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  1. SOLAR
Learning Enhancement and Development

SOLAR - Staff Opportunity for Learning, Accreditation and Recognition - route to Advance HE Fellowship

If you are interested in obtaining recognition for your educational practice in higher education, City St George’s SOLAR programme can assist you with the process.

SOLAR is the Advance HE accredited professional recognition scheme for City St George’s staff involved in teaching and/supporting the learning of students or leading/influencing education operationally and/strategically. It enables you to align your knowledge, experience and professional values as an educator with the Professional Standards Framework (PSF 2023) to achieve Fellowship at a suitable category.

The scheme allows you the opportunity to apply for professional recognition at four Fellowship categories: Associate Fellow; Fellow; Senior Fellow; or Principal Fellow based on your experience in teaching/supporting learning and or leading/influencing educational work within the context of higher education.

The achievement of Fellowship (at any category) will enable you to:

  • reflect on your practice and further enhance your knowledge about effective teaching and learning
  • evidence your commitment to improving teaching and learning through your active engagement with scholarship, reflection and development
  • gain national and international recognition for your practice, impact and leadership of teaching and learning
  • provide evidence of your excellence in teaching and supporting learning to your colleagues and students as well as to the wider higher education sector
  • demonstrate your excellence in teaching and learning for academic appointments and promotion decisions in higher education.

If you would like to discuss whether SOLAR is an appropriate route for you and how to engage with the process, please contact the scheme director, Dr Thushari Welikala twelikal@citystgeorges.ac.uk

For queries related to the administration of the programme, please contact: SOLAR@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Who is SOLAR programme for?

The SOLAR programme provides an experience-based route to professional recognition and is open to full/part time members of staff at City St George’s University of London (CSGUL), honorary fellows who are involved in teaching and/or supporting the learning of City St George’s students and doctoral students who support students’ learning. You are welcome to apply for professional recognition of learning and teaching via SOLAR if you are involved in teaching and/ supporting learning/leading education across a range of roles and responsibilities, including:

  • teaching only profiles
  • professional practice-based teaching and assessment roles
  • laboratory-based teaching responsibilities
  • library services
  • learning technology related roles
  • research and teaching roles
  • research only roles with some teaching and/supporting learning responsibilities.

If you are new to teaching in higher education and your role has a substantive teaching component, the taught routes for Fellowship may be more appropriate. For more information about these routes, please visit:

PgCert in Healthcare and Biomedical Education (PGCert HBE)

PGCert in Academic Practice

What does SOLAR involve?

To make a claim for professional recognition via SOLAR you should:

  • Book your place to attend an introductory workshop: “Getting started with SOLAR” via the SOLAR website. The introductory workshop will help you:
    • understand how to make meaning of the PSF in relation to your own practice in higher education
    • identify the most suitable category of Fellowship for you
    • make sense of the process of developing and submitting your application
    • become aware of the support available for you to develop your application.
  • Self-enrol on the SOLAR Moodle site and register your interest to apply for professional recognition via Moodle and select a feasible submission date
  • Continue to engage with your own continuing professional learning activities
  • Contact your allocated SOLAR mentor. Work with your mentor to audit your experience and develop an action plan for making a successful claim against the most suitable PSF Descriptor category
  • Attend a “SOLAR Writing Retreat” to enjoy dedicated time and space to discuss and develop your application. The Writing Retreats will provide you with the opportunity to:
    • engage in peer discussion about the challenges encountered in the process of developing your reflective narrative
    • identify the most appropriate evidence that reflects your Fellowship category
    • develop a thorough understanding of how to design a personalised, reflective narrative of your own practice in higher education
    • write sections of your application and provide/receive feedback to/from your peers and the tutor.
  • Approach a referee (D1)/ 2 referees (D2-D3)/ three advocates (D4) and send the “Referee Guidance” document to them in advance
  • Send a completed draft of your SOLAR application to your mentor, get feedback and work on the feedback before submitting your application
  • Submit your application on a planned submission deadline, via Moodle.

You can expect the outcome of your SOLAR submission within 6 weeks of the submission of your application.

What is the key document I should consult?

SOLAR programme is based on the Professional Standards Framework 2023 (PSF) which provides a structure through which the staff can claim recognition for their experience in teaching and/ supporting learning/leading education.

PSF encompasses 3 interrelated Dimensions and 4 Descriptors which define the main characteristics of four categories of practice. Incorporating Dimensions, each Descriptor identifies the practice that is required to meet the criteria for different categories of Fellowship (PSF 2023, p. 06).

