The Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence is delighted to announce that four members of staff at Keele University have recently been awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) through the University’s HEA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Route.

HEA Fellowship provides recognition of professionalism in learning and teaching in higher education, and evidence of commitment to continuing academic development. Across the four categories of fellowship, from Associate to Principal, individuals are recognised for their practice, impact and leadership of teaching and learning.

The Fellowships awarded in June 2019 are:

• Karen Gunnell, Senior Fellow
• Dr Jonathan Head, Fellow
• Melissa Kirkby, Associate Fellow
• Peter Wootton, Associate Fellow

Karen Gunnell, Teaching Fellow in Pharmacy Practice commented:

“I found that completing the senior fellowship process gave me a structured opportunity to reflect upon and gain feedback on my teaching. I found the professional discussion an excellent way to assess this and wasn't as scary as I initially anticipated. I actually quite enjoyed explaining to the assessors about my work. I would definitely recommend applying for HEA fellowship and those who are considering senior fellowship I would recommend the professional discussion route.”

The professional discussion route has been introduced for those seeking recognition at senior and principal levels, and involves a shorter written application, and a professional conversation where candidates offer anecdotes and examples of how they meet the HEA descriptors, and demonstrate their understanding of them in their own practice context.

Congratulations to all of the recipients!

To find out more about the HEA CPD route offered through the Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence, visit the website or contact Academic Development via academicdevelopment@keele.ac.uk