D3 (Senior FHEA) Guidance Notes
1. General principles to consider in preparing your portfolio.
There are 4 parts to your portfolio. Part 1 is a reflective account of your professional practice
(RAPP). Part 2 consists of 2 case studies in which you should go into some depth on two different
aspects of your academic practice that you think demonstrates the expectations of D3. Part 3 is a
CPD review and plan. Part 4 consists of two references from people who can comment on the
appropriateness of your application for D3.
Your portfolio should have the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Your RAPP, (2400 words)
Two case studies (1500 words each)
Your CPD review and plan (600 words)
Two references.
You should explain how and why you believe this account evidences and demonstrates the
requirements outlined below for D3.
D3 must concentrate on your academic practice that evidences “Successful co-ordination, support,
supervision, management and/ or mentoring of others (whether individuals and/or teams) in relation
to teaching and learning.”
You are not asked to write a CV but should select and provide appropriate evidence to demonstrate
how you meet the D3 criteria.
All examples you choose should be related to work at level 4 or above and should be within the last
five years. However you may reference events that are more than 5 years ago that are now
influencing your current academic and professional practice.
You should include corroborating evidence particularly of impact throughout your portfolio. This
could include hyperlinks to relevant documentation (be selective and only link relevant sections),
testimonials and comments from ‘others’, (students, colleagues, externals etc.,) For example, “I would
like to take this as an opportunity to thank for the tremendous support you gave me” Level 6 student. You
can also include hyperlinked examples to such things as learning materials that KUDOS Reviewers
could access.
Evidence should be short, to-the-point and relevant to D3.
You should consider the context of working at the University of Wolverhampton. Reference should
be made therefore to the institutional vision, mission and core values:
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
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Our vision: To be “The University of Opportunity” – renowned for creativity and innovation
– developing students and staff who are entrepreneurial, eminently employable and well
connected within a research and professionally informed environment.
Our mission: To be an employer-focused university connected with our local, national and
global communities delivering opportunity and academic excellence.
Our core values, these values guide the decisions we make and how we engage with our
communities locally and globally. At the University of Wolverhampton we will be:
o Ethical
Email KUDOS@wlv.ac.uk if you have any questions.
D3 (Senior FHEA) Guidance Notes
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Respectful
Transparent
Inclusive and fair
Challenging
Confident
Collaborative
Professional.
Throughout your RAPP and both case studies you should map ALL the dimensions of the UKPSF in
your writing. For example “My underlying values are cosmopolitanism and contextualization. I look for
similarities, contextual drivers and local pedagogic practices while providing a rationale for UK practice (V2,
V3)”, or “In all of this work I have strived to link practice to impact, working with colleagues to explore what
makes a difference and brokering exchanges across discipline boundaries e.g. using ePortfolios to reduce nonsubmission of work (xxxx and xxxx 2009) (A5, V3, V4)” .Extracts from a D3 portfolio.
2. Part 1 writing your RAPP (2400 words)
In your Reflective Account of Professional Practice (RAPP) you should focus in particular on the
education, training, employment, roles and experience which have contributed to your professional
development as teacher, mentor, facilitator of learning and/or academic leader.
You should highlight the primary influences on your own development, focusing on the progressive
attainment of your professional capabilities and how you and others have benefited from the
continuous learning and development process involved. Your application for D3 should have a
central focus on the processes of continuing professional learning and development. This includes
appropriate research and scholarly activity and the leadership, management and administration of
academic provision and support. Consider questions such as, “Why did you do something the way
that you did? What was the impact you were hoping to achieve? Why was this important? What are
your professional values? How do these influence you? What is your approach to learning? Why?”
For D3 your own practice also needs to be set in the context of successfully co-ordinating,
supporting, supervising, managing and/ or mentoring others in relation to teaching and learning
You should use the following as headings to help structure your RAPP:
1. Academic practice overview;
To include: career milestones; recognition and reward; leadership, management and
organisational roles within the institution or wider higher education context
- roles and responsibilities related to teaching and supporting learning
- relevant qualifications obtained from formal professional development undertaken
- teaching prizes, fellowships, institutional awards for innovation
- professional body recognition
- teaching and learning/quality enhancement committees
- programme design, approval and review process
- quality assurance roles and responsibilities
2. Involvement in teaching and learning initiatives;
- institutional/nationally funded projects
- small-medium scale investigations/awards
Email KUDOS@wlv.ac.uk if you have any questions.
D3 (Senior FHEA) Guidance Notes
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work with professional bodies
development and/or adoption of learning and teaching themes, for example,
internationalisation, employability, assessment and feedback, retention, flexible learning,
education for sustainability
dissemination of teaching and learning related expertise
3.
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Educational and staff development activity;
mentor roles in professional development programmes for new and inexperienced staff
learning and teaching workshops/seminars
related publications/documents
4. Collaborating with others;
- advisory, support, co-ordination roles in teaching and supporting learning
- leadership and management roles
5. Areas of research, scholarship and/or professional practice
- relevant publications and/or presentations
- incorporation of research, scholarship and/or professional practice into teaching and
supporting learning
- links with professional bodies/wider communities
3. Part 2 writing your case studies (1500 words each)
In this section you should provide reflective accounts of two particular contributions or roles which:


