Completing Your Application

This section is specifically designed to offer more in-depth advice regarding the various aspects of your application across the different categories of fellowship (D1-D4).

Formats

An overarching expectation relating to all submissions, in line with your practice, is that your submissions will conform to accessibility and inclusivity guidelines. For advice and guidance on this requirement and to access accessibility checkers please see the university’s Digital Accessibility Training, Guidance & Resources.

In keeping with this inclusive approach, we accept a range of submission formats to allow for your preferred way of demonstrating that you meet the PSF 2023 fellowship criteria. For example, here are two straightforward possibilities:

• Option 1 : Written
• Option 2 : Recorded verbal/digital story

You should consider carefully what value will be added to your submission by the format you choose.  You may have authentic evidence of your practice which might not be well represented in a written format for example, or you may simply feel that you present verbally more effectively than in writing. Or it might be that your discipline or role makes the use of multimedia technology second nature to you. A spoken presentation allows you to communicate your case studies using a wider variety of formats, for example:

• Recorded verbal narration with slides
• Demonstration (eg of techniques, artefacts)
• Use of audio-visual materials or delivery methods
• Tours of multi-media and interactive resources or environments you have developed

Whichever option you choose, the time and effort involved is also likely to play a part in your choice. Pay close attention to how you are addressing the criteria – using a video format, for example, may tempt you to evidence your claim simply by showing examples of your practice but remember you must identify your claim first and then illustrate your claim with an example. The claim may be that you take a particular approach to meeting individual needs (V1) and your video illustrates that approach; but you need to make the case and not assume that the example will be sufficiently explanatory.

You must ensure that:

• the maximum word lengths/timings for your fellowship category are not exceeded. We would expect submissions to be well under these maximums and encourage you to prepare with this in mind. You do not need more words/time to meet the criteria, if you find you are exceeding the limits, you are surely providing too much material and should edit your submission. The amount of words/time allowed for each section is specified in the requirements on the appropriate level of Fellowship guidance page.
• you explicitly reference the dimension statements of the PSF 2023 individually in accordance with your fellowship category throughout your submission. It is not enough to meet the criteria, you are also required to demonstrate awareness of them and what they mean in practice.
• your referees are provided with access to your submission in the appropriate format so that their statements are based on your submission exactly as it is seen by the reviewers; you should check these statements and make sure they validate your practice as you need them to. As these statements form part of your evidence, you are entitled to ask your referee to amend their statements if they do not meet your needs. You must submit the referee statements with your application form.

In whichever format or combination of formats, the submission is delivered it is not the quality of the writing or presenting that is being reviewed, but the practice claimed and how it meets the descriptor criteria, that matters and your submission is reviewed against.

Reflective case studies

The case study is a substantive part of your claim for fellowship and is complementary to the other elements of your submission. It is primarily intended to:

• Elicit depth. The focus on a single project or initiative or strand of work allows you to go into more depth in terms of rationale (particularly your evidence base and relevant scholarship), and evaluation (both in terms of impact but also reflectively – what did you learn? How did your practice change/evolve?)
• Distinguish your practice. While many activities undertaken by academics are similar at the global level (teaching, assessing, researching) the case study allows you to give a real flavour of your own individual practice. Your teaching philosophy or values, your disciplinary interests and your personal style are more in evidence.
• Demonstrate the Dimensions of Practice (PSF 2023).  It is critical that your Reflective Case Studies demonstrate your use and understanding of the Dimensions of Practice and their interdependencies, and reflect the level of fellowship you are applying for. Each dimension should be signposted individually and explicitly within the text and should provide a clear example of practice.  Do not simply provide a list (A4, K2, K3, V1) – this references the dimensions but does not explicitly demonstrate them nor show their interdependence!
• Demonstrate the descriptor (PSF 2023). The case studies should reflect the level of fellowship you are applying for. Ensure your case study reflects appropriate:
  • Scope e.g. own practice; practice of others; policy/strategy
  • Scale e.g. teaching a few students (Associate Fellow); teaching a few modules or courses (Fellow); influencing practice across department/college (Senior Fellow); policy and strategy at institution/national/international (Principal Fellow)
  • Impact e.g. improve individual student learning/experience; improve course or programme outcomes; improve subject or professional outcomes

Subject of the case study

You can interpret this quite flexibly; just make sure you are able to demonstrate the relevant Descriptor requirements and maintain the focus of the case study on teaching and learning (rather than research outputs that impact on the profession; practice that is solely managerial or organisational in nature; work with employers; generating funding income).

Ideas for suitable case studies are listed below, but these are not comprehensive nor suggested as titles you should use. They simply represent examples of successful case studies submitted in the past.

