Joining the HERDSA Fellowship Community

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JOINING THE HERDSA FELLOWSHIP COMMUNITY 

The HERDSA Fellowship offers HERDSA members an opportunity to be part of a vibrant community of practitioners and researchers interested in improving teaching and learning in tertiary education. 

WHO IS THE FELLOWSHIP FOR?

The Fellowship is for HERDSA members who have made a significant personal commitment to the improvement of teaching and learning in a tertiary education context. Fellows may come from a range of positions including: discipline-focused academic, educational developer, student support, or leadership roles.

WHAT IS THE VALUE?

The Fellowship provides opportunities for:

  • Personal and professional development
  • Connections: collegiality and collaboration
  • Recognition of achievments for career advancement

WHAT IS INVOLVED?

First you need to apply for Associate Fellowship. Once your application to become an Associate Fellow is accepted, you must be an Associate Fellow for a minimum of 6 months but you have up to two years to prepare a Portfolio under the guidance of a mentor. When complete, your Portfolio is assessed by two Fellows from a Panel of Assessors, and successful completion leads to the award of a Fellowship.

The HERDSA Fellowship is underpinned by an extended period of reflective practice undertaken with guidance from the mentor. A commitment to this process is essential to participating in the fellowship process. If applicants do not wish to participate in this process it is strongly suggested that they reconsider their application.

Successful completion of the Fellowship application relies on the provision of a range of valid evidence to support and authenticate claims made by the associate fellow. Prospective applicants should have sufficient experience and access to evidence to ensure the development of a successful portfolio.

The  Fellowship Handbook explains in full detail how the process works. 

WHAT IS THE COST OF PARTICIPATING?

HERDSA Membership - $165.00 payment and this lasts 12 months until your next membership renewal (You will need to be a HERDSA member to participate-if you are not a current member you will need to join)

Initial Associate Fellowship joining fee - $110 to join the Fellowship (a one-off payment)

Portfolio submission fee - $250  payable on submission of your portfolio (a one-off payment for your portfolio to be reviewed by two experts)

Annual Renewal  Renewal of Fellowship - $215  to maintain Fellowship status (inclusive of annual HERDSA membership fee)

THE PROCESS

Step 1: If you aren't already a HERDSA member, join HERDSA via the How to Join webpage.

Step 2: Download the HERDSA Fellowship Application Form. Identify a mentor from amongst the HERDSA Fellows and Associate Fellows community who you think will most support your professional development goals. Each associate fellow must have one single designated mentor who is an existing HERDSA fellow even if they are participating in a learning group or community of practice to develop their portfolio. You can contact the potential mentor directly or you can request the Fellowship committee match you with a mentor. Mentoring relationships guide.

Submit your completed Application Form and a two-page CV via email, to office@herdsa.org.au

Step 3. Pay the $110 initial fee to HERDSA through your home page under My Dashboard once logged in. Select the tab Apply to Join the Fellowship. If you experience difficulties doing this please contact office@herdsa.org.au

Step 4: You will be advised when your application is accepted to become an  Associate Fellow. As an Associate Fellow you will develop your portfolio with your mentor over a 6-24 month period, engaging in reflective practice to address the criteria and to demonstrate your commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. Use the HERDSA Fellowship Template to develop your portfolio and consider the advice from the Panel of Assessors in developing your portfolio

Step 5: Submit your Portfolio by emailing it to office@herdsa.org.au  Pay the $250 assessment fee via your membership home page.You will receive a receipt for the portfolio and payment so please contact office@herdsa.org.au if you have not received this within 24 hrs.

Your Portfolio is then assessed by two Fellows from the Panel of Assessors who use the Assessor's Handbook to guide their judgment.

Step 6: After successful completion of your Portfolio, the HERDSA Executive awards the Fellowship, which is formally conferred at the annual conference.

Step 7: Once you are awarded your Fellowship, it is hoped you will give back to the HERDSA community by becoming a mentor and/or assessor. There is training available to support you in this process. For support managing the mentor/mentee relationship, see the Mentoring Relationships Guide.

If you want to improve the quality of your education practice within the tertiary education sector and thereby improve the quality of student learning and academic development outcomes; and if you have want to have your education practice recognised, then this is the Fellowship for you!

FELLOWSHIP DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

HERDSA Fellows and Associate Fellows become part of a vibrant network of scholars who are able to engage in professional development and serve HERDSA and the broader tertiary education community.

Once you are a HERDSA Fellow, you have the opportunity to do Assessor and Mentor training and become a Fellowship Assessor and/or a Mentor of other Associate Fellows.

Through your growing network, you may wish to consider collaboratively research an aspect of higher education learning and teaching. To support you in this, you can access the HERDSA Scholarship of Teaching and Learning modules via your membership home page and submit a HERDSA  Grant . There are plenty of opportunities to make your work public with HERDSA’s annual conference, ASHRE Journal, and the HERD journal.

 

For further information, contact the HERDSA Office  on +61 2 97713911 or email office@herdsa.org.au