ATLAS is open to all staff are teaching and supporting learning on Lancaster University validated provision, at Lancaster University and its International Teaching Partners This includes academic staff and those in professional services with HE teaching and/or learning support roles and responsibilities. This can include Student Learning Advisors, Learning Technologists, Library staff, and Careers Advisors. For staff applying for fellow a minimum of three years of directly enhancing either teaching or supporting learning or, for senior fellowship three to five years of sustained leading or influencing others is a requirement. Please read our access statement and cancellation charges for further details.

Within ATLAS it is assumed that, as someone with existing experience, you will have plenty to draw on and reflect upon for the purposes of your engagement in the process. You will be asked to outline your prior roles and experience on your application form so that the scheme facilitators can confirm eligibility, and identify the appropriate development pathways for you. It is important to ensure that you have a minimum of three years of successful teaching and/or supporting learning practice in HE to apply for a Fellowship, or substantial leadership/influencing and impacting roles to apply for Senior Fellowship.

ATLAS creates an opportunity for you to explore the relationship between your own individual teaching experience, the Lancaster University institutional and/or partnership context in which you are situated, and the PSF 2023. Your reflections on the relationship between these things will provide the framework for evidencing how you engage in effective educational practice.

At the heart of ATLAS lies the principle that engaging in critical reflection and dialogue about learning and teaching is an important way of developing your practice and identity as an HE educator. It emphasises that continuously developing your individual practice is fundamental to the role of a professional educator, and makes a significant contribution to the culture of teaching and learning excellence in the University and the educational communities that it connects to.

ATLAS creates an opportunity for you to explore the relationship between your own individual teaching experience, the Lancaster University institutional and/or partnership context in which you are situated, and the PSF 2023. Your reflections on the relationship between these things will provide the framework for evidencing how you engage in effective educational practice.

Your ATLAS submission will be peer reviewed against the criteria articulated in the PSF 2023. That is, you need to evidence your engagement with the Dimensions of the PSF 2023 relevant to your context and the Descriptor for which you are seeking professional recognition.

In doing so you are required to demonstrate:

1. How your professional values underpin your educational practice.
2. The application of core knowledge related to your educational practice.
3. Evidence of effective and inclusive educational practice in relevant areas of activity.

Achieving a Fellowship status affords several personal and professional benefits. These include:

• Portable career asset, understood and recognised throughout the UK HE sector, and increasingly being adopted in other parts of the world.
• Gain national recognition for your role as a teacher and/supporter of learning within the HE context.
• Have the opportunity to relate your practice and experiences to university and department educational priorities, underpinned by globally recognised standards for HE teaching;
• Opportunity to reflect and celebrate a body of experiences related to your educational practice.
• The chance to systematically plan your professional development to deepen your understanding of a range of educational topics.
• Offer leadership opportunities and support to those coming through the scheme as mentors, critical friends and peer reviewers.
• Use of Fellowship postnominals.

ATLAS is a semi-structure experienced-based pathway for staff that have substantial existing experience of teaching in Higher Education. The programme has three pathways accredited by Advance HE – to Associate Fellowship, Fellow, and Senior Fellowship status. Pathways have no academic credit associated to them and do not contribute to a taught award. The programme offers the framework, guidance and recommended professional development activities that support individuals as they work towards professional recognition. However, it also requires participants to exercise a high level of self-directed planning, development and personal commitment to effective and inclusive teaching.

PGCEP is a Level 7, credit-bearing Postgraduate taught award designed to provide structured support for staff who are relatively new to teaching in Higher Education. At Lancaster, this programme is accredited by Advance HE (AHE) against Descriptor 2 of the PSF 2023, meaning that successful completion confers Fellowship status. It provides a structured syllabus, timetable and significantly greater opportunity for peer and collaborative learning within the cohort.

For more detail about the most appropriate route to fellowship, refer to the Routes to Advance HE Recognition Table

In early 2023, and following a sector level review and consultation, Advance HE published a revised version of the Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education (PSF 2023). Concurrently, it began the process of phasing out the previous version of the UKPSF 2011.

Lancaster University has adopted the PSF 2023 in its accredited professional development programmes. The introduction of the new framework does not affect colleagues’ existing Fellowship status. However, in any situation where someone is now targeting a new category of Fellowship, they are now required to evidence their practice against the 2023 version.

In practice, this means that anyone who has previously started ATLAS but had not submitted their claim for peer review by the May 2023 submission point, will need to restart their ATLAS pathway on the new version of the programme. This is to ensure they gain the necessary familiarity with the changes contained in the PSF 2023.

You may already have achieved Fellowship Status (PSF Descriptor 2) by completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) at Lancaster or similar qualification at another institution. You may wish to explore working towards Senior Fellowship (PSF Descriptor 3). In the first instance, you are advised to explore the ATLAS pathway to assess if you have sufficient evidence to support a Senior Fellowship claim. Typically a claim for Senior Fellowship needs to evidence a 3-5 year record of leading or influencing the practice of those who teach and/or support high quality learning you are also strongly advised to use the Advance HE Fellowship Category Tool, which gives some indication of an appropriate category of fellowship. You should also continue to access other continue professional opportunities to build up the necessary evidence for a SFHEA submission.

Determining an appropriate fellowship pathway is essential. ATLAS pathways are experience-based – your participation is based on the premise that you already have sufficient depth of experiences upon which to draw and reflect to make a successful claim at your target category of Fellowship. Before you apply for ATLAS, it is recommended that you complete the Advance HE Fellowship Category Tool. This can provide an indication of the category of fellowship most appropriate to your role and experience. Note that the results from the category tool are only an approximate indication of the category you are eligible to apply for. You may need to discuss the results with a colleague in CEDA.