The Professional Standards Framework 2023 (PSF 2023) provides a general description of the main Dimensions of the roles of teaching and supporting learning, outlining a framework for recognising and benchmarking teaching and learning support roles within higher education.

Dimensions

Written from the perspective of the practitioner, Dimensions of the PSF identify the Values that underpin the foundation of higher education professional practice and the forms of Knowledge that are connected to and informed by different communities and contexts and required to undertake Activities that higher education practitioners involve in.

Professional Values (V1-5) underpin all forms of Core Knowledge and Areas of Activity as the foundation of professional practice.

Core Knowledge (K1-5) represent key forms of knowledge which are connected to and shaped by communities and contexts and required to undertake the Areas of Activity. They are informed by the Professional Values.

Areas of Activity (A1-5) bring together the Professional Values and forms of Core Knowledge, showing the range of essential activities that support delivery of effective practice in higher education (PSF 2023, p.4).

Descriptors

Descriptors are a set of criteria statements (Descriptor criteria). They recognise that higher education practitioners undertake different roles and practices and introduce key characteristics of four categories of higher education practice that reflect the variety of these practices.

Incorporating Dimensions, each Descriptor identifies the practice that is required to meet the criteria for different categories of Fellowship: Associate Fellow; Fellow; Senior Fellow; and Principal Fellow (see PSF, p. 06).

The PSF provides a framework that guides you to write a personalised, reflective account of your experience in teaching and/supporting learning and continuing professional development in your professional practice. The framework does not present a strict set of performance criteria. It offers a flexible and adaptable tool to engage in a range of educational development activities in ways that suit your teaching and learning context.

You can download a copy of the PSF 2023 and explore the key components of the Framework, relating them to your own educational practice.

What category of Fellowship is right for me?

Fellowships are awarded on the basis of your ability to successfully and effectively demonstrate your engagement with one of the four PSF Descriptors. In deciding which category of Fellowship to apply for, you will need to identify which of the four Descriptors of the PSF is most appropriate to your practice as a higher education professional.

The Advance HE awards four different categories of Fellowship:

Associate Fellow

Associate Fellowship is appropriate for you if your practice enables you to evidence some of the PSF Dimensions. You are not required to evidence your engagement with all three PSF Dimensions in your application. Staff or doctoral students who support academic provision with limited teaching activities can be suitable candidates for Associate Fellowship.

You can reflect on your practice within the past three years in developing your application.

Further details about applying for Associate Fellowhip via SOLAR can be found in the Associate Fellowship Handbook which can be accessed via Moodle.

Fellow

Fellowship is appropriate for you if your practice with learners demonstrate breadth and depth, enabling you to evidence effective, inclusive engagement with all Dimensions of the PSF 2023: all Professional Values; all forms of Core Knowledge; and all Areas of Activity.

You can focus on the past three years of experience in higher education practice when designing your Fellowship application. Further details about applying for Fellowship via SOLAR can be found in the Fellowship Handbook which can be accessed via Moodle.

Senior Fellow

You will be a suitable candidate for Senior Fellowship if you are able to demonstrate a sustained record of leading or influencing the practice of others who teach and/or support learning within the context of higher education.

Your comprehensive understanding and effective, inclusive practice should provide a basis from which you lead or influence the practice of other higher education practitioners.

You can bring examples from the last 3-5 years of experience in higher education practice in your Senior Fellowship application. For further details, consult the Senior Fellowship Handbook which can be accessed via Moodle.

Principal Fellow

Principal Fellowship is suitable for you if you are a highly experienced professional and you can demonstrate a sustained record of effectiveness in strategic leadership with extensive impact on high quality learning.

You are required to demonstrate how you provided vision and direction and transformed practice and outcomes for your discipline/CSGUL or the Higher education sector nationally or internationally.

Your practice will have made a positive and lasting change at a strategic level on high quality learning.

You should evidence that your strategic leadership has had a sustained record of effectiveness and positive impact institutionally and/nationally or internationally, over a period of five to seven years.

How can I Start my SOLAR Journey?

Introductory workshops

To start your professional recognition journey via SOLAR, book a place to attend an introductory workshop.

Find the next available dates and book a place:

  • Getting Started with SOLAR: Associate Fellow and Fellow
  • Getting Started with SOLAR: Senior Fellow and Principal Fellow

SOLAR writing retreats

For further support with the development of your application, attend a “SOLAR writing retreat”.

Find the next available dates and book a place:

  • SOLAR writing retreat: Associate Fellow and Fellow
  • SOLAR writing retreat: Senior Fellow and Principal Fellow

Find the submission deadlines and SOLAR Review Panel meeting dates for 2026-7.