The Supported Route to AFHEA for PGR students employed to teach is currently not available. Check back with SALT in autumn 2021
Who’s eligible to apply?
If you are employed part-time by Swansea University to undertake specific teaching/demonstrating duties AND you are pursuing a Postgraduate Research programme you are eligible, provided you are studying within a participating College/discipline. Your research supervisor must agree for you to pursue the AFHEA support programme. There will be a nominated College/School contact for you to seek advice and support from for this programme. There may be limited numbers of participants that each College/School can support. Colleges/Schools may consequently apply further specific eligibility criteria for PGR students wishing to access this programme.
Eligible participants would normally complete this support programme to submit an AFHEA application within 12 months. There is no cost associated with the AFHEA programme or subsequent application via the SAR route.
Usually, you will still need to be employed by the University providing teaching/demonstrating duties at the time of the submission of your application for AFHEA and its subsequent decision. If you have completed your research programme and/or are no longer employed for teaching/support duties, the eligibility to submit and/or costs associated with an AFHEA application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Which Colleges/Disciplines are participating in this pathway?
College of Engineering – contact Professor Paul Holland, Head of the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Centre
College of Human and Health Science – contact Maria Davis, PGR Academy Manager
School of Management – contact Dr. Jenny Cave, PGR Director
College of Science (Biosciences) – contact Dr. Laura Roberts, Director of Learning and Teaching
Who is ineligible?
Undergraduates or students pursuing a taught postgraduate programme are ineligible. PGR Students supported externally via a stipend, which requires a commitment to teach as part of their programme (commonly referred to as Graduate Teaching Assistants) are also ineligible through this internal route but are encouraged to apply direct to the HEA.
What will I have to do?
- Get agreement from your research degree supervisor to engage in the programme (this agreement must be placed on the University’s PGR progression reporting system)
- Attend an initial College induction providing you with an overview of the support programme.
- Meet with your College tutor to guide you in the initial discussions about AFHEA recognition. This should include a review of your experience to date; future plans; relevant material required for an AFHEA application and a suitable deadline.
- Access the online materials on the VLE and work through and complete the tasks in the three sections below. Use your online journal to reflect on these tasks; resources on reflective writing will be available.
- The UK Professional Standards Frameworks (UKPSF)
- The tasks are part of the Learning Objects
- Teaching and learning
- Teaching Observation tasks; details and forms are online
- Assessment and feedback
- Consider and discuss range and scope of assessment; details online
- Submit a draft of your AFHEA application for feedback from your College tutor at least one month prior to your intended submission deadline.
- The UK Professional Standards Frameworks (UKPSF)
Once this is complete, you will be able to submit a final application for AFHEA by completing the relevant sections of the Swansea Application Route form and submitting that for internal scrutiny.
In total, you will engage with your tutor on 4 occasions (one will include reviewing formative feedback on your draft AFHEA application).
How to Apply for Associate Fellowship through the Supported Pathway
What should I do first?
Discuss with your research degree supervisor to discuss with this is feasible for you given the progress on research and scope of your teaching/assessment and feedback activities.
Contact the identified College Tutor to determine the next available induction sessions outlining the programme.
Find out about the programme
Contact your College Tutor to find out details of the next available induction sessions.
Those approved by their research supervisor to engage in the programme will be enrolled on a Bb module for the AFHEA Supported Pathway on which you will find the online materials and tasks.
College tutors will guide you in completing the relevant activities to provide sufficient evidence to support an AFHEA application. They will meet with you either individually or as a group, to review the nature of the programme, your obligations and outline the support available to you. Colleges/Schools may provide additional supplemental resources to guide you, e.g. on reflective writing.
Tutors will review a draft of your AFHEA application prior to submission and provide formative feedback. You must submit a draft application to your tutor at least ONE MONTH prior to your intended application deadline. If you fail to submit a draft, you will not be permitted to make a final submission.
Once you have completed all aspects of the AFHEA programme, tutors will advise SALT Recognition Team of participants who are ready to submit an application and to what deadline, and then they shall be given access to the SAR HEA Fellowship module to make a submission. (As they have already undertaken the initial discussions and submission of a draft, participants on the AFHEA Supported programme will be exempted from the mandatory elements for experienced pathway applicants. Only a final submission will be required).
What does an application entail?
Once you have completed the activities of the AFHEA supported pathway, there are two methods by which you can submit a claim for Associate Fellowship – via a written submission or by presentation. There are some core administrative elements to both methods, but there are different forms and then different requirements according to the category of Fellowship.
These are summarised in these overview documents:
Written Submission Summary or
Presentation Submission Summary
Each application needs to be supported by evidence and two Supporting Statements.
Academic misconduct
Applicants are provided with access to previously successful applications to review for guidance regarding completing the online form, the kinds of evidence to include etc. Applicants are warned however that in any suspected cases of academic misconduct the University procedures regarding Conduct and Discipline will be applied.
For more details
Contact the College Tutors, the PGR Training Coordinator in Academic Services or Mr. Chris Hall, Programme Manager for the AFHEA Supported Pathway (c.m.hall@swansea.ac.uk).
