Advance HE Fellowship
Everything you need to know about applying for Advance HE Fellowship at Manchester Met.
Introduction
As of 1 September 2024, the Manchester Met Advance HE recognition scheme has transitioned onto the Professional Standards Framework 2023.
As such, all categories of Fellowship now have new criteria, eligibility requirements and application forms. We will only accept claims based on the new 2023 criteria and documentation from 1 September 2024.
If you have any questions, please contact Scheme Leaders Dr Chris Little ([email protected]) or Kirsteen Aubrey ([email protected]).
All documents and guidance below relate to the new processes, requirements and forms relating to the Professional Standards Framework 2023.
Overview
The various categories of fellowship discussed here are nationally recognised, lifelong and portable. They are a stamp of approval from Advance HE, a nationally and internationally recognised authority in teaching and learning practice.
The process of gaining recognition encourages colleagues to reflect upon the impactful elements of their work and, once complete, are an indicator of your commitment to developing your own teaching and learning practices.
Advance HE fellowship at Manchester Met, at all levels, is mapped to the Professional Standards Framework 2023 which supports the initial and ongoing development of staff engaged in teaching and supporting learning.
Assessment windows
One of the changes introduced in September 2024 was the introduction of assessment windows across the academic year. Fellowship applications will now only be assessed at two points in the academic year.
Staff can continue to submit claims throughout the year, but there will now be two assessment windows for reviewing the claims, one in October and another in February:
- Assessment window 1 deadline - 21 October 2024 at 12noon
- Assessment window 2 deadline - 17 February 2025 at 12noon
You must submit your documents by these deadlines, any applications received after the deadlines will go forward to the next assessment point.
Applicants should hear the outcome of their application, within six weeks of the above deadlines.
When you have completed your application, you can submit your claim using the PSF Recognition Upload Form.
Categories of fellowship
Here you will find all of the guidance and documentation you need to successfully be recognised at the Associate Fellow level, recognised by the post-nominal of AFHEA.
Please note that in order to apply for Associate Fellowship you will need a minimum of 6-12 months experience of teaching and/or supporting learning in a higher education context and be able to meet the Advance HE PSF2023 requirements for this descriptor.
Individuals applying for Associate Fellowship may be fairly new to a role in teaching and/or support for learning or may have a limited teaching portfolio, for example sessional/part-time staff or early career lecturers and researchers with teaching responsibilities. You may also be a member of Professional Services with teaching responsibilities.
It is not role dependent. You will need to explore whether you have sufficient evidence of appropriate teaching and or/support for learning practice to make a successful application.
You can apply for AFHEA status through two routes:
- Written
- Presentation (either live or recorded)
Written route
This route comprises of an entirely written application with an approximate word count of 2000 words, plus supporting evidence.
Recorded presentation route
This route comprises of a partially written application which includes a hyperlink to a 15-minute recorded presentation within the written application. The recorded presentation allows you to include a hyperlink to a recorded presentation screencast, typically uploaded to a service like MMUTube, OneDrive or YouTube.
Get started
You can download the Associate Fellow guidance document and blank application form (Please be aware that you must be logged into your Man Met staff account to access these documents).
Please note that all claims must follow formatting, word and page count requirements for all sections. Any claims that do not will be returned without review.
Mentorship
While not essential for AFHEA, working with a mentor would be beneficial to your claim. Please visit the list of available mentors.
Here you will find all of the guidance and documentation you need to successfully be recognised at Fellow level, recognised by the post-nominal of FHEA.
To apply for Fellowship you will need a minimum of 18-24 months experience, showing a breadth and depth of effective and inclusive teaching and/or supporting learning in a higher education context and be able to meet the Advance HE PSF2023 requirements for this descriptor.
Fellowship is the appropriate category of fellowship to professionally recognise individuals from a wide variety of different contexts whose practice with learners has ‘breadth and depth’, enabling them to evidence all PSF 2023 dimensions. This might be staff with substantive teaching responsibilities or professional staff with responsibilities to support higher education learning across all dimensions.
It is not role dependent. You will need to explore whether you have sufficient evidence of appropriate teaching and or/support for learning practice at the ‘depth and breadth’ required to make a successful application.
You can apply for FHEA status through two routes:
- Written (includes a 3000-word reflective commentary)
- Recorded presentation (includes a 30-minute recorded reflective commentary)
Written route
This route requires the submission of a portfolio comprising a biography, a grid of professional activities and a written reflective commentary. The reflective commentary has an indicative word count of 3,000 words, comprising five 600-word reflections for each of the five areas of activity.
Recorded presentation route
This route requires the submission of a portfolio comprising a biography, a grid of professional activities and a recorded presentation of your reflective commentary that addresses all five of the areas of activity. The presentation route allows you to include a hyperlink within your application form document, to a recorded presentation screencast, typically uploaded to a service like MMUTube, OneDrive or YouTube. Please ensure the hyperlink is set so that anyone can view the recording.
Get started
You can download the Fellow guidance documents and blank application form (Please be aware that you must be logged into your Man Met staff account to access these documents).
Please note that all claims must follow formatting, word and page count requirements for all sections. Any claims that do not will be returned without review.
Mentorship
While working with a mentor is not essential for FHEA, working with a mentor would be beneficial to your claim. Please visit the list of available mentors.
