn new skills.
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MAP:The benefits As part of developing your academic identity and reflecting on your future career or professional aspirations, take some time to consider the benefits of having a fellowship. This can help to motivate you to get started and put together your portfolio. Preparing a claim is an opportunity to reflect on your practice and get in touch with what you value and aspire to do within your work. Undergoing this process is not only of benefit to you, but also to your colleagues and students. Of course, there is also a benefit to the institution and the continued success of your department.
To Me
To my disciplinary or subject pedagogy
Benefits of Fellowship
To my students
To my colleagues
To my institution
If you are interested in what other people think are the benefits of fellowship, there are some case studies available on the Learning and Teaching Enhancement website (insert link to talking heads). The HEA also has some case studies which can be accessed by clicking on the following links: Fellow: Dr Shelly Kemp Fellow: Prof Trudy Kerr
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MAP:Your Plan Your claim is more likely to be successful if you take the time to plan out how you are going to achieve it and ensure that you have support in place. In collaboration with your mentor, agree a timetable and deadlines for formative and summative assessment. These can be reviewed, but it is helpful to make a commitment and work towards achieving your fellowship by a certain time. It is important to spend time ensuring that you understand how to meet the dimensions and descriptors for the UK PSF in the appropriate category to your claim – this can avoid carrying out a lot of unnecessary work at the writing stage. Make sure you identify any potential gaps in a dimension or descriptor. For Fellow you have to demonstrate evidence for all three Dimensions of the UK PSF so it is particularly important to map out your evidence and ensure you can meet all of them.
Areas of Activity A1 Design and plan learning activities and/or programmes of study A2 Teach and/or support learning A3 Assess and give feedback to learners A4 Develop effective learning environments and approaches to student support and guidance A5 Engage in continuing professional development in subjects/disciplines and their pedagogy, incorporating research, scholarship and the evaluation of professional practices
Core Knowledge K1 The subject material K2 Appropriate methods for teaching and learning in the subject area and at the level of the academic programme K3 How students learn, both generally and within their subject/disciplinary area(s) K4 The use and value of appropriate learning technologies K5 Methods for evaluating the effectiveness of teaching K6 The implications of quality assurance and quality enhancement for academic and professional practice with a particular focus on teaching
Professional Values V1 Respect individual learners and diverse learning communities V2 Promote participation in higher education and equality of opportunity for learners V3 Use evidence-informed approaches and the outcomes from research, scholarship and continuing professional development V4 Acknowledge the wider context in which higher education operates recognising the implications for professional practice
For example, to meet the Values you might need to gain more insight into how to create an inclusive learning environment or learn more about the context of higher education so you can reflect on how your role is affected by it. You will have to show some Core Knowledge about how students learn, and this will need to be specifically in relation to higher education students. For Core Knowledge, you might want to update your teaching methods to reflect modern practices or to improve the employability of your students.
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When do I want to submit? Make sure I know what's required create a timeline Fill any gaps set deadlines Familiarise with UK PSF get support in place
dimensions and descriptors required for D2. Familiarise with requirements of form of claim Update CV Confirm reference(s)
Identify any further development needs Attend staff and/or professional development sessions
MAP:Your Evidence Once you have familiarised yourself with the UK PSF you can begin to map your evidence. Descriptor 2 (D2) of the UK PSF Fellow of the HEA is described by D2: Demonstrates a broad understanding of effective approaches to teaching and learning support as key contributions to high quality student learning. Individuals should be able to provide evidence of: I. Successful engagement across all five Areas of Activity II. Appropriate knowledge and understanding across all aspects of Core Knowledge III. A commitment to all the Professional Values IV. Successful engagement in appropriate teaching practices related to the Areas of Activity V. Successful incorporation of subject and pedagogic research and/ or scholarship within the above activities, as part of an integrated approach to academic practice VI. Successful engagement in continuing professional development in relation to teaching, learning, assessment and, where appropriate, related professional practices You will be someone who is engaging in the whole spectrum of teaching, assessment and student engagement activities and will therefore have to provide evidence for all parts of the UK PSF 6
