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HEA Short Guide Accreditation services
Introduction
High quality learning and teaching is at the heart of a positive student experience, and so they have rightly become a key focus in higher education institutions.
Students deserve the best possible provision and therefore it is extremely important that institutions demonstrate their strategic and practical commitment to high quality teaching, and recognise their teaching staff through appropriate professional qualifications, career pathways and rewards. At the HEA, we are ideally placed to help institutions achieve this.
Accreditation is at the core of this work and is a service which we offer exclusively to our subscribing institutions. The HEA, as a UK body for enhancing learning and teaching in higher education, accredits initial and continuing professional development (CPD) institutional provision. To date, the HEA has accredited 435 provisions in 134 HEIs with 34 institutions receiving accreditation for over 70 provisions in 2011/12.
We recognise that institutions are working hard to take a ‘whole institutional approach’ to their staff development provision and we have designed our accreditation process accordingly so that the benefits of accreditation are enjoyed at institutional as well as individual level and so that institutions can closely monitor the profile of provision across their organisation.
Our accreditation team looks forward to working with you as you seek to draw on the advantages of accreditation for your staff and your institution.
“Accreditation of our provision is highly regarded at Christ Church Canterbury as a measure of achievement and value in learning and teaching.”
Dr John Lea, Principal Lecturer and Programme Director, Canterbury Christ Church University
A framework for accreditation
The UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) for teaching and supporting learning is fundamental to the accreditation process. The framework provides a general description of the main dimensions of the roles of teaching and supporting learning within the HE environment. It is written from the perspective of the practitioner and outlines a national framework for comprehensively recognising and benchmarking teaching and learning support roles within Higher Education.
The UKPSF is used by institutions to inform their professional development programmes and activities and through its use, demonstrate that professional standards are being met. We support and guide both institutions and individuals as they engage with the UKPSF. In this way, the HEA provides external endorsement that institutional provision is aligned to the UKPSF and to sector best practices.
The UKPSF is widely available and can be found at www.heacademy.ac.uk/ukpsf
The benefits of accreditation
Accreditation against the UKPSF is, in itself, an important endorsement; but what is really significant are the tangible benefits accreditation brings to students, to academic staff and to institutions by:
• raising the profile of learning and teaching, and celebrating its status alongside research;
• demonstrating to students a measurable commitment to the quality of teaching;
• raising the standards of teaching and encouraging best practice;
• enabling staff to gain automatic recognition and reward for developing capabilities and progressing as an educator;
• supporting senior staff in developing policies, systems and a culture for recognising and rewarding teaching;
• making it possible to benchmark provision against nationally recognised quality standards.
Accreditation is a mark of value in learning and teaching and a sign of commitment to all those involved: students, teachers and supporting staff.
HEA accreditation services
“Accreditation of our provision is highly regarded at Canterbury Christ Church as a measure of achievement and value in learning and teaching. Through accreditation, indicating alignment of provision with the UKPSF and national practices, the University shows its support for staff who are new to teaching - and throughout their career development. We believe that our students recognise and value our professional and dynamic approach to learning and teaching. Accreditation helps and encourages the pursuit of excellent teaching and effective learning and it is clear that together, staff and students flourish in a teaching environment where innovation and effective practice have become ingrained.”
Dr John Lea, Principal Lecturer and Programme Director, PGCert Learning and Teaching (HE), Canterbury Christ Church University
Achieving accreditation
The route to accreditation is through documentary submission following a period of institutional reflection and analysis of provision. The submission must clearly demonstrate how the provision is aligned with the UKPSF. Accreditation is only available to subscribing institutions and is restricted to one full submission in any three year cycle. The submission may contain a number of elements and must be signed off at institutional level; this requirement encourages a ‘whole institution’ approach to the accreditation of its provision and helps institutions in their CPD planning.
Submissions will be assessed by an independent panel of accreditors who are drawn from the sector. The panel’s accreditation judgement criteria are based on the following: explicit alignment with the UKPSF; incorporation of sector best practices and thus confidence that judgment processes and decisions made at institutional level are related to evidence of successful engagement with the various dimensions of the UKPSF.
