What are case studies and what should be included in them?

The case studies which make up your application should be reflective discussions of your practice and what this practice is based on. You do not need to follow a specific format in terms of headings, structure or word count; for example, if providing two case studies in an application for Fellow, one may be longer in length than the other. You should structure and organise your case studies in a way that helps you to clearly articulate how your practice aligns with the criteria you are seeking to evidence, and in a way which allows you to take a reflective approach. Some applicants prefer to use headings or use a reflective model to structure their case studies while others prefer to take a different approach. You should take an approach that makes sense to you, as this will help you to more clearly and easily communicate the points you wish to make to your reviewers.

A case study may explore one set of activities within your teaching and/or support of learning in depth, drawing in different elements of the PSF (e.g. your approaches to assessing and giving feedback), or a case study may include different examples on a theme which are grouped together to explore this aspect of your practice (e.g. your approaches to inclusive large group teaching and support).

Case studies for Advance HE fellowship applications do not need to be in-depth studies or investigations which e.g. provide research data or generalisable findings. In this context, case studies are explorations of your individual practice, development and impact in teaching and learning: in short, they are about you, your practice and the impact of this practice.

Can I include appendices in my application for example, to show examples of my teaching or resources I've created?

You can include screenshots, images, diagrams and tables in your application for Advance HE fellowship where this bolsters your reflective account or provides complementary evidence. However, we strongly advise against including lengthy appendices such as sets of resources. This is because there are maximum word/time limits for your application which reviewers are advised to adhere to. 

I'm planning to submit a presentation application, what should I included in the abstract?

The abstract should provide a summary of what you're going to cover in your case studies. This is to help provivde the reviewers with some context and grounding before they review your presentation. The University Library's My Learning Essentials has a useful guide on writing an absract to help you. 

• My Learning Essentials: Writing an abstract guide

Are there any time limits to what I can evidence in my application? 

Yes - your application must evidence your current practice in teaching and support for learning in Higher Education. Advance HE states that current practice should fall within certain timeframes depending on the category of fellowship for which you are applying. These are: 

However, if you delivered or developed something beyond these time limits that is still used and having impact now, then that does count as current practice as it is currently still having an impact.

Can I bring in my experience outside Higher Education for example, can I talk about outreach programmes or widening participation activity?

Advance HE fellowships are eligible to those who teach and/or supporting learning in higher education. Since February 2018, this has included teaching and/or supporting learning on:

• Foundation Year programmes
• Pre-sessional English courses for international degree students designed to develop academic skills
• Professional development of others in relation to teaching and learning or CPD programmes that are designed to develop and extend existing graduate/postgraduate level skills, knowledge and understanding e.g., GP training.

If your experience in teaching and/or supporting learning is from a different context, e.g. widening participation activity at a further education (FE) level or through access to higher education initiatives such as The Brilliant Club or the Manchester Access Programme (MAP), then you can reference this experience in your application to show how you promote equity of opportunity for learners and access to higher education.

Further detail about levels of teaching and eligibility for Advance HE fellowship is available from the Advance HE website – eligibility.

Can I draw on practice from another Higher Education institution?

Yes, you can evidence practice from other institutions alongside your current practice teaching and/or supporting learners at the University of Manchester as long as it is within the required timeframe for the category of fellowship.

If you choose to bring in practice from outside of the University of Manchester in your application, please ensure you provide a supporting statement from a colleague at the relevant institution in addition to a supporting statement from within the University.

If you are only using experience from outside the University of Manchester as evidence in your application, you can consider applying for fellowship directly to Advance HE. Please note that applications made directly to Advance HE incur a cost (see Advance HE direct application costs for further information(opens in a new tab)).

These questions relate to the supporting statements that you must provide with your application. Further guidance about supporting statements is included in the online resource and in the following:

• Advance HE Fellowships Scheme - Supporting statement guidance

Do my referees/those providing supporting statements need to have observed my teaching?

No - those providing your supporting statements do not need to have observed your teaching however, they should have a good enough understanding and awareness of your teaching and learning practice so that they can comment on your teaching and corroborate what you have said in your application (ie., to authenticate your practice).

Do my referees/those providing supporting statements need to make specific reference to my case studies? 

Yes - those providing your supporting statemetns should align their comments with the content in your case study/ies and the PSF 2023. The supporting statements should be more specific and detailed than a general complimentary reference on your performance and should focus on your teaching and learning practice. To help with this, referees should use the supporting statement forms provided. 

• Supporting statement form - Associate Fellow
• Supporting statement form - Fellow
• Supporting statement form - Senior Fellow
• Supporting statement form - Principal Fellow

Do my referees/those providing supporting statements need to be from the University of Manchester?

