Professional learning through purposeful, reflective fellowship writing – changing more than just practice

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Myatt, Paula
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2022
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Melbourne, Australia

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Background/context. Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellowships are placed at the forefront of professional learning and recognition in most Australian universities. Fellowship schemes acknowledge or reward the development of learning and teaching skills or, as in this case, enable university teachers and support staff to evidence quality and claim recognition through a reflective and evidence-based portfolio. The initiative/practice. This paper reports on an investigative study within an Australian university where HEA Fellowships are strategically integrated into the professional learning landscape. The impacts on participants who successfully navigate the writing of an evidence-based, reflective portfolio of practice, are compared with the anticipated gains they shared pre-program and we ask, “How impactful are fellowships for professional learning?”. Methods of evaluative data collection and analysis. The study uses a mixed-methods approach of open-ended questions, surveys and semistructured interviews. The open-ended questions included participants in nine cohorts (n=170), the surveys included participants from six cohorts (n=64) who successfully gained fellowship. Qualitative data was analysed using a thematic approach (Braun and Clarke, 2012). Evidence of outcomes and effectiveness. The study revealed a range of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations underpinning scheme engagement (Botham, 2018), and some surprising metacognitive impacts. Strong intrinsic motivators included the opportunity for structured reflection and to gain a clearer understanding of individual practice. Extrinsic motivators included a perception that fellowship would assist career opportunities such as promotion. These motivators were mirrored in responses after successful completion of the program, however importantly the responses post-program indicated a deeper change in practice, indicating an intentionality and future, purposeful reflective practice. Most respondents reported changes in thinking about and undertaking their teaching, including increases in critical reflection and confidence. These findings indicate the reflective portfolio writing is enabling staff to gain a greater understanding of their own practice, whilst having a transformative, metacognitive effect on their ongoing practice.

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Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Annual Conference 2022 (HERDSA 2022)

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© 2022 HERDSA. Reproduced with permission. Permission to reproduce must be sought from the publisher, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

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Higher education

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Myatt, P, Professional learning through purposeful, reflective fellowship writing – changing more than just practice, Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Annual Conference 2022 (HERDSA 2022), 2022, pp. 63-63