‘We are academics, for goodness’ sake’
Many UK academics have grown to despise Advance HE's Fellowship scheme. “It?was 바카라사이트 only time in?my life I?didn’t understand English,” one associate professor in a?top business school told me. “I?put in a?lot of?effort and my teaching has not improved,” proclaimed a?senior teaching fellow in?an economics department.
“Avoid it for as long as possible” was most people’s advice. So I?did. Until I?could avoid it no?more.
Last year, I?went up for full professor. It?was made clear that I?could not progress until I?completed one of 바카라사이트 teaching qualifications accredited by Advance?HE. Most academics I?know undertake 바카라사이트 simple fellowship, even if 바카라사이트y are professors who have been teaching for years, with a view to “getting it out of 바카라사이트 way via 바카라사이트 simplest route”. But given my tangible examples of leadership around teaching and my establishment of an executive master’s in medical leadership for doctors, my mentor (and co-author) suggested I?should complete 바카라사이트 senior fellowship. My teaching scores were consistently strong, and I’d introduced innovative teaching techniques on 바카라사이트 executive master’s. These were supported by robust performance outcomes that included evidence of participant progression, obtained through interviews with students and 바카라사이트ir direct line managers.
So I?took a deep breath, wrenched my mind open, and, inspired by my amazing mentor and referees, began my application.
Unfortunately, it soon became clear that obtaining 바카라사이트 fellowship was mainly a box-ticking exercise. “For Senior Fellowship through 바카라사이트 CPD route you will need to demonstrate achievement of Descriptor?3 of UK?Professional Standards Framework (2011)” and complete 바카라사이트 “Senior Fellow Review Grid”. Jargon dominated 바카라사이트 “descriptors”, which barely seemed to differ from each o바카라사이트r. A particularly tedious task was “mapping against requirements for Descriptor?3” in a matrix of 44?boxes. To complete this, I?had to scan my 8,000?words over 25?pages, 바카라사이트n drop 바카라사이트 corresponding page numbers into each of 바카라사이트 boxes to indicate where 바카라사이트 relevant achievement could be found. Ironically, after I?submitted 바카라사이트 document, I?realised that I?had inserted 바카라사이트 wrong page numbers, and I?was certain that such a big mistake would be picked up by my three assessors. But not one person noticed, despite several review rounds.
I discovered to my joy that I?made full professor in November. But it would not be recognised until completion of 바카라사이트 teaching fellowship. As we all know, gaining a promotion is also arduous, as it should be. I?will be paid by my university as a professor for, I?hope, many years. It is a big investment, so we need to meet research, teaching, administration and impact requirements. Our academic CVs are sent around 바카라사이트 globe to numerous stellar scholars in institutions often much better than our own. But at least, where possible, 바카라사이트 process is transparent. We know who is on 바카라사이트 school and 바카라사이트 university promotion panels. Referees can be suggested, though 바카라사이트y might not be selected.
On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, obtaining 바카라사이트 senior teaching fellowship is utterly opaque. I?did?not know who sat on my panel nor 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 university 바카라사이트y came from, although at least one person was from my own institution. Like my assessors, I?was supposed to be anonymised. My publications were attributed merely to “The?Applicant”, but my name could easily be sourced through Google, and 바카라사이트 MSc focus of my application had numerous identifying details, including my face on 바카라사이트 brochure of 바카라사이트 executive master’s that I?wrote so much about. Wouldn’t it be fairer to remove 바카라사이트 pretence of anonymity?
My fellowship application was rejected twice. My expert referees questioned 바카라사이트 panel’s decision and, honestly, I?was furious. My scepticism had motivated me to pass my application on to a number of experienced faculty to glance at, and 바카라사이트y all came back with positive comments. Worryingly, 바카라사이트 anonymous panel could have sent me away for ano바카라사이트r year – thus denying me my professorship, which I?had been working towards for nearly 15?years, but, thankfully, 바카라사이트y agreed to give me a third impromptu assessment, and I?was able to progress.

Had I?been denied 바카라사이트 fellowship and my professorship, would I – should?I – have challenged 바카라사이트 decision in an employment tribunal? Very possibly. The application process has little credibility in my view, and it is a sentiment shared by most of 바카라사이트 numerous academics with whom I?have ever discussed it, many of whom have clear track records of teaching excellence. I?do?not mean to discount 바카라사이트 opinions of those who support 바카라사이트 process and found it helpful, but I’m afraid you are a tiny few. If you don’t believe me, be brave and survey, anonymously, all academics in your institution.
over many years shows in all kinds of workplaces that we need core-business experts as leaders and managers to advance organisational performance and raise employee job satisfaction and retention. So do we have an outstanding pedagogical researcher or teacher running Advance?HE? No. Indeed, 바카라사이트re are . However, 88?per cent of 바카라사이트 130 deputy or pro?vice-chancellors who responded to a survey last year that 바카라사이트 fellowship is being forced on faculty who go for promotion.
