1. Professional Recognition: Gain the recognition you deserve
Dr Sally Bradley
Academic Lead (Accreditation and UK PSF)
2 April 2014

2. Outline of the workshop
Introduction
UK Professional Standards Framework (2011) and Professional Recognition in context
Value and impact of gaining recognition – national, institutional and individual
Activity: Claiming and evidencing your practice
Plenary - Vignettes of women who have gained professional recognition and used it their career enhancement and development.
Activity to identify to someone who does not know them what they do, why they do it and how they know it works.
Presenter Introduction (5 mins)
UK Professional Standards Framework and Professional Recognition in context (5 mins)
Brief overview of the UKPSF and the Descriptors
Value and impact of gaining recognition – individual, institutional and nationally (5 mins)
Brief overview of the benefits to all concerned
Small group activity: Claiming and evidencing your practice (25 mins)
Activity to identify to someone who does not know them what they do, why they do it and how they know it works.
Plenary - Vignettes of women who have gained professional recognition and used it their career enhancement and development. (10 mins)

3. Introduction

4. The UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning
in higher education
2011
UKPSF 2011

5. What do we do as academics and student support?
Teach and support learning
Assess and give feedback
Design and plan learning activities
Create environments in which students learn and are supported
Engage in CPD
Right, I’m taking a risk here …
Has anyone got Teaching or supporting learning down? Phew
What about assessment and feedback?
And design and planning – have you been involved in planning a teaching session, seminars, lectures, modules, programmes, curriculum design?
So we have covered the easy ones … what about developing learning environments? Are you responsible for developing your VLE – Blackboard, etc or labs, placements, field trips?
What you have just told me is that you are already engaged in four of the areas of activity outline in the UK Professional Standards Framework. The other one being your CPD … we will get to that later.
Ok, next big question – what underpins all activities?

6. Continuing Professional Development
participating in meetings, conferences and seminars presenting internal seminars postgraduate study discussion and networking learning from students (feedback) mentoring and supervision peer supported review updating, and delivery of teaching critical review and preparation of teaching materials reading and reviewing journal articles secondment and work shadowing consultancy activity undertaking research and the presentation of papers observing and reviewing teaching practice extending range and scope of teaching practice – new activities undertaking research ethics training external examining.

7. Teach/support learning (A2)
The Areas of Activity
Design & plan (A1)
Environment
Support
Guidance
(A4)
Evaluate
& Develop (A5)
Teach/support learning (A2)
Assess & feedback (A3)

8. Core Knowledge Use and value of learning technologies (K4)
Subject material (K1)
Methods for T&L (K2)
How students learn (K3)
Use and value of learning technologies (K4)
Evaluating effectiveness of teaching (K5)
Quality assurance and enhancement implications (K6)

9. Value and impact of gaining recognition – nationally
Do you get the sense that there is a theme emerging? And then along comes the Quality Assurance Agency with “Explaining staff teaching qualifications” in August 2013 alongside the Higher Education Statistical Agency asking for a breakdown of teaching qualifications. If this isn’t a big enough clue to teaching qualifications becoming part of the Key Information Set. Although I am not party to those discussions.
But it isn’t just the UK … quality of teaching is a global phenomena as identified in the OECD a report “Fostering quality in teaching in Higher Education” September 2012.
“Quality teaching is the use of pedagogical techniques to produce learning outcomes for students. It involves several dimensions, including the effective design of curriculum and course content, a variety of learning contexts (including guided independent study, project-based learning, collaborative learning, experimentation, etc.), soliciting and using feedback, and effective assessment of learning outcomes. It also involves well-adapted learning environments and student support services..” (OECD, 2012, p7)
Isn’t that what we all strive to do? So now you’ve got the message that this isn’t firstly going away and secondly something that your institution has decided upon as a whim and indeed it is not just the UK Government interfering in higher education.
No, if I can be blunt this is about jobs and survival. As soon as teaching qualifications appear in the Key Information Set then you will be competing for students on another level. And you will no doubt have seen in the Times Higher that Huddersfield (a competitor for Sheffield Hallam) have claimed that all their staff with substantive teaching hold Fellowship. So it has already started..

10. Value and impact of gaining recognition – institutionally

11. Value and impact of gaining recognition – individually

12. SFHEA D3 PFHEA D4 Individuals are able to demonstrate:
how they have met the requirements of all of the seven elements of the Senior Fellow Descriptor (D3.I – D3.VII)
evidence of a sustained record of effectiveness, e.g. organisation, leadership, and/or management of L&T provision
evidence of wider impact, sustained success and record of effectiveness across provisions, teams /departments/schools/faculties
evidence of success across all Areas of Activity, Core Knowledge and Professional Values
how their claim is underpinned by successful engagement with D3.VII
how they have met the requirements of all of the five elements of the Principal Fellow Descriptor (D4.I – D4.V)
evidence that cover activities at institutional or wider (inter)national settings
sustained effective strategic leadership in academic practice and development and the impact of their work
how their claim is underpinned by and makes clear how they apply and/or champion the Core Knowledge and Professional Values in carrying out the Areas of Activity set out in the UKPSF

13. Key principles (1) Claim Personal Engagement Reflection Alignment
Commitment
Evidence based
Quality
Currency
Sufficiency
Claim = application is a claim – not an assignment + authenticity is crucial
Personal = personal to your experience
Engagement = all based on examples of practice – not just theoretical
Reflection = using the Framework dimensions to explore the how and why of your practice
Alignment = demonstrating that your practice is aligned with the principles of the Framework
Commitment = continuing commitment to the value and quality of t & l – both your own and if appropriate others
Evidence based = CPD and where appropriate scholarly
Quality = more important that quantity – word count is only a guideline
Currency = need to demonstrate relevance – no absolute rule on this – the sooner the better
Sufficiency = use the words available to make a sufficient claim based on reflection on and evidence of impact

14. Key principles (2)
Applications should relate to your positive impact on student learning
At D3 and D4, you must show sustained record of success/achievement
Claims should evidence successful engagement with appropriate dimensions of UKPSF
Learning may also take place through reflection on experiences which have not worked
Claims should not be based on role, job description or status of individual
Outcomes, impact and influence (and reflection of evidence of same) much more important than role, activities per se

15. Applying for PSF Fellowships Key points for SF & PF
Tell a structured story in the first person, not necessarily chronological; consider using sub-headings; avoid it reading like an annotated cv
Choose a range of examples rather telling your life story;
Avoid being over descriptive; include analysis, rationale and reflection on what worked and equally important what lessons you took from things which did not work so well
Answer the so what question - what is the evidence of impact / difference made?
Make explicit where you have presented evidence of meeting each of the A (1-5), K (1-6) and V (1-4)
Include rationale / evidence based on SoTL literature – e.g. Gibbs, but don’t over do it.
Avoid disciplinary/institutional specific language and acronyms;
Choose your referees/ advocates with care.
Appropriate way of thinking about D3 and D4.
Helps to build a coherent and comprehensive claim without too much deconstruction.
Emphasise need for critical reflection on the evidence and going beyond a cv type list of achievements and experiences

16. Small group activity:
Claiming and evidencing your practice

17. Vignettes of women who have gained professional recognition and used it their career enhancement and development