The HEA’s accreditation team operates events designed to share best practice, explain how the UKPSF can be used in the ways described, and advise institutions in developing their submission. A subscribing institution may wish to take more substantial consultancy with the HEA through one or both of its allocated days of bespoke support. The HEA is exceptionally placed to have an overview of best practice at both provision and institutional levels.
On successful completion of an accredited programme or scheme, participating individuals are automatically eligible for recognition in the appropriate HEA fellowship category. Accreditation and the institution’s authority to recognise fellowship eligibility lasts for three years, after which a new submission to the HEA must be made. This reviewing process ensures that practice in learning and teaching is dynamic and developmental – and the HEA, with its overview across the sector, uses its position and its accreditor knowledge and experience to draw together best practice and approaches for the benefit of all.
Fig. 1 Indicative process timeline from submission
“Accreditation helps and encourages the pursuit of excellent teaching and effective learning. It is clear that together, staff and students flourishin a teaching environment where innovation and effective practice have become ingrained.”
Dr John Lea, Principal Lecturer and Programme Director, Canterbury Christ Church University
Stage one
Notification of intention
to submit
-
Stage two
Full documentary
submission
week 0
Stage three
Accreditation
Panel Meeting
+5 weeks
Stage four
Accreditation
decision communicated
to institution
+6 weeks
Case study University of Exeter
Eighty staff at the University of Exeter have recently been awarded Higher Education Academy (HEA) fellowships to acknowledge excellent teaching and high quality student support. Forty of these are as a result of the University’s ASPIRE (Accrediting Staff Development in Research-led Education) scheme which is the first of its kind to be accredited by the HEA for all Descriptors of the UK Professional Standards Framework. Under the ASPIRE scheme, fellowships are awarded at four levels – Associate, Fellow, Senior Fellow and Principal Fellow. Applicants have to demonstrate their sustained success in delivering excellent teaching and providing high quality student support to an internal assessment panel.
Professor Craig Mahoney, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Academy, said, “The appointment of the first principal fellows at the University of Exeter is an extremely welcome and significant milestone in recognising the value and status of strategic leadership in teaching.”
“The HEA has worked very closely with the University of Exeter using the UKPSF as a key reference to design an inclusive approach to accrediting professional development in learning and teaching at all career levels. These awards are not only a recognition of the professionalism and development of individual’s teaching
excellence, but significant and tangible evidence of a commitment to teacher excellence across the University and its importance and value for staff and students. The ASPIRE programme is an excellent model of support for the development of staff.”
Dr Dilly Fung, ASPIRE Director at the University and panel chair, said:
“The applicants showed a range of innovative ways they ensure that students have the highest quality academically rigorous learning opportunities. The scheme emphasises inspiring students to learn in research-like ways, so they develop the knowledge and skills to become not only leading academics of the future, but also highly successful professionals who can adapt to the rapidly changing demands of the workplace.”
Forty fellowships have also been awarded through the University of Exeter’s successful Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) programme. This course, mandatory for early career lecturers, helps staff develop confident approaches to teaching, curriculum development and assessment, as well as encouraging them to develop in other areas of their academic role, including research. Staff who complete the PCAP are awarded an HEA Fellowship.
“Whether staff are on academic or professional contracts, and whether they are new to university teaching or highly qualified, if they teach or support students’ learning they can gain recognition for their successful contribution to student education at the University of Exeter.”
Tash Khan-Davis, Head of Training and Development at the University
The accreditation team looks forward to hearing from you.
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+44 (0)1904 717 500 [email protected]
© The Higher Education Academy, 2012
The Higher Education Academy (HEA) is a national body for learning and teaching in higher education. We work with universities and other higher education providers to bring about change in learning and teaching. We do this to improve the experience that students have while they are studying, and to support and develop those who teach them. Our activities focus on rewarding and recognising excellence in teaching, bringing together people and resources to research and share best practice, and by helping to influence, shape and implement policy - locally, nationally, and internationally.
Further information
The HEA supports staff in higher education throughout their careers, from those who are new to teaching through to senior management. We offer services at a generic learning and teaching level as well as in 28 different disciplines. Through our partnership managers we work directly with HE providers to understand individual circumstances and priorities, and bring together resources to meet them.
The HEA has knowledge, experience and expertise in higher education. Our service and product range is broader than any other competitor.
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