Academic Practice

The Academic and Professional Practice Scheme at the University of Northampton (UON) is aligned to the Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education (Advance HE, 2023). The Scheme replaces the previous C@N-DO offer at UON to provide an enhanced academic practice provision.

The Academic and Professional Practice Scheme is for academic and professional services staff, and postgraduate research students who teach and/or support learning at UON. The Scheme is designed to enable staff to:

• enhance their practice in learning, teaching and assessment by participating in a range of continuing professional development workshops;
• engage in peer observation of learning and teaching as a developmental process;
• gain Advance HE professional recognition as an Associate Fellow, Fellow or Senior Fellow.

The Scheme is designed to be relevant to staff across the different stages of their career and to the diverse body of staff at UON, who have a range and variety of prior experiences and expertise, including those who have worked in industry, international business or the health professions. Academic and professional services staff at UON who teach and/or support learning can work towards gaining an appropriate category of Fellowship by engaging in one of the following:

• Experiential Route.
• New to Teaching Pathway.
• Pathway for Senior Fellowship.

Through the experiential route or one of these development pathways, participants are supported to develop a claim for a category of Fellowship. Although the route or pathway an individual chooses and takes will differ, the assessment process for the different categories of Fellowship, including the choice of assessment format remains the same across the experiential route, the New to Teaching Pathway and the Pathway for Senior Fellowship.