Annual Report extract - Higher Education Academy Fellowships

Peter Draper, Senior Lecturer

Rev Dr Peter Draper

Excellence in teaching is at the heart of the Faculty’s mission, and this year several members of our staff have received significant recognition from the Higher Education Academy (HEA) through the award of HEA fellowships and other accolades.

The HEA has recognized Parveen Ali, Nicola Credland, Judith Dyson, Paula Gawthorpe, Jeanette MacNaught and Helen Sisson as Fellows. To achieve fellowship, academics must show that they are skilled teachers who are knowledgeable about their subject material and contemporary approaches to teaching and that their teaching is underpinned by evidence and reflects professional values. This cluster of practice, knowledge and values is known as the UK Professional Standards Framework.  Academics can be awarded fellowship by successfully completing an accredited programme or by producing evidence which is peer-reviewed by senior academics.  Thus Fellowship of the HEA is a significant professional achievement.

Senior Fellowship of the HEA can be awarded to experienced academics who have shown significant leadership in their learning and teaching practice.  One member of our staff was successful in gaining a Senior Fellowship this year – congratulations to Jennifer Loke.

Every year the HEA invites universities to nominate academic staff to become National Teaching Fellows (NTF).  The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme is a highly competitive and prestigious national competition in which up to 55 awards are made in recognition of individual excellence.  This year the university nominated Peter Draper, Senior Lecturer in Nursing, for the award.  Peter was successful, and received his certificate in a ceremony in London.

This level of success is the result of a great deal of hard work.  The FHSC regularly runs staff development events with a focus on learning and teaching.  This year, two leading nurse educators, Professor Janet Hargreaves (University of Huddersfield) and Professor Philip Keeley (University of Manchester) delivered seminars on learning and teaching topics, and the faculty has held several learning and teaching forums jointly facilitated by leading educators from other disciplines.  Peter Draper has also held workshops to help colleagues prepare their submissions for HEA recognition.

The award of a fellowship of the Higher Education Academy at any level is valuable because it is the outcome of a process of peer review of performance against objective standards.  The Student Led Teaching Awards are recognized by the National Union of Students and the Higher Education Academy, and this year Mike Parker, Lecturer in clinical nursing, received the Inspiring Teacher of the Year Award.  This award recognizes his ability to make content interesting and relevant, and a teaching approach with a transformative impact on the student experience and a passion for good teaching that motivates students to perform academically at their full potential.