Here you will find all of the guidance and documentation that you need to successfully be recognised at Senior Fellow level, recognised by the post-nominal of SFHEA.
In order to apply for Senior Fellowship you will need a minimum of 3-5 years of leading or influencing the practice of those who teach and/or support high-quality learning in a higher education context and be able to meet the Advance HE PSF2023 requirements for this descriptor. Your practice should extend beyond direct teaching and/or direct support for learning.
Senior Fellows lead and influence academic practice and higher education learning in many different settings. Working with and through ‘others’ (such as colleagues, peers and mentees) 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. We welcome applications from colleagues on professional services and academic contracts equally.
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. You will need to explore whether you have sufficient evidence to meet the requirements of descriptor 3.
We recommend that prior to starting your application you use Advance HE’s free online Fellowship Category Tool.
Mentorship
Working with a trained mentor is mandatory and essential for the successful completion of SFHEA. Please visit the list of available mentors.
Application for SFHEA status is via one of three routes:
- Written
- Recorded presentation
- Professional dialogue
Written
This route requires the submission of a portfolio comprising a biography, a grid of professional activities and a written reflective commentary. The reflective commentary has an indicative word count of 6000+ words that enables you to make a clear claim to support your engagement with the Senior Fellow descriptor.
Recorded presentation
This route requires the submission of a portfolio comprising a biography, a grid of professional activities and a recorded presentation of your reflective, critical commentary. The presentation route allows you to include a hyperlink within your application form document, to a recorded presentation screencast, typically uploaded to a service like MMUTube, OneDrive or YouTube. Please ensure the hyperlink is set so that anyone can view the recording.
Professional dialogue
This route requires the submission of a portfolio comprising a biography and a grid of professional activities, supplemented with a 40-minute professional dialogue with two reviewers, scheduled at a mutually convenient time.
We aim to contact all professional dialogue applicants within two weeks of the assessment window deadline to schedule a mutually convenient time for the professional dialogue. We aim to conduct the professional dialogue and return feedback on applications within six weeks of the assessment window deadline.
Important: To proceed to the professional dialogue assessment, you must have a mentor and you must complete two practice dialogues with your mentor.
Get started
You can download the Senior Fellow guidance documents and blank application form (Please be aware that you must be logged into your Man Met staff account to access these documents).
Please note that all claims must follow formatting, word and page count requirements for all sections. Any claims that do not will be returned without review.
Here you will find all of the guidance and documentation that you need to successfully be recognised at the Principal Fellow level, recognised by the post-nominal of PFHEA.
In order to apply for Principal Fellowship you will need a minimum of 5-7 years of effective strategic leadership of high-quality learning in a higher education context, showing extensive impact and being able to meet the Advance HE PSF2023 requirements.
Principal Fellowship is not role dependent. Within your context, you will need to explore whether you have extensive evidence of impact on high-quality learning at a strategic level, which 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
- and 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 an independent consultant, or in other roles with impact on learning and teaching in higher education. We welcome applications from colleagues on professional services and academic contracts equally.
To evidence the ‘sustained’ and ‘effective’ nature of your work, you need to explain the rationale and process of your work and evidence the impact resulting from it over a period of five to seven years.
We recommend that prior to starting your application you use Advance HE’s free online Fellowship Category Tool.
All PFHEA claims are assessed by a review team of two internal reviewers and our external examiner, all of whom hold PFHEA status.
Mentorship
Working with a trained mentor is mandatory and essential for the successful completion of PFHEA. Please visit the list of available mentors.
You can apply for PFHEA status through a number of routes:
- Written route
- Recorded presentation
Written
This route comprises of an entirely written application with an approximate word count of 8000 words, plus supporting evidence.
Recorded presentation
This route comprises of a partially written application including a hyperlink to a recording within the written application.
The recorded presentation allows you to include a hyperlink to a recorded presentation screencast, typically uploaded to a service like MMUTube, OneDrive or YouTube. Please ensure the hyperlink is set so that anyone can view the recording.
Get started
You can download the Principal Fellow guidance and application form (Please be aware that you must be logged into your Man Met staff account to access these documents).
Please note that all claims must follow formatting, word and page count requirements for all sections. Any claims that do not will be returned without review.
Mentorship
Our trained mentors can support you to obtain the category of Fellowship you are working towards.
While working with a mentor is not essential for those seeking Associate Fellow or Fellow status, all colleagues wishing to gain Senior Fellow or Principal Fellow status must work with one of our trained mentors. Only claims supported by trained mentors will be accepted at SFHEA and PFHEA levels.
Your mentor must have an appropriate Fellowship. If you are applying for:
- Associate Fellow - your mentor should be at least a Fellow
- Fellow - your mentor should be at least a Fellow
- Senior Fellow - your mentor should be at least a Senior Fellow
- Principal Fellow - your mentor should be at least a Principal Fellow
Advance HE requires that all existing mentors be retrained on the requirements of the new Professional Standards Framework 2023.
You can find our list of available trained mentors (staff only).
This list will be updated as we train more colleagues throughout the year. Thank you for your patience while we build our pool of trained mentors across the University.
Contact us
Contact us
If you have any further questions about applying for Fellowship at Manchester Metropolitan, please feel free to contact Dr Chris Little using the email address below.