mentors and applicants 2020 · • hea fellowship scheme staff within learning futures will...
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LEARNING & TEACHING
PRACTICE PROGRAM
An accredited pathway to recognition as a HEA FELLOW or
SENIOR FELLOW.
GUIDANCE NOTES FOR
MENTORS AND
APPLICANTS
2020
Version 1
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Contents
Welcome and Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 2
Griffith HEA Fellowship Scheme Contacts .......................................................................................... 2
Learning and Teaching Practice Program - overview ............................................................................. 2
The steps in this blended program ...................................................................................................... 2
Mentoring HEA Fellowship Applicants .................................................................................................... 3
What are mentors expected to do? ..................................................................................................... 3
What time commitments are expected? .............................................................................................. 3
Benefits of being a mentor................................................................................................................... 3
Who can be a mentor? ........................................................................................................................ 4
Mentor professional learning and support ........................................................................................... 4
Selection and allocation of mentors .................................................................................................... 4
Evaluation of mentoring ....................................................................................................................... 4
Mentor’s role and responsibilities ........................................................................................................ 4
Applicant’s role and responsibilities .................................................................................................... 5
Overview of the mentor/applicant meetings ............................................................................................ 6
Appendix 1 – Details of Mentor Meetings ............................................................................................... 7
Appendix 2 – Guidance for mentors ....................................................................................................... 8
Meeting #1 - Topics to discuss and common challenges .................................................................... 8
Common challenges at this stage .................................................................................................... 9
Meeting #2 - Topics to discuss and common challenges .................................................................. 10
Common challenges at this stage .................................................................................................. 10
Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................................. 11
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Welcome and Introduction
Welcome to the Griffith HEA Fellowship Scheme. For mentors, thank you for participating in
mentoring your colleagues through their Fellowship preparation and, to applicants (mentees),
congratulations on embarking on this important form of development and recognition. Mentoring is
recognised as an important part of professional learning at Griffith and is a valuable contribution made
by Griffith Learning and Teaching Academy (GLTA) members. This Guide will assist both mentors
and applicants in providing and receiving feedback as applicants seek recognition through HEA
Fellowship. The Guide provides the details of mentoring within the “Learning and Teaching Practice”
Program – an accredited pathway to recognition as a HEA Fellow or Senior Fellow. This document
includes information which can be used as a guide for mentoring sessions. This information is
combined with insights into common challenges faced by applicants and resources available to assist
mentors in providing support and feedback.
Griffith HEA Fellowship Scheme Contacts
Role Name Contact Details
Griffith HEA Fellowship Scheme,
Director
Prof. Ruth Bridgstock
(PFHEA)
Griffith HEA Fellowship Scheme,
Coordinator
Dr Paula Myatt [email protected]
Griffith HEA Fellowship Scheme,
Administrator
Ms Tina Hodson [email protected]
Griffith Academy of L&T Liaison Leigh Sawyer (AFHEA) [email protected]
Learning and Teaching Practice Program - overview
The Learning and Teaching Practice Program is an accredited HEA program offered by Griffith
University to those staff seeking professional recognition within the categories of Fellow (FHEA) and
Senior Fellow (SFHEA). Details of this program can be found in the Program Handbooks on the
Learning Futures/ HEA Fellowship Scheme website. This program is a blended approach to
supporting Griffith staff, through: online modules (short, self-paced units), face-to-face sessions
(including a peer mentor and feedback) and the HEA team. Ultimately you will present your writing
and reflections as a portfolio of evidence, and some Senior Fellow applicants might also engage in a
Dialogic Route (and an Assessed Professional Conversation) as part of their application process. For
full program details consult the Program Handbook.
The steps in this blended program
The Teaching and Learning Practice Program blends online modules, with a face-to-face Introductory
Workshop and peer mentoring. Figure 1 below summarises the steps, but full details are contained in
the Program Handbook. The responsibility lies with individual applicants to manage their time to
complete the modules, liaise with their mentor and write their application in the 12-week program.
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Figure 1: A summary of the steps in the L&T Practice Program
Previous experience has shown that engaging with a mentor contributes to overall success – success
in writing, in reflecting and in completing your submission. These Guidance Notes are designed to:
➢ suggest a possible structure for the peer mentoring process
➢ manage the expectations (and workloads) of both mentors and applicants
➢ describe the roles and benefits
➢ provide a suggested structure for each mentor meeting (see Appendix 1)
Mentoring HEA Fellowship Applicants
What are mentors expected to do?