At least one of your supporting statements must be from someone internal to the University.

When and where do my referees/those providing supporting statements submit their statements?

When submitting your application for Advance HE fellowship, you will be required to upload your supporting statements at the same time. Therefore, your referee should provide you with a copy of your supporting statement in advance so that you can submit all components of your application together. If your referee would prefer not to share their supporting statement with you, please contact us at ahe-fellowship@manchester.ac.uk at the earliest opportunity so that we can advise. 

If you are applying for Advance HE fellowship, you must produce a reflective account of your current professional practice in teaching and learning. This applies to all categories of fellowship. To help you develop and articulate your reflective practice in teaching and learning, there is support available both as part of the Unviersity's Advance HE Fellowships Scheme and more generally. 

What support for reflective practice is available as part of the Advance HE Fellowships Scheme?

In the compulsory online resource there is a section on reflective practice in teaching and learning which introduces some models of reflection that you may find helpful when writing about, or presenting, your reflections. There is also the opportunity to discuss reflective practice in more depth with a trained facilitator during the synchronous development session. These development sessions are optional but recommended. 

What other support is available for reflective practice in teaching and learning more generally? 

As well as the support available on the scheme specifically, the Teaching Excellence team also delivers two monthly workshops on reflective practice.

The How to Reflect workshop provides an introduction or refresher on reflection and reflective practice. During this session, we discuss the purpose of reflection and how it's different to 'just thinking', and we explore a few models that can help you to structure and deepen your reflection (and might help you if you find you're getting stuck). You can ask any questions you have on reflective thinking or reflective writing, and discuss any difficulties you may be having with these.

The Action on Reflection session gives you the opportunity to carve out some protected quiet time to reflect on your practice and to share and discuss your ideas with others. These are particularly useful for those who need to reflect for Advance HE fellowship applications but are struggling to find the time to get started.

Are there any resources that I can look at to support my reflective practice in teaching and learning? 

Yes - there is a wide range of resources on reflective practice available across the sector. Some that we recommend or have found useful include:

• The University of Edinburgh - Reflectors's toolkit (opens in new window)
• The University of Sheffield - How to reflect in an academic context guidance (opens in new window)

The University's Advance HE Fellowships Scheme is the revised version of LEAP (the Leadership in Education Awards Programme). The key difference between the Advance HE Fellowships Scheme and LEAP is that LEAP was accredited against the UK Professional Standards Framework 2011 whereas the Advance HE Fellowships Scheme is accredited by the new Professional Standards Framework 2023.

What’s the difference between UKPSF 2011 and PSF 2023?

The PSF 2023 builds on the strengths of the UKPSF but has been updated following a review acknowledging the significant changes that have taken place within Higher Education teaching and learning since 2011. PSF 2023 places more emphasis on the effectiveness and impact of teaching and the context in which it takes place, the professional values, support for students and collaboration.

How different are the fellowship categories under the new PSF?

There is a greater difference between the requirements for each category of fellowship in the PSF 2023 and thus applicants may find it harder to provide enough evidence for certain categories of fellowship compared to the UKPSF 2011. 

If I achieved my Advance HE fellowship through LEAP, does this change affect my fellowship?

No - if you have achieved your Advance HE fellowship through LEAP (or the New Academics Programme), you do not need to do anything and there is no change to your fellowship status. 

How does the Advance HE Fellowships Scheme fit with the New Academics Programme (NAP)?

The NAP is delivered in faculties to support and orientate academic staff who may be new to the University and/or new to academia to the role. The NAP is a taught development programme through which you will be supported to develop your academic practice in teaching and learning, research, and service and leadership, and to make connections with other academic staff in your faculty.

Once you have completed (or are nearing completion of) the NAP, you can enrol on the Advance HE Fellowships Scheme. As the Advance HE Fellowships Scheme provides an experiential route to fellowship (ie., evidencing what you already do in teaching and learning), this is the mechanism through which you can achieve Advance HE fellowship. You can apply for any category of fellowship however, please note that those required to complete the NAP as part of probation must achieve at least Fellow of Advance HE. 

I'm completing the New Academcis Programme, will I be automatically enrolled on the Advance HE Fellowships Scheme?

No - you will not automatically enrolled on the Advance HE Fellowships Scheme if you are completing hte NAP. This is because colleagues may complete the NAP at different paces and be at different points of their teaching and learning journey. Your faculty NAP team will signpost you to the Scheme and/or you can join the Scheme at any time. 

Can I use my learning from NAP to apply for Advance HE fellowship?

Yes - when developing your application for Advance HE fellowships, you are encouraged to reflect on how the NAP has influenced your teaching and learning practice as evidence of your continued professional development and professional learning in HE teaching and learning.