Addressing the Framework for Educational Excellence Dimensions
What is the purpose of addressing the FEE dimensions?
The PRT program requires that you demonstrate your teaching practice within the agreed framework that the University has established for guiding and describing educational experiences. The first three dimensions are key to all teaching practice at the University and performance in these will be a common denominator for all teaching staff. For the remaining four dimensions, individual staff will have varying degrees of focus and experience, and the choice of which to address is therefore left open.
The written response is an opportunity for you to frame your approach to teaching. It will provide reviewers with a holistic picture of your teaching practice over the last 3 years and offer examples of how you design and deliver curriculum and materials to facilitate effective student learning. What should you include?
What should you include?
Your response should look at some of the ‘aspects of practice’ listed for each FEE dimension. You will include some carefully selected examples that illustrate your approach to teaching, the methods you use and the activities/resources you develop to facilitate effective student learning. Use the four dimensions to build a holistic picture of your practice. Although there is a separate response required for each, they will still be read as one 'story', so there is no need to start each response from scratch and you may refer to points made elsewhere.
In putting your response together, consider big picture ideas such as:
- What is your overall aim in teaching students?
- How does your teaching facilitate this aim and support effective student learning?
- What teaching methods do you regularly use to facilitate learning?
- What educational objectives do you focus on and how do you ensure they are met?
Your response needs to be kept largely relevant to the context of the teaching that you want the reviewers to observe (i.e. there is no advantage in spending the bulk of your submission talking about what you did in Subject A, when the reviewers are coming to observe you in Subject B).
In the claims that you are making about your practice, offer evidence in support. Evidence could come from three avenues:
- Yourself (e.g. explaining what thoughts, observations or data was driving the choices you made)
- Peers (including those outside the University who can attest to your teaching and learning proficiency)
- Students (e.g. data that shows increased performance, retention, satisfaction. Note that just showing high SES scores in isolation is not as informative as linking them to actions you have taken).
You will also need to include a subject outline for the course you are being observed in, plus any additional materials relevant to assessment that you think will be useful. This provides greater context and allows the reviewers to see the curriculum design, intended learning outcomes and detail of the assessment items you are using.
What should you not include?
Only include examples of what you do in practice, and do not include items such as:
- Lists of SES data
- Your CV
- A list of your scholarly activities or copies of publications
- Links to other documents or materials that are not connected to the teaching you are being observed in
- Feedback from previous reviews
- Examples of student work.