CPD Route

The FLAIR CPD scheme provides a route for experienced colleagues to gain HEA Fellowship in recognition of the work they do in teaching and supporting learning. The scheme is accredited by Advance HE to award three categories of Fellowship: Associate Fellowship (D1), Fellowship (D2) or Senior Fellowship (D3). Click here to hear Professor Elizabeth McCrum talking about the scheme.

Who can apply?

All colleagues with experience of teaching and/or supporting learning in higher education can apply for professional recognition through the scheme at D1-D3. This includes colleagues who already have Fellowship and want to apply for a further category of Fellowship in recognition of experience gained since the initial award. Whilst we cannot award Principal Fellowship (D4), we can provide colleagues with support for direct applications to Advance HE.

The scheme is for experienced staff, so how much experience do I need?

To meet the assessment requirements (the relevant Descriptors of the PSF) applicants need to demonstrate sustained impact on teaching and learning within a Higher Education context. It is, therefore, expected that applicants will usually have been teaching or supporting learning in HE for a period of three years or more. However, it is the applicant's impact that is most important, not simply the period of service or number of contact hours with learners.

What support will I receive?

The CPD Scheme is a non-taught route through which individuals develop their own application for Fellowship. To support you with this, we have developed a range of support you can access:

• These webpages provide all the information you’ll need to get started and a wide range of support material/resources for developing your application.
• Here to Help: The individual nature of applications means that applicants sometimes have very specific questions about their application. Because of this we offer regular Q&A phone-ins  - ‘Here to Help’ sessions when you can contact Aaron with any quick question or query not covered in the documentation. Please view our Key Dates page for further information. 
• Feedback: The feedback process consists of three layers: 1) The first layer of feedback is informal feedback from someone who has been through the Scheme. The 'Alumni List' for each category can be found on the relevant webpage. Alternatively ask your SDTL to identify someone locally who can provide informal feedback on your initial draft. 2) Feedback from a 'critical friend': The 'Critical Friends' Directory' can be found on the website. You can contact anyone on the directory to request support/feedback. 3) Formal support: Applicants can request a 30-minute consultation meeting on drafts with a member of the CQSD ADE team. Please note, we will provide oral feedback during this meeting - we do not provide written feedback on applications.
• Regular communication: On the first of every month we send out a short ‘Fellowship First’ email sharing something we think applicants will find useful (resources to draw on; quick and fun activities to participate in; tips and hints etc). We also send a termly email to all applicants with important updates.

As a result of the support that is provided, the success rate for applicants to the CPD Scheme is higher than the rate for direct applications to Advance HE. For example, in 2019-20 over 90% of applications to the CPD Scheme were successful at the first attempt. This is much higher than the success rate for direct applications which varied between 70-79% depending on category.

What to do next

• Download the step by step guide for a quick overview of how to apply for Fellowship
• Use the Key Dates information to plan the timeline for your application
• Watch the screencasts. (These cover all aspects of applying for Fellowship. Further screencasts are available for each category on the relevant webpage.)
• Download the handbook and the Applicant Support Pack - these contain all the information you need, plus ideas for writing each section of your application (select from menu below)

• Contact us during one of our regular Here to Help sessions if you have any specific queries not addressed in the documentation

Should you experience any difficulty accessing the webpages (for example, being redirected to the University homepage), please visit the IT support page.

Resources for each category of Fellowship