Dimensions. If you look at the claim template, it requires you to address each of the five Areas of Activity in turn. It is essential that you provide a balanced account of each area so there are suggested word counts to encourage you to remember this. By structuring your claim around the Areas of Activity this enables you to use small case studies or specific parts of your role around which to build your claim. This way you can incorporate your Core Knowledge and Professional Values where they are most relevant. For example, if you are discussing how you designed a new module (A1) you could provide a rationale for your pedagogic choices to illustrate your knowledge of your subject (K1) and how it is best learned (K2). You might also be also to discuss how you designed it to be more inclusive (V1) and the literature and research you drew upon. It may be a module which is responding to a specific need and so your rationale could discuss how the context of HE has changed (V4). By creating a map of all the UK PSF dimensions you can decide how best to evidence each element. An important thing to remember when you are preparing your claim, is that you need to provide evidence to back up and illustrate your claim. You should be able to show what worked, why it worked and how you will use this knowledge in the future. This is part of being a reflective practitioner. Commentary on literature about your subject and higher education and how it has affected your practice
Lesson plans , module outlines, programme documents, student evaluations Examples of student engagement activities Creating digital learning resources
Research and dissemination through publication or conference
Testimonials
Involvement in pedagogical research
Examples of Types of Evidence
Small case studies which illustrate aspects of the descriptors
Formal evaluations such as appraisal Peer observation and review
Leading a short course on aspect of L&T
Results of national surveys attributable to your involvement such as NSS/USS, DLHE, PRES
Recognition and awards related to learning and teaching either institutional or external
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MAP:A Strong Claim While each category of fellowship requires a specific focus (see individual guidance documents for detailed advice) there are some characteristics of strong claims which are worth noting: Synergy: research/scholarly activity and professional activities ( commitment to active, ongoing and relevant CPD) Clarity of focus Ample evidence and up to the word count The inclusion of references and a bibliography
Genuine alignment to the UKPSF ( marked up in brackets at the end of each paragraoh or section e.g ( A2,K5,V3) and currency of engagement in areas of activity
Enthusiasm for learning and teaching and/or student engagement
Evaluative and Critical reflection around:
Good quality breadth and range of examples and case studies to illustrate and evidence your activity including: student testimonials, module/programme evaluation, external examiner comments, peer observation comments, NUS/USS scores, where appropriate
Creativity in approaches to your work
Informed understanding of pedagogic approach either through subject specialist lens, student feedback or other forms of evaluatory data and theory of learning and teaching
Awareness of student position,needs and difficulties
What you do Your rationale The impact of your actions in the context of learning and teaching- ( referal to first person)
Claim being appropriate for the category of recognition and which explicitly demonstrates your strengths and philosophy/professional values
Similarly, it is possible to identify some of the common characteristics of claims which are referred for further development and improvement:
Not meeting all the areas of Activity on the UKPSF Insufficient CPD and Scholarship
Lack of strong rationale, reflection and evaluation
Lack of reference to students
Lack of evidence of commitment to professional values
An overly descriptive writing style Too many examples which thin out depth
For Fellow not meeting dimensions in equal depth
Examples which are not current ( 3 years)
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Form of Claim For Fellow you should use the template at the end of this handbook. You can also download the template from the MAP:HE Blackboard. The claim should be around 3100 words long and there are suggested word counts for each section on the template. You will provide a reflective outline of your role and context, which helps the Assessor to understand your specific area of work. Please do not assume that they will be familiar with your role. The bulk of the submission will be made up of five reflective commentaries on each Area of Activity. Although the template asks you to focus on the Activities, you are expected to do so in a way which also brings out your engagement with Core Knowledge and Values. It can be helpful to map the Values and Core Knowledge across the five Activities so you can cover each in sufficient depth. ‘Subject’ here is a loose term and does not need to be an academic subject. In your professional services role you have specialist, expert knowledge and this can be considered equivalent. Your mentor should be able to help you with the mapping and ensure that you are clear about what is required and whether you are in a position to start writing your claim or will need to undertake some developmental activity first. If you require an alternative format for submission other than written, this can be arranged with the MAP:HE Portfolio director who will agree the format with you to ensure that you are able to meet all your required elements successfully. To support your claim you will need two references, one of which is usually from your Head of School or a nominated manager. The other can be from a colleague, but they should have at least Fellowship. This is because they will also understand the requirements of the UK PSF and the relevant Dimensions. Finally, you will need to provide an active CV. The following table gives an indication of the contents and expected length of your submission:
Category of Fellowship
Word count
Form of claim
Verification Process
Fellowship
3100
Introduction to role and context 5 x reflective commentaries on Activity dimensions, incorporating Knowledge and Values Reference from Head of School or nominated manager and colleague with FHEA or SFHEA CV