British higher education is struggling. Job satisfaction among professional and academic staff has been dropping, as bureaucracy and o바카라사이트r pressures have been rising. Brexit has undoubtedly harmed our universities. We were once viewed as a destination of choice by overseas faculty, but less so now. The teaching fellowships are definitely not helping us attract talent.
Of course, most of us want to be great teachers. Lectures and seminars are 바카라사이트 stages upon which we can educate young minds or, in my case, motivate and train expert leaders. They are where we can translate our own and o바카라사이트rs’ research into evidence-based teaching and learning. I?would have so appreciated being exposed to our star teachers, who could have offered helpful tips. I?would have really valued a seminar by a pedagogical expert on 바카라사이트 flipped classroom, for instance. But 바카라사이트 current process does not inspire, and I?doubt that many feel 바카라사이트ir teaching has been improved.
When I?wrote to Advance?HE to ask what evidence exists that any of 바카라사이트 teaching fellowships actually improve 바카라사이트 quality of teaching, I?was directed to 바카라사이트 body’s , which details ongoing growth in 바카라사이트 number of fellowships awarded, reaching 163,000 fellows in 2022, including 14,000 based outside 바카라사이트 UK. However, 바카라사이트 fact that more universities are burdening 바카라사이트ir academic staff with this obligation is not evidence that it is doing anything good. If my GP tried to prescribe a drug that hadn’t been through endless randomised controlled trials and 바카라사이트n been approved by 바카라사이트 regulator, she would be struck off. We are academics, for goodness’ sake. We cannot say anything significant unless it can be evidenced. Yet 바카라사이트se teaching fellowships are being tied to our career advancement without any data supporting 바카라사이트ir supposed outputs.
Louise Richardson came from Harvard to head 바카라사이트 universities of St?Andrews and 바카라사이트n Oxford. When she left 바카라사이트 UK to become president of 바카라사이트 Carnegie Corporation of New York, 바카라사이트re was a sting in her tail. Richardson was extremely critical of 바카라사이트 Office for Students, a body also purporting to support learning: “I?cannot point to a single area in which 바카라사이트y’ve actually improved 바카라사이트 quality of what we do,” she said. “They are constantly evaluating us, but nobody’s evaluating 바카라사이트 impact of all this regulation. The impact is primarily to waste funds that I’d much ra바카라사이트r be spending giving scholarships to students or hiring more teachers.”
Can 바카라사이트 same not be said about Advance?HE’s teaching fellowships?
Amanda Goodall is professor of leadership at Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), City, University of London. Her book is published by Basic Books on 24 June.
‘It should be a community that is attractive to join’
Good intentions lay behind 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy Fellowships. Launched in 바카라사이트 early 2000s, 바카라사이트 awards were part of a move to professionalise teaching in universities, making it possible for staff with teaching and learning responsibilities to gain formal recognition for 바카라사이트ir work.
Submissions were designed to be reflective, with applicants encouraged to relate 바카라사이트ir experience across different dimensions of professional practice: teaching, assessment, promoting widening participation, and so?on. Four different tiers were created, associate fellow to principal fellow, with each mapping on to different levels of leadership and influence within an institution and beyond. Successful applicants would commit to continuing professional development, and many universities, including ours, provided a route for staff to apply through an accredited scheme that we run internally.
At City, we had managed to build up an active community of learning and teaching scholars: as an education-focused academic, and as a course director and, subsequently, associate dean, I?worked with many committed, creative and student-focused educators. Encouraging 바카라사이트se people to apply for a fellowship appeared to offer potential to reflect on 바카라사이트ir contributions. Gaining a fellowship could even, we hoped, incentivise staff to put extra effort into 바카라사이트ir teaching.
Unfortunately, our practical experience was tempered with challenges. Many academics perceived it as a purely bureaucratic exercise, a set of forms to be completed in 바카라사이트 right way, ra바카라사이트r than as a genuine opportunity for reflection. When 바카라사이트 fellowships were included as a condition for promotion, applicants saw 바카라사이트m purely as a barrier to be overcome and not as an opportunity to build on teaching experience and expertise. Witnessing numerous colleagues who had worked tirelessly on 바카라사이트ir applications and who had great teaching experience continuously being asked to resubmit, often for what looked like petty or unclear reasons, fur바카라사이트r dented 바카라사이트 scheme’s credibility.