• Guide and support staff, encouraging them to reflect on their practice, meet the requirements
of fellowship application and submit their application.
• Provide general feedback and advice on early drafts (see possible process below).
• Choose to mentor individually (1:1) or in a small group. (Mentors may partner with as many or
as few mentees as they wish.)
What time commitments are expected?
• Attend an initial professional learning session on mentoring for HEA Fellowships (2 hours) run
by Learning Futures.
• Commit to mentor applicants within Trimester 1 and/or Trimester 2.
• Meet with applicants at least twice (virtually or face to face) to work on the application - total
mentor time commitment per applicant = 4-5 hours.
• See Appendix 1 for details of each meeting (summarised in the table below).
Benefits of being a mentor
• Expand your network and sphere of influence.
• Help colleagues reflect on their learning and teaching experiences, and gain professional
recognition for their practice.
• Contribute to meeting your leadership objectives within your Academic Staff Career
Development (ASCD) plan.
• Gain valuable insights into the teaching practices of Griffith colleagues.
• Make a valuable contribution to the Griffith Learning and Teaching Academy, and to the
recognition of learning and teaching at Griffith.
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Who can be a mentor?
Mentors must be:
• A member of staff at Griffith University.
• A holder of a HEA fellowship (FHEA, SFHEA or PFHEA) or have proven experience in
learning and teaching combined with an understanding of the PSF.
• Committed to completing the professional learning associated with the mentor role.
Mentor professional learning and support
• Mentors will attend the “Professional Learning for Mentors and Assessors” workshop provided
by Learning Futures. Mentors will have access to all of the resources and information also
provided to applicants, including:
o Online modules supporting applicants to develop, and write their reflective portfolios;
a detailed explanation of the Professional Standards Framework (PSF).
o The application requirements, including all application forms and Handbooks.
• Mentors will be supported broadly by the Griffith HEA Fellowship Team within Learning
Futures. Support of mentors will also be provided by the L&T Practice Program Coordinator,
who will oversee the mentoring program and will work closely with mentors as the scheme is
established and mentors gain experience.
Selection and allocation of mentors
• HEA fellows within the Griffith Learning and Teaching Academy will be given the opportunity
to self-nominate as mentors and/or assessors within the Griffith HEA Fellowship Scheme.
These fellows will then be invited to participate in the professional learning workshop.
• HEA Fellowship Scheme staff within Learning Futures will facilitate the mentor-applicant
partnering process, which will occur using an online process where applicants will nominate a
short list of preferred mentors from the list of available mentors. Learning Futures will be
sensitive to any preferences expressed.
• In relation to potential conflicts of interest, mentors must notify the Program Coordinator
immediately of any possible conflicts of interest so that the applicant in question can be
reallocated promptly to another mentor.
• Mentors will not necessarily come from the same discipline/Group as the applicant.
• Mentors of FHEA applicants will be Fellows or Senior Fellows. Mentors of SFHEA applicants
must be Senior Fellows or Principle Fellows.
• Mentors will be assigned no more than two applicants to mentor at one time.
• Mentors will be asked to identify when they are available to mentor applicants – Trimester 1
and/or Trimester 2.
Evaluation of mentoring
• The mentoring program, including the mentor/assessor training, will be evaluated and revised
as appropriate to maintain its effectiveness.
Mentor’s role and responsibilities
Mentors work with applicants to help them critically reflect and evidence their learning and teaching
practice against standards and criteria for professional recognition, and to help them select relevant
examples of evidence for their application and/or conversation. Mentors share tips and insights from
their own experience of working with, and evidencing, the PSF. It is the mentor’s familiarity with
learning and teaching, and their understanding of the PSF and how to evidence it, that is important -
not familiarity with the applicant’s subject knowledge or discipline.
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Mentors are expected to:
• Commit sufficient time to carry out the required activities specified for the role. (If possible,
this should be confirmed in advance with your line manager as part of overall workload
planning if appropriate, and the benefits reported as part of your ASCD process.)
• Commit to mentor a minimum of one applicant, up to a maximum of four per year.
• Be able to explain the PSF and understand the requirements of the Learning and Teaching
Practice Program, including awareness of the assessment criteria.
• Act as a guide to assist a colleague reflect on their practice and plan their application for HEA
Fellowship following the Griffith process.
• Help applicants identify appropriate evidence to support their claims – including helping
SFHEA applicants who are preparing for their Assessed Professional Conversation.