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Assessed and confirmed by two trained verifiers with Senior or Principal Fellowship Confirmed at Framework Review Board Sample reviewed by External Verifier
What happens when I am ready to submit my claim? When you complete your claim and are ready to enter the assessment and verification process, you will go through the following stages:
Formative assessment Mentor
Framework Review Board
Summative Assessment
Final Decision (mentor declares interest if present
Verifiers (mentor ineligible)
Verfication board Annual review with External Reviewer
Submit for formative feedback Prepare draft claim Receive written developmental feedback from your mentor Submit for Assessment and Verification Submit final claim for assessment Claim is assessed and if successful is verified at the Framework Review Board. Receive notification of success or referral Receive written feedback for successful and referred claims If referred, use development feedback and support to improve claim and resubmit How is my claim assessed? All claims are assessed by trained verifiers who will have an HEA Fellowship at a higher level than the one you are seeking. No claim will be assessed by a verifier who has supported or mentored you. Given the size and culture of our community it may be difficult to ensure your claim is assessed by someone who doesn’t know you but all assessors are trained and will be using the rubric in your fellowship preparation document. As you are submitting for Associate, two trained assessors will consider your claim. Moderation by the Framework Director and the External Reviewer, who is an HEA accreditor, will take place regularly to ensure consistency between assessors. Sometimes assessors do disagree or find it hard to come to a consensus for a variety of reasons. They may interpret criteria slightly differently or may not recognise your evidence if they are from a different subject. In this happens to you, your claim will be reviewed by a senior member of the MAP:HE Portfolio team. In all cases the aim is to be as fair as possible while still ensuring the overall quality of the verification process. There will be a Verification Board once a year where the whole programme will be reviewed with the External Reviewer who will produce a report on the soundness of the verification process, the
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quality of the decisions and feedback and the quality of the claims as well as any development feedback for the team. Framework Review Board The Framework Review Board will meet monthly to review both taught and portfolio routes and ensure that all the systems and processes are working as intended. It will provide a place for collaborative review of provision including identifying any need for staff training and development. Invitees will include all staff involved in the provision of the taught and portfolio routes as well as representation from students and claimants. The members of the Framework Review Board are: MAP:HE Framework Director (Chair) Faculty Directors of Learning and Teaching Verifiers of claims being submitted
The Verification Board The Verification Board will meet once a year and will typically consist of the following people: • PVC Education and Student Experience (Chair) • HEA External Verifier • Director of Learning and Teaching • MAP:HE Framework Director • Faculty Directors of Learning and Teaching • Framework Administrator When do I submit? A timetable of submission points will be provided at the beginning of each academic year. Typically the submission point will fall in the second week of the month and reviewed at the next month’s Framework Review Board which is held in the first week of the month. This is broadly in line with the university’s three week turnaround policy for marking. When will I find out if I’ve been successful? You should receive an email with the outcome of your claim in the week after the Framework Review Board meets. In the email you will also receive the summative feedback from the reviewers. If you are successful, you will receive a letter of congratulation from the Pro-Vice Chancellor Education and Student Experience, a copy of which is sent to your Head of School or department. What happens if my claim is referred? It is sometimes the case that following summative assessment, a claim might be referred back to you for improvement. There are a variety of reasons why this might happen but it is usually for one of the reasons indicated above (MAP: A strong claim). At formative assessment stage your verifier will give you feedback on how the claim should be improved. However, following the formative feedback cannot guarantee that your claim will be successful at summative submission. If your submission is referred either at formative or summative stages, a timescale for resubmission will be agreed with you. As the Framework Review Board meets monthly, this will give you ample 11
opportunity in the year to resubmit without having to wait a long time. You may have two attempts at resubmission in one year. This is in line with the academic practice at CCCU. However, you may start the process for the same category of fellowship in a subsequent year. If you work closely with your mentor and take account of the formative feedback, this should be very unlikely. One possible outcome of a submission for Fellow is that it may be decided that although you do not demonstrate sufficient evidence for D2 and it would require significant development, you do have enough for D1 and can be awarded an Associate Fellowship. If you accept this, it would not prevent you from reworking and putting in a fresh claim for Fellow at a later date. The following table gives you an idea of how long it takes for your claim to be assessed and verified. It also shows an indication of how resubmission would work.
