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AFHEA Pathway for Doctoral Researchers

What is AFHEA?

Associate Fellowship (AFHEA) provides international recognition of your successful efforts to enhance the student experience. It entitles you to use post-nominal letters AFHEA that denote your membership of a teaching and learning community within Higher Education. Professional recognition of your teaching is important, and many employers expect new colleagues to have Associate Fellowship or to be working towards it during their probationary period.

The University of Reading FLAIR Framework

The University of Reading FLAIR Framework (Facilitating Learning and Teaching Achievement and Individual Recognition) is accredited by Advance HE to award three categories of Fellowship: Associate Fellow (D1), Fellow (D2), and Senior Fellow (D3)

There are three strands of FLAIR: 

  • The Academic Practice Programme
  • Non-Taught CPD scheme
  • AFHEA pathway for doctoral researchers

All three pathways are supported by the Academic Development and Enhancement (ADE) team in CQSD (the Centre for Quality, Support and Development) and enable colleagues to gain professional recognition for their work in teaching and/or supporting learning.

Benefits

Associate Fellowship status is recognised across the higher education sector in the UK, and increasingly internationally, as confirmation of knowledge, skills and experience gained in teaching and learning.

The scheme contributes directly to three of the four strategic pillars outlined in the University Strategic Plan 2020-2026. It is designed to empower colleagues in a number of ways; to gain recognition for good practice in relation to enhancing the student experience:

  • Principle 1: Community

- Become part of an active community, working collaboratively to develop and share good practice within the University. 

  • Principle 2: Excellence

- Thoughtfully design and deliver effective teaching, underpinned by data and scholarship

- Demonstrate that an enhanced student learning experience is at the heart of what you do

  • Principle 3: Impact beyond our campus

- Clearly articulate impact supported by evidence. The scheme itself provides international recognition of good practice

Applying for AFHEA via the Pathway for Doctoral Researchers?

Applications to the Doctoral Pathway are made to the Doctoral and Researcher College. After a short selection process the Academic Development and Enhancement team (ADE) in CQSD supports a cohort of doctoral researchers to make full applications for Advance HE Associate Fellowship (D1). Submissions are awarded for good practice in relation to teaching and learning. 

The pathway consists of:

  • An Expression of Interest considered at a selection panel. Associated forms are provided.
  • Full participation at three compulsory taught sessions (view dates here)
  • School-based support (through a mentor)
  • Power Hour of Writing Sessions
  • Submission of an application to be reviewed by a FLAIR panel

What Counts as 'Teaching' Hours?

Before deciding whether you would like to apply for enrolment it is vital that you have a good understanding of the requirements and the process itself. You will find all this information in the Applicant Support Pack which also contains some useful guidance on eligibility and some advice on “what counts as teaching”. 

There are a limited number of places on the scheme so not everyone who applies for selection will be successful.

You will need to consider whether you have the breadth and depth of experience. As early career researchers you may be approaching AFHEA from a variety of backgrounds or levels of experience, and as such, what counts as appropriate activity is typically varied. You will need to demonstrate a completed minimum number of hours teaching. However, meeting this threshold is no guarantee of success; 20 hours of marking alone is unlikely to provide a broad enough range of experiences to meet all D1 criteria
 
What constitutes "teaching and/or supporting learning" will vary according the context in which you are working.  For a more detailed explanation, see the document what counts as teaching.

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