• Provide feedback on a draft application (see suggested approach in Appendix 1).
• Where applications are not immediately successful, commit to assisting the applicant to
respond to the feedback received from the Assessment Panel.
Mentors are NOT expected to:
• Help find referees for the applicant.
• Compile any of the application (or re-submission) on behalf of the applicant.
• Have the same subject or discipline background as those they mentor.
• Observe, review or provide feedback and advice on the applicant’s actual teaching practice.
• Proof-read/provide detailed corrections on full applications.
Mentors must NOT:
• Be held accountable for the decisions of the Assessment Panel regarding judgement of an
applicant’s portfolio.
• Assess their applicant’s portfolio (if the mentor forms part of any Assessment panel).
(Applicants must declare the name of their mentor on the Application Form).
• Mentor someone with which they have a close family relationship and should consider
carefully whether mentoring someone with whom they have a close professional relationship
would be difficult. Conflicts of interest must be declared; mentors are encouraged to err on the
side of caution in assessing such conflicts.
Applicant’s role and responsibilities
Applicants are expected to:
• Liaise with their mentor regarding timelines, commitment and mentoring expectations.
• Commit sufficient time to carry out the requirements of the application process. This includes
finishing the application process within the 12 week period (Trimester).
• Complete all agreed tasks required before each mentor meeting.
• Meet with their mentor to gain feedback, discuss ideas and guidance, and respond to
feedback as appropriate.
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Overview of the mentor/applicant meetings
Applicants in the L&T Practice Program commit to completing the online Modules which have been
designed to support this process. The modules contain writing and planning activities, which may be
useful topics for discussion between mentors and applicants. The L&T Practice Program involves
peer mentoring as a form of support for applicants and an overall opportunity to enhance peer
networking and conversations about learning and teaching. This is a partnership between applicants
and mentors. For this partnership to work effectively, however, it is important to management
expectations. One way to do this is to clearly outline some specific tasks which must be completed by
each partner. Below is a summary overview of the tasks that could be undertaken by mentors and
applicants. This needs to be discussed and confirmed as part of the mentoring process. This
information is provided in greater detail in the Appendices - there you will find a suggested (and
recommended!) structure for each meeting, also common challenges faced, a checklist to support
preparation for the meetings and a list of resources which are available for applicants (and mentors.)
Mentors and applicants should negotiate a process. A suggested approach is provided below:
The Applicant The Mentor
Meeting #1 Before the meeting:
▪ Complete online Modules and activities ▪ Complete the pre-writing planning audit (See matrix in Handbook) ▪ Write two Areas of Activity and send to the mentor for comment.
Bring to the meeting:
▪ Pre-writing planning audit ▪ Ideas for possible Referees
For SFHEA applicants:
▪ Bring pre-planning for Case Studies ▪ Plan to discuss Descriptor 3(vii)
Before the meeting:
▪ Read and comment on 2 Areas of Activity sent by applicant
At the meeting:
▪ Discuss online Modules and/or discussion points ▪ Discuss feedback on Areas of
Activity sent by applicant ▪ Discuss plans for remaining Areas of
Activity (using pre-writing planning) ▪ Discuss Referees ▪ Commit to a timeline & meetings ▪ For SFHEA: Discuss Case Studies
and Descriptor 3(vii)
Meeting #2 Before the meeting:
▪ Finish drafts of A1-A5 and send to mentor for comment ▪ For SFHEA: Finish drafts of Case Studies (send to mentor)
Before the meeting:
▪ Read and comment on 3 Areas of Activity ▪ For SFHEA: Comment on 2 Case Studies
At the meeting:
▪ Discuss feedback; Check on Referees
Meeting #3*
(*only if assessed application requires amendment)
Before the meeting:
▪ Contact mentor to arrange a meeting ▪ Send assessors’ comments
Before the meeting:
▪ Read the assessors’ comments.
At the meeting:
▪ Discuss feedback and plans for how to make necessary amendments.
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Appendix 1 – Details of Mentor Meetings
Meeting Purpose The Applicant The Mentor
#1 (Hold approx. 2 months prior to submission deadline. Duration: 1 hour)
▪ To provide early feedback to the applicant on two Areas of Activity before the applicant has written too much.