Have had a significant impact upon the co-ordination, support, supervision, management
and/or mentoring of others (whether individuals and/or teams), in relation to teaching and
learning
Demonstrate your sustained effectiveness in relation to teaching and learning and that you
meet the criteria for D3.
At least one of your case studies should address a situation where you worked with others using
your skills, knowledge and awareness in leading, managing or organising programmes, subjects and/or
disciplinary areas.
You should clearly demonstrate an integrated and reflective approach to academic practice that
incorporates research, scholarship and/or professional practice.
Email KUDOS@wlv.ac.uk if you have any questions.
D3 (Senior FHEA) Guidance Notes
Suggested areas are:

Developing quality enhancement
o
o
o
o

Supporting other colleagues
o
o
o
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how you have supported other colleagues to enhance their practice
specific examples of how you have enhanced academic practice through coordinating/managing others
your roles in teaching and learning projects and initiatives at departmental,
institutional or wider HE context
Sustained engagement with educational and staff development
o
o
o

how you place learning and teaching and the student experience at the heart of your
academic practice
ways you interact with others to ensure appropriate alignment of teaching, learning
and assessment practices
how you ensure that student learning within the context of your responsibilities is
enriched by disciplinary and pedagogic research, scholarship and professional
practice (your own and that of others)
ways you have fostered dynamic approaches to teaching and learning through
creativity and innovation
staff development activities you have facilitated (informal and formal) that enhance
your colleagues’ abilities to meet the dimensions of the UKPSF
how your contributions have promoted the student learning experience through
professional development of staff under your influence and guidance. For example,
through informal or formal mentoring arrangements
how you have disseminated your knowledge and skills in teaching and supporting
learning to audiences within, and external to your institution
Evaluation of academic practice
o
o
steps taken to develop your own practice and how you have used your own
experience to enable others to reflect on and critique their own practice
how you support, encourage and implement evaluation processes designed to
enhance the student learning experience
4. Part 3 CPD review and plan
Your CPD Review and plan must address the Area of Activity A5
“Engage in continuing professional development in subjects/disciplines and their pedagogy,
incorporating research, scholarship and the evaluation of professional practices.”
Email KUDOS@wlv.ac.uk if you have any questions.
D3 (Senior FHEA) Guidance Notes
This section should concentrate on demonstrating how you have engaged with CPD and how this
has impacted on your academic practice outside of the examples in your RAPP and case studies.
Show how you have engaged in professional development activities relevant to your academic
practice. At D3 this should not be a list of everything you have written, attended or presented but
should be a review of your CPD relevant to learning and teaching and your academic professional
development, particularly how this impacts or influences your academic practice with colleagues and
on the student learning experience. You may use examples of your activities to illustrate points or
reflections.
You should include the following:
1. Your main strategies for updating and developing your capacity at D3. Refer here to any
activities you have undertaken to update yourself on aspects of teaching and learning, for
example, staff development activities or conferences on learning and teaching or
participation in projects to develop learning methods.
2. How you used the outcomes from the above CPD strategies to improve the student
learning experience, your own working practice and that of your colleagues.
3. Which dimensions of the Core Knowledge you utilise, how and why?
4. Which dimensions of the Professional Values were particularly relevant and why?
5. What you plan to do for future CPD and why?
6. What impact do you hope this will have on your own academic practice, that of your
colleagues and the students’ learning experience and why?
5. Part 4 Two references
You should pick two referees that can comment on the evidence you have provided and relevance
to D3. Your referees should be familiar with the UKPSF as they should be able to affirm and endorse
your evidence for the relevant descriptor. Ideally at least one should hold a Fellowship from the
HEA and if possible a SHFEA or PFHEA. Your referees should have seen a final draft of your
portfolio.
Each reference should be no more than one side of A4. Your referees must provide contact details,
these can be email addresses.
Email KUDOS@wlv.ac.uk if you have any questions.