• A response to a perceived problem (eg retention; lack of firsts; lack of real-world experience)
• A major curriculum innovation or change (eg new professional requirements; distance mode; internationalising content; embedding placements)
• A planned project (introducing peer assessment/online marking; redesigning a learning space; funded pedagogical research)
• A pedagogical approach (values-based education; enquiry based learning; peer-assisted learning; flipped learning)
• A development experience (how researching/being a student/making a mistake/change of role etc. has impacted your practice)
• A theme (developing employability/digital literacy/inclusivity in the curriculum) this may draw together several different, smaller initiatives or interventions.

We frequently suggest mixing up the type of case studies you use to demonstrate depth and range of practice – on the other hand you may undertake a lot of work within a specialism and need to demonstrate practice from within that. The choice is yours, provided you demonstrate the PSF 2023 effectively, there shouldn’t be any penalty for doing so. You may wish to use the context statement to explain your choices.

Creating your case study

The case study should focus primarily on pedagogical aspects. Resources, logistical and other pragmatic elements should only be mentioned where they contribute to the context or constraints and should be kept brief.

Avoid general statements which could apply to any course or teaching situation and be specific (eg: ‘taking into account learners’ needs I…’ versus ‘because the learners were particularly time-poor due to demands of work I….’).

Use the first person and the active voice. (not ‘it was decided that…..’ but ‘I decided that….’)

There are many ways of structuring a case study but common elements are likely to include:

• Context: What was the situation or challenge? Relevant objectives and/or constraints.
• Activity: What did you decide to do and why? (focus on the latter in order to avoid excessive description). What evidence and/or theory did you use? Why did you choose a particular approach or course of action? Rationale is the most important factor the panel will look for.
• Outcome: Was this a product (such as a new course, assessment or resource); an approach (eg pedagogical, curricular, policy); or an effect (eg on engagement; participation; attainment).
• Impact: What positive difference did it make? To whom?
• Evidence: How do you know the impact was successful? How did you evaluate?

There is no need to use these headings but try to ensure that you have addressed these questions somehow in your narrative. These are the elements the panel will be looking for.

Reflective Narrative - Senior Fellow (D3) only

In preparing your reflective narrative, focus in particular on the education, training, employment, roles and experience which have contributed to your professional development as teacher, mentor, facilitator of learning and academic leader. You might include informal activities, whether individual, collaborative or team-based, that you believe have had a significant impact on your academic practice and/or on the practice of others.

Highlight the primary influences on your own development, focusing on the progressive attainment of your professional capabilities and how you and others have benefitted from the continuous learning and development process involved.

You might include informal activities, whether individual, collaborative or team-based, that have had a significant impact on your academic practice and/or on the practice of others. You should clearly demonstrate an integrated and reflective approach to academic practice that incorporates research, scholarship and/or professional practice.

You may wish to reflect on some (but not all!) of these elements as appropriate:

• Career milestones
  • Roles and responsibilities related to teaching and supporting learning;
  • Relevant qualifications obtained from formal professional development.
• Areas of research, scholarship and/or professional practice
  • Relevant publications and/or presentations;
  • Incorporation of research, scholarship and/or professional practice into teaching and supporting learning;
  • Links with professional bodies or wider communities.
• Involvement in teaching and learning initiatives
  • Institutional/nationally funded projects;
  • Small-medium scale investigations or awards;
  • Work with professional bodies;
  • Development and/or adoption of learning and teaching themes, for example, internationalisation, employability, assessment and feedback, retention, flexible learning, education for sustainability;
  • Dissemination of teaching and learning related expertise.
• Recognition and reward
  • Teaching prizes, fellowships, institutional awards for innovation;
  • Professional body recognition.
• Collaborating with others
  • Advisory, support and/or co-ordination roles in teaching and supporting learning;
  • Leadership and management roles.
• Educational and staff development activity
  • Mentor roles in professional development programmes for new and inexperienced staff;
  • Learning and teaching workshops/seminars;
  • Related publications/document
• Leadership, management and organisational roles within an institutional or wider higher education context
  • Learning and teaching/quality enhancement committee
  • Programme design, approval and review process;
  • Quality assurance roles and responsibilities.

The reviewers will not be judging the format through which you decide to make your claim and provide evidence of meeting the PSF 2023 criteria. However, they will be looking for a clear trajectory from novice to expert and leader. They will be expecting a reflective analysis of yourself and your practice that will help demonstrate what beliefs, philosophies and values underpin your practice and why it is that your leadership role is likely to be sustained.

Context statements

The context you practice within is critical to how and why you practice as you do and thus you have an option to describe your context separately such that it informs the reviewers of appropriate background. This statement is not in itself reviewed against any of the criteria and can be up to 300 words long. These words do not count towards your overall word or timing limits and frees you up from using words unnecessarily in your submission claim itself. 

Your context might, for example, relate to:

• the specifics and/or culture of your discipline
• your ongoing engagement with professional practice
• your employment status
• any additional roles or relationships with outside organisations
• the nature of you student cohorts e.g. large/small numbers; diversity;