CATEGORIES OF FELLOWSHIP

There are four categories of fellowship that can be awarded:

Associate Fellow
Fellow
Senior Fellow
Principal Fellow

Associate Fellow (D1)

If you are fairly new to a role in teaching and/or support for learning or may have a limited teaching portfolio you may want to think about Associate Fellowship covered by Descriptor 1 (D1) of the PSF 2023.

You should provide evidence of effectiveness in relation to your professional role which will typically include at least some teaching and/or learning support responsibilities. You will need to present some understanding of effective teaching, learning support methods and student learning.

Typical roles and experience for people applying for Associate Fellowship are:

  • early career researchers with some teaching responsibilities (e.g. PhD students, GTAs, contract researchers/post-doctoral researchers etc.);
  • staff new to teaching, including those with part-time academic responsibilities such as Associate Lecturers (ALs);
  • staff who support academic provision (e.g. learning technologists, student support, study skills specialists, careers and learning resource/library staff);
  • staff who undertake the role of demonstrator/ technician with some teaching-related responsibilities.

Fellowship at this level recognises contribution where the full range of academic practice may not be possible due to limitations in experience or role.

Eligibility
You must demonstrate that you have sufficient range and depth of experience of teaching at HE level (defined as Level 4 or above) to be able to evidence the required number of PSF 2023 Dimensions. There are no hard lines to this eligibility so if you are in any doubt, you should contact the TALENT team to explore your options.

PSF 2023 Descriptor Criteria
Effectiveness of practice in teaching and/or support of learning is demonstrated through evidence of:

+ D1.1: use of appropriate Professional Values, including at least V1 and V3

+ D1.2: application of appropriate Core Knowledge, including at least K1, K2 and K3

+ D1.3: effective and inclusive practice in at least two of the five Areas of Activity

For a detailed description of these criteria and guidance on requirements for meeting each one, please look at the Criteria section on the Guidance page.

See the submission requirements for Associate Fellow

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Fellow (D2)

If you engage in teaching and learning as the main part of your role or have considerable experience in supporting learning in HE, you may be considering Fellowship.

You may come from a wide variety of contexts but your practice should have both breadth and depth and enable you to evidence all PSF 2023 Dimensions of Practice.

Whilst it is not role dependent, some typical roles and experience for people applying for Fellow are:

  • staff in the early stages of their academic career
  • staff in an academic-related and/or support role holding substantive teaching and learning responsibilities
  • experienced academics relatively new to higher education
  • staff with (sometimes significant) teaching-only responsibilities including, for example, within work-based settings

Fellowship at this level carries the expectation that the full range of academic practice will be evidenced. Fellow candidates should have a good repertoire of teaching approaches and experience with a variety of assessment instruments and associated feedback strategies.

Eligibility
You must demonstrate that you have sufficient range and depth of experience of teaching at HE level (defined as Level 4 or above) to be able to evidence the full range of PSF 2023 Dimensions. There are no hard lines to this eligibility so if you are in any doubt, you should contact the TALENT team to explore your options. It is not necessary to have Associate Fellow (D1) to be eligible for Fellow (D2).

PSF 2023 Descriptor Criteria
Descriptor 2 is suitable for individuals whose practice with learners has breadth and depth, enabling them to evidence all Dimensions. Effectiveness of practice in teaching and/or support of high- quality learning is demonstrated through evidence of:

+ D2.1: use of all five Professional Values

+ D2.2: application of all five forms of Core Knowledge

+ D2.3: effective and inclusive practice in all five Areas of Activity

For a detailed description of these criteria and guidance on requirements for meeting each one, please look at the Criteria section on the Guidance page.

See the submission requirements for Fellow

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Senior Fellow (D3)

Senior Fellowship (Descriptor 3) is the appropriate category of fellowship to professionally recognise individuals with significant experience, from a wide variety of different contexts whose comprehensive understanding and effective practice provides a basis from which they lead or influence those who teach and/or support high-quality learning.

