Beacon orientation workshop
It is becoming increasingly important for academic staff to have a recognised teaching qualification. The percentage of staff that have a qualification is likely to be a key metric in the Teaching Excellence Framework that will in future be used to assess university’s teaching quality. Staff who have successfully completed a PGCert or PCAP qualification or who have been granted fellowship of the Higher Education Academy have thereby achieved a recognised teaching qualification. However, many of our staff have not been able pursue these routes. For such staff the University has made available a fast track route, called Beacon, to acquire recognition as a qualified university teacher.
The College will host a Beacon orientation workshop on Wednesday 20 July, from 11:00 to 12:30 in room G13 of the Nuffield building. This will start with an introduction to the Beacon scheme and what it involves, followed by an opportunity for individuals to discuss what an application might mean for them.
The University of Birmingham’s Beacon Professional Recognition scheme provides an opportunity for colleagues to become an Associate Fellow, Fellow, or Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. The scheme requests that applicants come along to two sessions (an orientation session and then a writing workshop), both designed to help colleagues complete their applications successfully. The orientation workshop provides an introduction to the HEA Fellowships and the how the Beacon scheme works, including the paperwork, support available and deadlines. A key purpose of the orientation session is to give participants the opportunity to think about, and discuss, which ‘type’ of Fellowship is appropriate to them, and consider some initial ideas about what might be included in their application. The session provides a good opportunity to learn about Beacon and Fellowships. Attendance does not, in any way, commit you to applying.
In order to help us in our planning it would be useful for us to have an idea of how many will attend. If you are planning to attend could you email or telephone Eloise Harris (HarrisE@adf.bham.ac.uk, 45053), to let her know.