▪ To discuss reflective writing. ▪ To discuss planning, approach to writing
and the use of evidence. For SFHEA: ▪ To discuss ideas for Case Studies. ▪ To discuss Descriptor 3(vii)
Before the meeting: ▪ Complete online Modules and activities ▪ Complete the pre-writing planning audit (Use
the matrix in the Program Handbook) ▪ Write two Areas of Activity and send to the
mentor for comment. Send to mentor one week before: ▪ Two Areas of Activity. Bring to the meeting: ▪ Pre-writing planning audit ▪ Ideas for possible Referees ▪ SFHEA: Pre-planning for Case Studies ▪ SFHEA: Discuss Descriptor 3(vii)
Before the meeting: ▪ Read and comment on 2 Areas of Activity
sent by applicant At the meeting: ▪ Discuss Module activities and/or discussion
points ▪ Discuss feedback on Areas of Activity sent
by applicant ▪ Discuss plans for remaining Areas of Activity ▪ Check on Referees ▪ Commit to a timeline ▪ Confirm next meeting ▪ For SFHEA: Discuss Case Studies and
Descriptor 3(vii)
#2 (Hold approx. 1 month prior to submission deadline. Duration: 1 hour)
▪ To provide additional feedback on remaining three Areas of Activity with a particular emphasis on reflection.
▪ To encourage the applicant to refer to the PSF within their writing to confirm alignment of their activities to the professional standards.
For SFHEA: ▪ Portfolio route: To confirm the applicant
has focussed on D3(vii) within the Case Studies.
▪ Dialogic Route: To confirm the applicant has considered D3(vii) examples to discuss and reflected on the indicative questions.
Before the meeting: ▪ Finish drafts of A1-A5 Send to mentor one week before: ▪ Three Areas of Activity ▪ For SFHEA (Portfolio): send 2 Case Studies ▪ For SFHEA (Dialogic): send dot points of
ideas for APC discussion (See indicative APC questions in the Program Handbook)
Bring to the meeting: ▪ Questions from feedback/writing ▪ Update on referees ▪ Plan for completing the application ▪ SFHEA (Portfolio): Case Study questions ▪ SFHEA (Dialogic): Your APC preparation.
Before the meeting: ▪ Read and comment on 3 Areas of Activity
and 2 Case Studies (for SFHEA) At the meeting: ▪ Discuss feedback on Areas of Activity ▪ Check on Referees ▪ Confirm that application will be completed
and submitted on time ▪ For SFHEA: Discuss reference to literature,
evidence of scholarship, and focus on D3(vii).
▪ For SFHEA (Dialogic): Discuss D3(vii) possible conversation topics and general preparation.
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Appendix 2 – Guidance for mentors
Meeting #1 - Topics to discuss and common challenges
Meeting #1 - Topics to discuss ✓ Notes:
Online Modules (including activities) .. Any specific discussion points?
Overall writing approach .. Understanding the structure? Is reflective writing a challenge? .. How do you allocate time to write?
Planning .. What are plans/ideas for Areas of Activity? .. Have a look at the pre-writing planning audit. .. Can you map out 2 examples per Area of Activity plus evidence?
Feedback on Areas of Activity .. Discuss feedback, track changes and/or comments. .. Are there any common themes to feedback? .. Can the feedback be discussed ‘generically’ so it is transferable to remaining Areas of Activity?
SFHEA – Portfolio Route Case studies .. What are plans/ideas? Focus on Descriptor 3(vii)
SFHEA – Dialogic Route The Assessed Professional Conversation .. What are plans/ideas? Focus on Descriptor 3(vii)
Referees
Commit to a timeline
Confirm next meeting (date?)
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Common challenges at this stage
Challenge Discussion approach Resources
Writing can be too descriptive and NOT reflective.
- Identify blocks of descriptive text - Ask “Why did you teach this way?” (asking “why” can elicit the reflection
behind the action.)
- See Module 2 resources, including the 4Rs approach.
Writing can be off purpose (lack structure or focus).
- Remind the applicant that this is very purposeful writing. “You and your context are totally unknown to the Assessor. You must convince the assessor that you are an effective teacher.”
- Remind applicant to use the language of the Dimensions (eg words in the “Area of Activity” itself) and also the language of the Descriptor.
- See Module 2 “A note on Structure” which suggests some models of structure for writing.
Lacks a rationale for approaches adopted.
- Remind applicant about structure. - Discuss here that, by explaining the rational used, the applicant is
actually being reflective. Ask “Why did you adopt this approach? How do you know you were successful? Did you use any information from the literature to guide/influence your thinking?”
- SFHEA: Importantly, have others come to you and sought your advice on this? (D3vii)
- See Module 2 as suggested above. - See the rational explained in the
4Rs approach to reflection (also Module 2).