Senior Fellows lead and influence teaching and learning practice in many different settings. Working with and through ‘others’ (e.g. colleagues, peers, mentees, etc.) they operate to support, guide and initiate change or lead / influence enhancement of practice in a wide range of global contexts. Their contribution is effective, benefitting students and their learning experiences in a variety of ways. Senior Fellowship is not role dependent and there are many different contexts in which you might be leading and/or influencing the practice of others but the influence should be pedagogic (rather than managerial) in focus.

Senior Fellows will be expected to underpin their practice with greater depth of understanding and scholarship of teaching and learning. They are likely to be operating with a wider sphere of influence than Fellows or Associates (eg influencing practice at subject, department, college or institutional level) and thus will affect the experience of learners beyond those they teach directly.

Eligibility
You must demonstrate that you have sufficient range and depth of experience of teaching, leading and influencing at HE level (defined as Level 4 or above) to be able to evidence integration of the full range of PSF 2023 Dimensions. There are no hard lines to this eligibility so if you are in any doubt, you should contact the TALENT team to explore your options. It is not necessary to have Associate Fellow (D1) or Fellow (D2) to be eligible for Senior Fellow (D3).

PSF 2023 Descriptor Criteria
To achieve Senior Fellowship, you need to evidence that your teaching and/or support of learning practice demonstrates the requirements of the three Descriptor 3 (D3) criteria, which are as follows:

+ D3.1: a sustained record of leading or influencing the practice of those who teach and/or support high quality learning

+ D3.2: practice that is effective, inclusive and integrates all Dimensions

+ D3.3: practice that extends significantly beyond direct teaching and/or direct support for learning.

For a detailed description of these criteria and guidance on requirements for meeting each one, please look at the Criteria section on the Guidance page.

See the submission requirements for Senior Fellow

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Principal Fellow (D4)

Principal Fellowship provides professional recognition for highly experienced individuals that lead and have had an extensive impact on high quality learning at a strategic level within or beyond an institution, or across a discipline or profession in higher education. Their impact is extensive.

Principal Fellows can demonstrate how they provided vision and direction, and transformed practice and outcomes. They are able to show evidence that their strategic leadership has had a sustained record of effectiveness and positive impact on the last five to seven years. Their practice will have made a positive and lasting change at a strategic level on high quality learning.

Principal Fellowship is not role dependent. Within your context, you will need to explore whether you have the extensive evidence of impact on high quality learning, at a strategic level, that is the basis for a successful application. For Principal Fellowship you need to be able to:

+ demonstrate a sustained record of effectiveness in strategic leadership of high quality learning; 

+ show that your leadership has had extensive impact.

Principal Fellows are a diverse community representing the full range of strategic leadership in higher education. For example, you may work in academic departments, professional or service departments, on senior or executive leadership teams, for a professional body, as independent consultants, or in other roles with impact on learning and teaching in Higher Education. To evidence the ‘sustained’ and ‘effective’ nature of your work you need to reflect and explain the rationale and process of your work and evidence the impact resulting from it over a period of five to seven years

Eligibility
There are no hard lines to eligibility for Principal Fellowship. If you are unsure which category of fellowship you should be applying for, you could use the Advance HE Fellowship Category Tool as an indicator and to prompt your thinking about different aspects of your practice as you plan your application. You might also like to discuss your options with the Hallam Principal Fellow Network and/or the TALENT team.

PSF 2023 Criteria
Descriptor 4 is suitable for highly experienced individuals whose practice involves a sustained record of effectiveness in strategic leadership of high-quality learning. Their impact is extensive. Individuals are able to evidence:

+ D4.1: sustained and effective strategic leadership of higher education practice, with extensive impact on high-quality learning: within or beyond an institution, or across a discipline or profession

+ D4.2: development and implementation of effective and inclusive: strategies, or policies, or procedures, or initiatives, to enhance practice and outcomes for learners

+ D4.3: active commitment to, and integration of, all Dimensions in the strategic leadership of academic or professional practices.

For a detailed description of these criteria and guidance on requirements for meeting each one, please look at the Criteria section on the Guidance page.

See the submission requirements for Principal Fellow

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