CPLD: Learning and Teaching Professional Development
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Applying for HEA Professional Recognition
Target audience
All staff who teach and/or support learning at NTU, and their managers
Document reference
Revised October 2013
Further information
Alison Stewart
Centre for Professional Learning and Development (CPLD).
Glossary of terms
UKPSF
HEA
AFHEA
FHEA
SFHEA
PFHEA
HESA
PGCHE
NTU PDF
CPLD
L/SL/PL
HPLs
HEI
KIS
UK Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education
Higher Education Academy, stewards of the UKPSF
Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Higher Education Statistics Agency
Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education
Shorthand for The NTU Learning and Teaching Professional Development Framework, also referred to in this
document as ‘the NTU Framework’
Centre for Professional Learning and Development at NTU, who manage the NTU Framework
Lecturers / Senior Lecturers /Principal Lecturers at NTU
Hourly Paid Lecturers
Higher Education Institution
Key Information Set – public information about all universities designed to help students select an HEI
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Question
Response
1. What is HEA professional
recognition?
It is a nationally recognized professional accreditation from the UK Higher Education Academy that
is that is transferable across the UK HE sector.
There are 4 levels of professional recognition that span different stages of your HE teaching
career:
AFHEA
(Associate Fellow)
FHEA
(Fellow)
SFHEA
(Senior Fellow)
PFHEA
(Principal Fellow)
2. What are the benefits of HEA
professional recognition?
For you:
 It demonstrates to those you teach and whose learning you support, that the standards of
your professional practice align with the national standards for teaching and supporting
learning in HE (UKPSF Nov 2011).

It also enables you to demonstrate your commitment to engaging in professional practice
development to keep your practice up to date.
For NTU:
 Helps us indicate quality of teaching at NTU. It is likely that information about numbers of
academic staff (including HPLs) who hold HEA professional recognition fellowships and
other teaching qualifications will be published in national KIS data sets, which potential
students use to compare universities.
3. How can I apply for HEA
professional recognition?
Option 1: Via NTU’s accredited route – recommended for NTU staff as it is free of charge.
Option 2: Direct to the HEA (fees payable)
NTU staff within their first 3 years of teaching and supporting learning in HE, who have not
completed any formal teaching qualifications in HE are advised to complete some structured
learning and teaching professional development first (such as the NTU Academic Practice
Development Programme, or a PGCHE) before they apply for recognition. For further information
see Q9 below, and information on CPLD Courses in the Events section of the CPLD website
www.ntu.ac.uk/cpld
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4. Who do I contact to apply?
Via NTU Route - discuss your plan with your line manager using the guidance outlined in the
Applicant Handbook available on the CPLD website www.ntu.ac.uk/cpld by following the link from
the landing page to further information about applying for HEA Professional Recognition. Then
follow the info about booking onto an Applicant Induction Workshop to enable you to register with
CPLD for support, and to start working on your application.
Direct to HEA – you need to agree your plan and funding with your line manager, and then follow
instructions on how to apply that are available on the HEA website:
www.heacademy.ac.uk/professional-recognition
5. Is the recognition I gain via the
NTU route the same professional
recognition I would get when
applying direct to the HEA?
Yes – the HEA accreditation of the NTU Framework in September 2012 enables us to award HEA
professional recognition fellowships on their behalf. CPLD receive your certification from the HEA
once your application has been judged as successful, and will then forward the certificate to you.
You don’t have to contact the HEA.
6. I would like to apply direct to the
HEA – can I still do that?
Yes, so long as you are able to secure funding from your School or Department for the
application fee. (It’s currently £200 for a Fellow, £300 for Senior, and £500 for Principal
application). Schools will have limited in 2013/14 to pay for some academic staff to apply direct to
the HEA for Fellow, Senior or Principal Fellow professional recognition. Further details from your
School Lead (names - see Q24 below).
7. For how long will my professional
recognition be valid?
You hold your professional recognition award for life. As a professional, you are of course
expected to engage in continuing professional development to keep your professional practice up
to date as appropriate, e.g. in response to future academic developments from within or outside
the institution/discipline.
Following consultation with your line manager, you may also decide to apply for a higher level of
professional recognition at a later date as appropriate.
8. Who can apply for HEA
professional recognition?
Anyone who teaches and/or supports learning in Higher Education - whether academic, technical,
professional services staff, hourly-paid, part-time or permanent, who can demonstrate the
evidence required in an application.
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In September 2012, the University implemented a new Learning and Teaching Professional
Development Policy designed to enable all staff, who teach and support learning at NTU to gain
access to relevant learning and teaching professional development at all stages of their career.
The policy also sets out expectations in relation to HEA professional recognition for NTU
staff. For a copy of the full policy, see the Policies section of the CPLD website
www.ntu.ac.uk/cpld
By 31st July 2015, it is intended that all eligible academic staff will have gained HEA
professional recognition appropriate to their level of teaching and learning support expertise. For
all L/SL and PL, the minimum requirement is NTU Framework Level 2 (HEA Fellow) professional
recognition.
