Which Advance HE accreditation is right for you?

"Fellowship provides individuals with recognition of their practice, impact and leadership of teaching and learning, against the descriptors of the Professional Standards Framework (PSF)." (Advance HE 2019)

Advance HE Fellowship descriptors/categories are not hierarchical! A statement I make in every single workshop and conversation I have after someone states they are going to work their way up the levels.

You would be forgiven for thinking they are: the terminology would suggest it - Associate, Fellow, Senior and Principal.

Associate Fellow (AFHEA) is for you if:
Teaching and/or supporting learners is a part of your job but not the main focus. For example, you may be an information professional or a Graduate Teaching Assistant who doesn't design or assess learners but may support them on an enquiry desk or in a lab alongside a lecturer.

Fellowship (FHEA) is for you if:
You can show evidence of designing, assessing and teaching learners. You will probably spend a significant proportion of your time teaching. You will be interested in developing professionally, reflecting on your practice and, if you're newly employed at a University, successful completion may be part of your probationary requirements.

Senior Fellowship is for you if:
You have a thorough knowledge of effective practices and a sustained record of supporting others to improve their teaching and learning activities. Perhaps you mentor academics. Maybe you provide programmes of support to lecturers so they can improve their information literacy to the benefit of their students.

Principal Fellow (PFHEA) is for you if :

You work in a strategic leadership role and can show a sustained record of effectiveness of academic practice and development. Perhaps you are a Director of an Academic Practice department or a Vice Provost for Education.

Not hierarchical - RawPixels.com

The confusion arises because the categories are aligned to people's roles and these roles often change and develop over time. As new academics become firmly established they are sometimes given the responsibilities of mentoring others or supporting their colleagues; for example, with course design. You may be a Reader or Professor and have little to do supporting others so an Associate or Fellow category would be more suitable. Alternatively, you may be a newly employed educational developer whose sole role is to do this.

Have you decided yet? Now that Term 1 is coming closer to an end perhaps it's something you wish to consider for 2020. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Related posts:

Using the GROW coaching model to help someone reach SFHEA status
FHEA progress to date: Reflective Assessment Portfolio

What's a teaching philosophy, and why does it matter?

Why do you teach the way you do? How do your personal and professional values align with what's going on in your teaching practice? How can you tell?

Teaching philosophies are commonplace in primary and secondary education and are becoming more so in higher education. I've even started to hear about them being used as part of the job interview process.

Participants on the postgraduate certificate course, graduate teaching assistant course and for those applying for a Fellowship of Advance HE via the open route at my institution are required to write one.

@omgitsyeshi - Unsplash.com

Why write one?

• It helps us to make decisions about our behaviour, the tools and activities we use and the way we interact with those we teach
• It helps us be consistent in those decisions and choices
• Being self-aware and being able to articulate our reasons provides us with confidence
• Confidence will provide authority 
• Cognitive dissonance and the resulting burnout will reduce as what we believe and what we do will be in alignment
• It will help us make career choices - are our values and philosophies supported or hindered by our environment, colleagues and institution

What goes in a teaching philosophy?

Ask yourself questions such as:

• What do I mean by teaching?
• What do I mean by learning?
• What drives me and keeps me motivated?
• What are my personal and professional values?
• how do they show up in my practice?
• What actually happens in my classroom?

My own teaching philosophy is centred around my belief that everyone should have the opportunity to develop their potential and that if people could improve what they do, even if just by 10%, then this would improve the world we live in. I create space for the honing of skills such as critical thinking, independent learning and teamwork. This space helps to form connections; connections between ideas and social connections between peers. I give my time to students: I am prepared and enthusiastic; I am the first one in the door welcoming my students and the last one out saying goodbye. My materials and activities are carefully thought out and planned. This shows I take myself and my students seriously and value their precious time. 

What does yours look like? I'd love to know so feel free to leave a comment.

Writing an educational autobiography

How did your experiences as a learner define the way you now teach?

We all remember the really good and the bad teachers at school but we don’t often stop and think about the impact it made. As people now responsible for creating those memories, it can be helpful to step back and consider this carefully.

The participants on the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice course are required to do just this. It takes the form of a 500 word educational autobiography outlining one or two experiences of being a learner which has shaped their practice.

Some questions to ask yourself when writing one: 

• What happened? Describe the event.
• How did this make you feel at the time? 
• How did it help or hinder your learning? 
• What aspect of this is reflected in the way you now teach? 

Mapping the educational journey - Pexels.com

For example, I had a physics teacher for five years at school. Most of the lessons were spent copying verbatim out of a textbook. It was incredibly dull. As I left school for the last time, I said goodbye to him. He didn't recognise me and didn’t know my name. I can empathise to some extent as I'm not great at remembering names but after five years of seeing this person weekly, c'mon! It made me feel the subject was pointless. I couldn’t see any relevance to it and I remember nothing of value from that time. It also made me feel insignificant.

This contrasts massively with an English teacher I had who was passionate, engaged and who encouraged us to discuss and debate in class. In her class it was safe to voice an opinion. She was interested in what everyone had to say. I felt she was the one person in my life who understood my love of reading. It’s no surprise I went on to read English at university.

As a result, in my own teaching and coaching, I do my best to connect with the people in the room. I am always there first, well-prepared and I welcome them as they enter the room. I encourage conversation and the sharing of experiences and stories. I create a safe environment and set ground rules of respectful enquiry so everyone can feel seen and heard. I encourage participants to make notes using their own words and take pictures of their creations from the activities they participate in.

Have you done this exercise before? What experiences did you have as a learner that shaped where you are today and the behaviour you exhibit? How would you like your teaching to be remembered?