There is also opportunity during the Orientation Workshop to grapple with the requirements for different categories of Fellowship to make sure you feel confident that you can draw on adequate prior experience for its requirements.

ATLAS pathways can be highly involved depending on the areas of your practice you decide to explore. You may opt to identify a range of professional development to frame your own reflections as you work towards compiling your submission. In the end, all ATLAS submissions consist of three components. A Development Index, A Reflective Account of Practice, and Support Statements written by your colleagues. The specific requirements for your submission are determined by the Descriptor you are applying against.

• Associate Fellowship: Development Index + Reflective Account of Practice (1200 words) + 1 Supporting statement
• Fellowship: Development Index + Reflective Account of Practice (2500 words) + 2 Supporting statements
• Senior Fellowship: Development Index + Reflective Account of Practice (5000 words) + 2 Supporting statements

For Fellow and Senior Fellow pathways there are written and oral modes of submission available, with the overall workload for each being broadly the same. Full details are provided to applicants in the programme handbook and explored at the Orientation workshop.

ATLAS is a rolling programme with multiple starting points. Typically, there are at least two Orientation Workshops offered per term. There are three submission points every academic year, once per term. The time between Orientation and Submission varies and will depend on the individual. Factors include extent of prior experience, other work priorities and commitments, availability of peer supporting statements, personal preference, and the range and depth of professional development undertaken to enhance the quality of your understanding and evidence of engagement with all aspects of the Professional Standards Framework.

Past experiences of participants suggest that a timeframe of 6 months is realistic, providing ample time to gather, frame and reflect on a body of evidence without losing momentum. 3 months is an expected minimum, and 12 months a maximum. Participants are strongly advised to plan carefully and identify a target submission deadline as soon as possible. It is often helpful to also agree this target in discussion with your Head of Department or line manager.

If you have achieved professional recognition through a Curriculum and Education Development Academy (CEDA) [formerly Educational Development] programme with Lancaster University, your recognition status will appear in PeopleXD. Otherwise, if are unsure as to your current Fellowship status, you need to contact Advance HE directly to find out. If you have moved institutions you need to update your employer record through your own My Academy account on the Advance HE website in order for this recognition status to be affiliated to Lancaster University. HR in Lancaster can only view Fellowship records for colleagues who have Lancaster University identified as their employing institution on the Advance HE database.

Your complete ATLAS submission is considered by an internal peer review panel made up of experienced Lancaster University colleagues who have achieved Fellowship, Senior Fellowship or Principal Fellowship. Submissions are subject to the scrutiny of an external moderator who is an experienced UK HE professional.

Submissions are reviewed using the criteria in the ATLAS handbook, with outcomes and feedback provided to applicants within 8 weeks of submission. When your submission is successful the CEDA team notifies Advance HE and you will be formally awarded your professional recognition status. You will receive an email to your work email address confirming when your certificate is ready to download.

On completion, you are also considered an ATLAS Associate Fellow/Fellow/Senior Fellow and are expected to remain within the ATLAS community, accessing relevant development as appropriate, and supporting other colleagues who are also working towards professional recognition, including reviewing roles for the scheme. As a fellow you are expected to abide by the Fellowship Code of Practice.

Yes. In some instances, people have a preference to engage with the structure and collegial environment of a taught programme. For example, colleagues new to the university (and/or the UK HE system) may value the opportunity to meet others and belong to a more fully formed learning community.

There is no fee for Lancaster University staff seeking professional recognition through the ATLAS programme. This is covered by the University’s status as a subscribing institution of Advance HE, and the programme’s accreditation status. This fee waiver only applies whilst staff are current employees of Lancaster University. As such, all applicants must be able to make a submission within the life of their contract of employment.

For staff teaching Lancaster Awards at one of Lancaster’s international teaching partnerships, the fee conditions vary depending on the partner institution status. Contact atlas@lancaster.ac.uk for guidance.

For all other affiliates teaching Lancaster awards who are not contracted employees of Lancaster University, special conditions apply and both a course fee and application fee are applicable.

The existence of ATLAS does not preclude the option of you making an application directly to Advance HE. However, this does incur a fee, at the subscribing institution rate. Any costs associated to direct application would need to be met by the individual or department. Fees are set by Advance HE.

Although not compulsory to have a mentor for ATLAS, an effective mentor can be a key support when assembling your claim for Fellowship. You may be allocated a mentor by your Head of Department, or you may find a mentor yourself.

The role of a mentor is to provide support and guidance as you assemble your claim for Fellowship. It is therefore important that they are willing to engage with the PSF 2023 through the resources CEDA will share with them. Mentors can be from the same department as you, providing support about teaching within your discipline. It helps if they are enthusiastic about teaching and your teaching development and success.

Your mentor can be one of your colleagues who provides a supporting statement as part of your claim. The purpose of the supporting statement is to authenticate and amplify what you state in your Development Index and Reflective Account of Practice. When you select your mentor you may wish to ask in advance if they are willing to provide a supporting statement as part of their role as mentor.

If you decide to have a mentor, please notify ATLAS so we can send guidance to them. We also need to know who your mentor is because this person cannot be one of the peer reviewers when you have submitted your claim because it would be a potential conflict of interest.

Please get in touch with us if you want a mentor, but are having difficulties finding one.

If you have other questions or queries about this scheme, please email atlas@lancaster.ac.uk