9. What if I’m new to NTU – do I
have to apply for HEA Fellow
before July 2015?
It is no longer a requirement for academic staff new to NTU to complete a PGCHE.
Instead you will be expected to gain a minimum of HEA Fellow professional recognition within 3
years of starting to teach at NTU (unless they already have it of course!).
10. What if I’m new to teaching and
supporting learning in HE – do
I apply for recognition straight
away?
You can’t apply for professional recognition when you are new to HE teaching and/or
supporting learning, because it’s something that’s awarded for the practice you have
established – not about to do. Before applying for recognition you should complete some
structured learning and teaching professional development first. Please discuss the options below
with your line manager or ATL to agree which is best for you.
Further information available in the Course Directory on the Events section of the CPLD website
www.ntu.ac.uk/cpld
Currently the options available at NTU are:
From CPLD:
 NTU Initial Teaching Professional Development Programme (for postgraduate research
students preparing to teach)
 NTU Academic Practice Professional Development Programme (for all other staff who teach
and/or support learning at NTU)
 Online self-development resources you can use on your won, or with a mentor in your team –
available in NOW Learning Room called ‘Teaching and Supporting Learning in HE’
From School of Education:
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
NTU PGCHE provides a structured, validated professional development course for experienced
and new staff who seek to gain a postgraduate teaching qualification (worth 60 ‘M’ level credits
at Level 7).
Alternatively- External Course:
You may choose to complete a relevant course at another institution, if you are able to secure
local funding.
11. If I’m eligible to apply, which level
should I apply for?
Further information about what’s required at each level and those likely to be eligible is available
in the Guide to NTU Learning and Teaching Professional Development Framework
on the CPLD website www.ntu.ac.uk/cpld
Academic staff – the minimum you require is HEA Fellow recognition.
The same information is also available in the NOW Learning Room, ‘HEA Professional
Recognition: Information for Staff’.
12. I already hold HEA Fellow
professional recognition, but have
lost my certificate – do I need to
reapply?
No – but you will have to contact the HEA direct and ask them for a replacement certificate. They
may charge you a small administration fee for this. You will need to produce your HEA certificate
at some point over the next few months for HR to copy for your HR file (unless you have already
done so). You can find their contact details on their website www.heacademy.ac.uk
13. I’m an experienced HE tutor –
should I complete any other
learning and teaching courses
before I apply for professional
recognition?
Colleagues with more than 3 years HE teaching experience do not have to complete a separate HE
teaching qualification prior to applying for professional recognition. However, if you have more
than 3 years’ experience of teaching/supporting learning in HE but haven’t completed any formal
learning and teaching professional development, you may wish to complete some prior to applying
for professional recognition.
In addition to the options outlined in Q9 above, there are other learning and teaching continuing
professional development opportunities provided by a number of professional services at NTU,
including on-line tutorials and resources, workshops, conferences, research and scholarship, and
funding for projects. See the CPLD website for further information about what is available at NTU.
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14. I completed a PGCHE – do I
already have my HEA Fellow
professional recognition?
That depends on 2 things:
 whether you completed a PGCHE that was accredited by the HEA, and
 whether you applied for your fellowship certificate once you had completed that accredited
PGCHE
If yes to both, then you will already have your HEA fellowship and do not need to reapply. You
should know if you have your fellowship as you will have been sent a certificate from the HEA.
If you started PGCHE before September 2007 – the PGCHE was not accredited by the HEA at
that time, and so you would not get automatically awarded HEA Fellow professional recognition on
completion of the PGCHE.
If you started PGCHE after Sept 2007 and completed it successfully by Sept 2012 – you
were eligible for receiving your HEA Fellowship when you had successfully completed the PGCHE.
If you didn’t claim your fellowship at the time, contact the HEA (www.heacademy.ac.uk) to ask
whether you can still claim it.
If you started a PGCHE which was accredited by the HEA but had to intercalate (eg for
maternity leave) and you successfully completed by September 2013 will get their fellowship
automatically via the NTU Framework. CPLD will have contacted those eligible.
If you started the NTU PGCHE before September 2007 you will have been on a PGCHE that
was not accredited by the HEA –you will need to apply for fellowship either via NTU Framework or
direct to the HEA.
Anyone starting the PGCHE from September 2012 no longer automatically gets HEA
Fellowship upon successful completion of the PGCHE – you have to apply via the direct application
route once you have successfully completed the PGCHE. You can do this when you consider you
have sufficient practice evidence from which to draw evidence for fellowship. Your PGCHE is a
valuable part of your learning and teaching professional development. You could identify
completion of your PGCHE as part of your evidence that you have engaged in appropriate CPD,
and indicate how it enhanced your teaching practice and support of student learning. The scope
of the evidence you can draw on will depend on the extent to which the qualification syllabus
covered the areas defined for professional recognition in the NTU Framework. See the Applicant
Handbook on the CPLD website for further information about how to apply.