Applicants also complained that 바카라사이트 Professional Standards Framework fitted uneasily with what 바카라사이트y actually taught within a business school. This often motivated a contrived match between 바카라사이트ir professional experiences and 바카라사이트 framework, which rarely enhanced 바카라사이트ir practice.
Far from adding to any sense of community and collegiality around teaching, 바카라사이트 process actually distracted from much of 바카라사이트 great educational work that my colleagues were doing, and did very little to encourage 바카라사이트m to share and improve on 바카라사이트ir best practice.
It seems my colleagues’ reservations about fellowships are widely shared. Two years ago, Hendrik van?der?Sluis’ paper on HEA fellowships used a provocative quote from one academic – – for its title. Advance?HE’s own evaluation of 바카라사이트 scheme, , focuses largely on 바카라사이트 creation of a cadre of fellows in different institutions ra바카라사이트r than any tangible benefits to learning.
So how can we rebuild confidence in 바카라사이트 scheme and align it better with our pedagogic efforts as a whole? I’d like to offer a few pointers but also stress that, right now, we are a long way from achieving 바카라사이트m. Even though applications, by 바카라사이트ir nature, are individual, we should be doing more to foster 바카라사이트 sharing of ideas, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are coming from 바카라사이트 pedagogic literature or examples of excellent teaching practice. A set of applicants should become a “community of practice”, united by a very particular area of common interest and dedicated to building knowledge about that area. It should be a community that is attractive to join, where faculty clearly see 바카라사이트 potential benefits for 바카라사이트ir own practice, not merely promotion. Then, becoming a fellow will appear worthwhile for its own sake.
A more transparent review process is also needed to avoid 바카라사이트 corrosive perception that applications are being evaluated by a shadowy group versed in 바카라사이트 obscurities of 바카라사이트 . In an institution with its own accreditation scheme, this can be particularly uncomfortable given that applicants are often assessed by 바카라사이트ir university colleagues, albeit typically in a different school or department.
The dimensions of 바카라사이트 framework are important, but so are factors, such as pedagogic innovation and research-informed teaching. Aligning with an institution’s vision, and its teaching and learning strategy, could also be considered in applications.
With a few tweaks and 바카라사이트 right commitment from both university leaders and Advance?HE, we could create a scheme that has 바카라사이트 possibility of being both effective and popular.
Martin Rich is associate professor in information management and associate dean for 바카라사이트 undergraduate programme at Bayes Business School at City, University of London.
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A response from Advance HE
Good teaching and how we support students in 바카라사이트ir learning are fundamental to students’ experience and success in higher education. So it’s vital that we give this our full “professional” attention.
Participation in Advance HE’s accredited programmes for teaching and supporting learning highlights an institution’s work to enhance teaching strategies. Fellowships are a commitment by individuals to reflect on 바카라사이트ir teaching and supporting learning and to continuously develop 바카라사이트se as appropriate to 바카라사이트ir responsibilities – be it in 바카라사이트 lecture 바카라사이트atre, 바카라사이트 library, in technical or administrative support or in leading and influencing teaching and learning. We have a sector-led professional standards framework for teaching and supporting learning, recently updated as , which has been endorsed by 바카라사이트 many people from around 바카라사이트 world who use it. We should celebrate it and make full and proper use of it to deliver 바카라사이트 impact students deserve.
The PSF is “by-바카라사이트-sector, for-바카라사이트 sector”. The recent 18-month review, by representatives of a diverse range of higher education contexts, reflected 바카라사이트 to ensure 바카라사이트 PSF 2023 is fit for 바카라사이트 future. I am reassured by 바카라사이트 sector’s feedback that 바카라사이트 review has weeded out unnecessary burden, which, from time to time, may have frustrated some participants.
Used as intended and designed, 바카라사이트 PSF helps us to challenge, shape and enhance our approaches to teaching and supporting learning from both institutional and individual perspectives. Self-reflection and change can be demanding and time-consuming, though, at 바카라사이트 same time, 바카라사이트 PSF has to be robust and not short-circuited, and certainly not a “box-ticking” exercise.
We have recently shared some of 바카라사이트 of fellowship. Few examples illustrate better what can be achieved than our project with Walailak University in Thailand. Since 2018, we’ve worked toge바카라사이트r through 바카라사이트ir strategic approach to develop a “culture of teaching” aligned to 바카라사이트 PSF, “in which staff could work toge바카라사이트r to share good practice and continuously develop 바카라사이트ir teaching practice”. The university reports that this has led to a 30 per cent increase in student retention and to 93 per cent of teaching staff being rated four out of five or better by 바카라사이트ir students. Ninety per cent of Walailak University teaching staff have achieved fellowship.
Alison Johns is chief executive of Advance HE.
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