Month February March April May
Formative Week 2
Summative
Framework Review Board
Week 2 Week 1 Resubmission Week 2
June
Week 1
Can I appeal against a fellowship decision? As the MAP:HE Portfolio is not a validated academic programme and is, in effect, a programme for the verification of professional practice, you are not eligible to appeal through the student appeals process. Every effort has been made to ensure verification is carried out fairly and accurately by trained verifiers and externally assured through consideration of a sample of claims. If your claim was already seen by the External Assessor through the moderation process and the decision agreed, that decision will stand. However, if you are not satisfied with the summative decision which is made or if you are dissatisfied with the level or quality or support you are or have received to prepare you claim, you may request a formal meeting with the framework director to discuss your concerns. In all cases, a mutually agreeable solution will be found to ensure that you are not prevented from attaining your fellowship if you are able to provide adequate evidence in the required format. Concerns related to quality assurance will be discussed at the next available Framework Review Board and if necessary, additional training or resources may be put in place. If you were dissatisfied with a decision made at a Framework Review Board and you do not feel this was dealt with in a satisfactory manner, you may request that it is reviewed by the External Assessor at the Verification Board or next Framework Review Board, whichever is sooner.
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All concerns raised by participants will be reported to the Verification Board and reviewed to ensure they were dealt with fairly and adjustments made if necessary. Register with the HEA Following verification your status will be uploaded to the HEA as part of the CCCU Institutional record. You will now join the university’s network of Fellows
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Fellowship Claim Fellowship is based on meeting Descriptor 2 of the UKPSF. Your claim should provide a reflective commentary structured across the five Areas of Activity and demonstrate equal engagement with all the Dimensions of the UK PSF (including K1-6 and V1-4) at D2. Introduction to role and context of work (100 words)
Activity area [A1] (600 words)
Activity area [A2] (600 words)
Activity area [A3] (600 words)
Activity area [A4] (600 words)
Activity area [A5] (600 words)
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Assessment Criteria – Fellowship D2 Criteria
Met
Not met
Demonstrates broad understanding of all Dimensions of the UK PSF A1-A5
K1-K6
V1-V4
Suggestions for improvement Please write these TO the participant, using ‘you’ and phrased as developmental feedback.
Consideration of Dimensions is equally balanced Clear focus on effective approaches to teaching and learning support as key contributions to high quality student learning. Underpinned by scholarship and research in HE learning and teaching relevant to subject pedagogy or specialist service Demonstrates critical reflection on professional practice, own identity, strengths and areas for development Evidence is compelling and evidence of effectiveness is clearly presented Reference statements authenticate and confirm claim
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UK PSF Self-Assessment Tool – Fellowship You will find this self-assessment helpful in recording your activities and evidence against the UKPSF dimensions of practice at D2. We advise that you maintain this self-assessment as a living document, updating it regularly to record your evidence and development. We suggest also that you record activities and evidence gained through any development activities you undertake.
My Areas of Activity You must demonstrate broad understanding of all Dimensions of the UK PSF in an equal balance.
A1
Design and plan learning activities and/or programmes of study
A2
Teach and/or support learning
A3
Assess and give feedback to learners
A4
Develop effective learning environments and approaches to student support and guidance
A5
Engage in continuing professional development in subjects/disciplines and their pedagogy, incorporating research, scholarship and the evaluation of professional practice
What evidence could I currently provide in support of this area of activity?
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How might I go about developing further evidence in support of this area of activity?
What professional development might I need in support of this area of activity?
What evidence do I have of the effectiveness in promoting high quality student learning?
My Core Knowledge You must demonstrate broad understanding of all Dimensions of the UK PSF in an equal balance.
K1
The subject material
K2
Appropriate methods for teaching and learning in the subject area and at the level of the academic programme How students learn, both generally and within their subject/ disciplinary area(s)
K3
K4
The use and value of appropriate learning technologies
K5
Methods for evaluating the effectiveness of teaching
K6
The implications of quality assurance and quality enhancement for academic and professional practice with a particular focus on teaching
What evidence could I currently provide in support of this area of activity?
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How might I go about developing further evidence in support of this area of activity?
What professional development might I need in support of this area of activity?
What scholarship and research relative to my subject or specialism could I draw on to strengthen my claim?
My Professional Values You must demonstrate broad understanding of all Dimensions of the UK PSF in an equal balance. V1
Respect individual learners and diverse learning communities
V2
Promote participation in higher education and equality of opportunity for learners Use evidence-informed approaches and the outcomes from research, scholarship and continuing professional development Acknowledge the wider context in which higher education operates recognising the implications for professional practice
V3
V4
What evidence could I currently provide in support of this area of activity?
How might I go about developing further evidence in support of this area of activity?
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What professional development might I need in support of this area of activity?
What evidence do I have for promoting inclusion and participation?