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15. I’m an academic and already
accredited by another professional
body – do I need HEA recognition
as well?
No other teaching qualifications or professional accreditations are directly equivalent to HEA
professional recognition, unless they have been specifically accredited by the HEA as such.
16. I already hold HEA Fellow
professional recognition – should I
apply for HEA Senior Fellow?
Initially, we need colleagues to help mentor those applying for recognition. You could agree to do
this as part of your professional development and use it as part of evidence towards a future
Senior Fellowship application.
Academic staff with a substantive teaching role will be expected to hold a minimum of HEA Fellow
professional recognition by the 31st July 2015, irrespective of other professional body
accreditations and teaching qualifications held. You may be able to use evidence presented for
another accreditation as practice evidence required for HEA professional recognition. The
guidance you receive during the application process will enable you to identify appropriate
evidence.
There is no rush to apply for Senior Fellow if you already have Fellow, unless you and your line
manager have agreed it makes sense as part of your development. For instance anyone wanting
to apply for one of the new NTU Teaching Fellowships (awards and titles) will already need to hold
HEA Senior Fellow recognition. If you do decide to apply for HEA Senior Fellow, then follow the
guidance in the Applicant Handbook available on the CPLD website, www.ntu.ac.uk/cpld under the
CPD Planning section, or by following link on main page of website.
17. Do I have to complete the
previous level of recognition
before applying for a higher one?
No. You can apply for HEA Senior Fellow without being an HEA Fellow so long as you fit the
eligibility criteria for the higher level. Further information about what’s required at each level and
those likely to be eligible is available in the Guide to NTU Learning and Teaching Professional
Development Framework
on the CPLD website www.ntu.ac.uk/cpld
18. What does an application involve?
It varies according to the level of recognition applied for.
Associate Fellow
Fellow
Senior Fellow
1500 word reflective account plus 2 references
3000 word “
“
6000 word “
“ plus a short presentation
For further information see the Applicant Handbook or information in the NOW Learning Room
called ‘HEA Professional Recognition: Information for Staff’
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Information for Principal Fellow to follow shortly
19. How long will an application take
to complete?
Once you are ready to apply for professional recognition, you decide when to start and when to
submit. Based on colleagues’ experiences of completing applications, we suggest you allow a
minimum period of 3 months in which to complete your application. How long you take is up to
you to discuss and agree with your line manager depending on your overall commitments.
The hours required to complete an application, on average are:
Level
Level
Level
Level
20. Do I get study time for this?
1
2
3
4
(AFHEA)
(FHEA)
(SFHEA)
(PFHEA)
10-20
20-30
30-40
30-40
hours
hours
Hours
hours
As part of on-going PDCR discussions, academic staff should ensure they are able to commit
sufficient time from your 200 staff development hours (SDA) to complete an application.
Other staff – you should consult with your line manager time to agree any study time to complete
your application, in line with your other commitments.
21. What support is available to help
me prepare my application?
You can access any or all of the following support:
 a mentor to help provide guidance and feedback to help you identify relevant evidence for
your application (subject to availability of mentors from across NTU)
 one day ‘writing retreat’ workshops organised by CPLD where you can work on your
submission and receive feedback from peers, as well as look at other applications for
comparison.
 on-line guidance including examples of previous applications & templates held within
Learning Rooms on NOW
 and remember the key role played by your referees, with whom you can discuss your
application and review your practice.
For further information – see the Applicant Handbook or information in the NOW Learning Room
called ‘HEA Professional Recognition: Information for Staff’
22. Who will assess my application?
Depends on the route you choose:
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Applying via the NTU Framework? By a panel of experienced NTU staff who already hold HEA
professional recognition, and who have been trained to evaluate applications according to an HEA
approved assessment process and criteria.
Applying direct to the HEA? Your application will be assessed by experienced academic
developers and academic staff hired by the HEA from across the sector.
23. What if my application is
unsuccessful?
You will receive detailed feedback to discuss with your line manager on the aspects to amend, and
be invited to resubmit it at any time once amendments have been made.
24. Where can I get further
information?
Academic and technical staff in Schools, please contact the School Lead as follows:
ADBE
Les Arthur
A&D
Christine Hardy
ARES
David O’Hare and the ATLs
S&T
Jon Tepper
A&H
Lloyd Pettiford
Education
Gill Scott and the ATLs
Soc Sci
Ann Liggett
NLS
Jo Boylan-Kemp
NBS
James Leinster
Professional Services Colleagues: please contact your Head of Service or email
CPLDEquiries@ntu.ac.uk
ALL STAFF: find information on the CPLD website, www.ntu.ac.uk/cpld by following the link on
the landing page to ‘Further information about Applying for HEA Professional Recognition’
Also information in the NOW Learning Room called ‘HEA Professional Recognition:
Information for Staff’ – available on the Staff role on your NOW homepage
For details of the UKPSF see the Higher Education Academy website www.heacademy.ac.uk
CPLD: Version 3, 22nd October 2013
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