- SFHEA: Keep referring to the PSF, and note the need to constantly keep seeking evidence supporting D3(vii).
Lacks examples of effective practice. - Check back at the initial pre-writing planning audit - See the pre-writing planning audit in the Program handbook. This is an important tool to assist applicants identify the examples they wish to focus-on in their writing.
Needs to show effectiveness of the practice or how the practice was evaluated.
- Evidence is essential to show effectiveness, however you might write about a challenge, a proposed solution, an evaluation, a reflection and future plans. Remind applicants that this reflection isn’t always about excellence, it is about effectiveness and a student centred approach.
- See Module 2 “A note on Evidence”.
Needs more focus on student learning. - Ask the applicant “what do the students do?” because sometimes the writing can focus on what “they do”. The writing needs to be student-learning focussed.
- Examine some of the examples of Areas of Activity provided in Module 2.
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Meeting #2 - Topics to discuss and common challenges
Meeting #2 - Topics to discuss
✓ Notes:
Discuss feedback
Feedback on Areas of Activity sent by applicant
Plans for remaining Area of Activity
SFHEA: Continue discussions from Meeting #1 Case studies APC (Dialogic Route) Descriptor 3(vii)
Referees
Time management
Confirm submission date/timeframe/plans
Common challenges at this stage
Challenges at this point may be similar to those faced at Meeting #1 so re-visit those challenges if necessary. However, as the refining of the application commences
some additional areas to focus on may include:
Challenge Discussion approach
Writing can be too descriptive and NOT reflective.
- Identify blocks of descriptive text - Ask “Why did you teach this way?” (asking “why” can elicit the reflection behind the action.)
Writing can be off purpose (lack structure or focus).
- Remind the applicant that this is very purposeful writing. “You and your context are totally unknown to the Assessor. You must convince the assessor that you are an effective teacher.”
- Remind applicant to use the language of the Dimensions (eg words in the “Area of Activity” itself) and also the language of the Descriptor.
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Lacks a rationale for approaches adopted.
- Remind applicant about structure. - Encourage applicant to ask: “Why did I adopt this approach? How did I know this was successful? Did I use information from
the literature to guide/influence my thinking?”. Answer these questions reflectively. - SFHEA: Importantly, have others come to you and sought your advice on this? (D3vii)
Insufficient reference to the PSF (annotations in the portfolio)
- Remind applicants to use the PSF. - Remember try to minimise long strings of annotations. - 3-4 is sufficient. (eg K1, K2, V1, V2). Annotate in the paragraph immediately after the sentence, don’t wait to the end.
Relevance of the Teaching Philosophy Statement
- Make use of the Teaching philosophy by referring to it within the Reflective portfolio. - For SFHEA applicants, remember your Teaching Philosophy often influences your “Leadership Philosophy”. This m ight be
important when reflecting in your Case Study or when preparing for your APC.
Engagement with Professional Development (professional learning)
- This section within your Reflective Portfolio is important (see A5). - In this section you need to convince the assessors that you: engage in PD and “why” you engage and also what impacts
there have been from that engagement. - SFHEA: think about ways you have influenced others to engage in PD. Maybe through mentoring, or you have organised
seminars or workshops. As a SFHEA you will be both a “consumer” of PD as well as a “producer” of PD for others.
Insufficient use of the literature
- All portfolios need to show that applicants can refer to appropriate literature. - FHEA – some citing needed. Minimal. - SFHEA – greater use of literature essential. Some indication of personal contributions to the literature is beneficial.
Word length issues - Applicants should be encouraged to use the Application form and note the word lengths for each section. Mentors need to encourage applicants to keep to the lengths – mentors do not wish to give feedback on excessively long drafts which include text that will subsequently be deleted.
References - Citing the literature is encouraged. Reference lists are therefore needed. Applications however are NOT literature reviews.
Lack of D3(vii) as a ‘theme” throughout SFHEA portfolio.
- SFHEA applicants must show a “theme” of D3(vii) throughout their application. There is a particular focus on D3 (vii) within the case Studies (Portfolio Route) and the conversation (Dialogic Route).
- This should be evident as a theme across the application as a whole – so it may not be present in every individual component (eg within A1) but it will be evident in a holistic sense within and across a SFHEA application.
Acknowledgement
Thanks to the Swansea Academy of Learning and Teaching, Swansea University, UK, for sharing their mentor guide, from which early drafts of this document were
adapted.
