Steve Briggs, University of Bedfordshire
Introduction
“The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) recognises, rewards and celebrates individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession. All UK higher education providers, who are Full or Associate members of Advance HE, may nominate up to three members of staff who teach and/or support learning in higher education”. (Advance HE, 2024, online).
However, Advance HE equal opportunities monitoring data has indicated that there are several underrepresented groups in terms of institutional nominations for the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS). These are:
- Applicants from an ethnic minority background
- Applicants with a disability
- Applicants working in professional services
- Applicants working in college-based providers
- Applicants employed on a part-time basis
It is therefore possible that members of the SEDA community who are a member of one of more of the forementioned groups may be unwittingly disadvantaged in terms of having the opportunity to submit a NTFS application.
The In It Together project
Over the last three years, the Committee for the Association of National Teaching Fellows (CANTF) has worked in partnership with Advance HE to deliver the In It Together Project which seeks to support aspiring NTFS from underrepresented groups.
A key outcome from this work has been the launch of the NTFS Allyship Scheme. This allows aspiring National Teaching Fellows to search for previous NTFS winners from the forementioned underrepresented groups. Around 50 NTFS winners have expressed their willingness to support aspiring applicants from corresponding underrepresented groups through sharing their application journeys and tips for success.
More information about the NTFS Allyship Scheme is available via: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/awards/teaching-excellence-awards/national-teaching-fellowship/allyship-scheme#Overview
You can access a searchable list of NTFS winners (with an Allyship filter) via: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/awards/teaching-excellence-awards/national-teaching-fellowship/winners
Benefits of a NTF
Advance HE (2024, online) report three key benefits for NTFS winners:
“Achieving a National Teaching Fellowship is widely recognised in higher education within the UK as well as internationally as a mark of quality”.
“The award can help ‘open doors’ to new academic or career opportunities”
“Award winners join a national community of like-minded professionals who are passionate about teaching excellence”.
I was awarded my NTF in 2020 and my experience has mirrored these benefits. Since winning I have been promoted from the Head of a Learning Development team to a Director of Learning and Teaching Excellence. I have also had the opportunity to join the Committee for the Association of National Teaching Fellows which has been a fantastic experience in terms of expanding my professional network. I would therefore strongly encourage aspiring NTFs from underrepresented to make the very most of the opportunities afforded by the NTFS Allyship Scheme.
Get involved
We would welcome your suggestions for how the In It Together Working Group can further support aspiring National Teaching Fellows within the SEDA community.
To share your thoughts and ideas please contact steve.briggs@beds.ac.uk
Thank you for reading – and we look forward to hearing from you.
Dr Steve Briggs is Director for Learning and Teaching Excellence at the University of Bedfordshire. Steve is a former Co-Chair of the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education and currently a member of the Committee for the Association of National Teaching Fellows. He is a Chartered Psychologist, National Teaching Fellow (2020) and PFHEA.
References
Advance HE (20204). National Teaching Fellowship. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/awards/teaching-excellence-awards/national-teaching-fellowship#Benefits
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