Learning and teaching

Completing an application

GOLD Application Submission Review Points

We have 4 application submission points in each academic year. These are in September, November, March, and May/June. The dates of the next upcoming review points are:

  • Monday 3rd June 2024 (12pm)
  • Monday 16th September 2024 (12pm)
  • Monday 25th November 2024 (12pm)
  • Monday 3rd March 2025 (12pm)
  • Monday 2nd June 2025 (12pm)

Applications must be submitted via email to gold@gre.ac.uk.

Following approval of reviewer provisional outcomes from the external examiner, mentees will be contacted with the outcome of their application and sent a letter and feedback in the usual way. Mentees will receive their letters to be  6-8 weeks after the submission review point.

Application types

The written route on the application form will continue in September 2022. A new recorded screencast option is available for those not wishing to provide a fully written application. Full details are in the participant handbooks. Anyone wishing to submit a screencast for should contact gold@gre.ac.uk for guidance on how to do this.

How do I begin and complete a GOLD application?

To be in a position to submit an application, mentees are required to do a number of things:

Find a trained GOLD mentor within your school/department

This is essential. The mentor is central to the GOLD process. Every mentee will have a mentor to provide 1-2-1 support with preparing a fellowship application for GOLD. Typically mentors are experienced academics. They will have fellowship themselves and will have engaged in GOLD mentor CPD to ensure they are up to date with GOLD/fellowship requirements. Many will also be GOLD reviewers, so will have experience and insight into what a good application looks like.

You can find a full list of approved GOLD mentors across our institution here.

If you are unable to secure a suitable mentor please contact gold@gre.ac.uk.

Attend the mandatory introductory mentee online workshop

Once a mentor has been secured, all mentees are required to attend a mandatory 2 hour GOLD Introductory Mentee Workshop. This is facilitated by members of the Academic & Learning Enhancement Team. This session is just for applicants and there is no need for mentors to attend. This workshop will outline the GOLD scheme, the application process and the UKPSF. It will help mentees to establish which level of fellowship is most suitable and identify areas for professional development. The workshop will provide practical opportunities for mentees to explore sources of evidence from their own practice to enable them to make a strong claim against the UKPSF. It will also discuss and signpost to appropriate academic literature to underpin applications, and to discuss how to write applications in a scholarly and reflective style. There will be opportunities for peer discussion and activity. Mentees will be encouraged to create informal networks with peers to provide additional peer support to each other during the GOLD application process.

Dates for the GOLD Introductory Mentee Workshop can be found and booked onto via horizon.

We also offer an information webinar to explore the Senior Fellowship Descriptor, D3. This workshop will look at the specific requirements for D3, the case studies and types of evidence that need to be presented to demonstrate role and activity at SFHEA.  Mentees are required to attend the GOLD Introductory Mentee Workshop in addition to the GOLD Senior Fellowship (SFHEA) Introductory webinar.

Dates for the GOLD Senior Fellowship (SFHEA) Introductory Webinar can be found and booked onto via horizon.

On completion of the GOLD Introductory Mentee Workshop you will be sent the Registration of Intent form (RoI).

Complete a Registration of Intent form

You will be given the Registration of Intent (ROI) form after having attended the GOLD Introductory Mentee Workshop. The ROI names your mentor and is signed by your line manager. It should be submitted to Academic & Learning Enhancement Team (gold@gre.ac.uk) by the mentee with the mentor CCed into the email, to signify that the mentor is aware of the mentee's intent to develop and submit their GOLD application. Please note that a mentee can only submit an ROI form in agreement with their approved mentor. You are required to submit a GOLD application within 1 year of your ROI submission.

You can find a full list of approved GOLD mentors across our institution here.

Develop the GOLD application with your mentor

Mentees will work with their mentor to develop the GOLD application over a period of time. Mentees are encouraged to make contact with their mentor to set up an initial meeting to discuss ways of working, timelines, evidence to map to the UKPSF and to identify a future date to submit their application for review. Mentors will provide advice and support and will give feedback on drafts of the application.

You can find a full list of approved GOLD mentors across our institution here.

Attend optional GOLD drop-in sessions throughout the application drafting process

Mentees are encouraged to take advantage of the GOLD Mentee Drop-in's during the application writing and drafting process. These optional sessions are not designed to replace or duplicate the essential mentor - mentee relationship. These sessions are designed to offer additional support and a 3rd party perspective, particularly regarding reflective writing and the use of underpinning literature. Members of the Academic & Learning Enhancement Team will be available to provide 15 minute, 1-2-1 development discussions and can offer some informal application feedback, advise about CPD opportunities that might be useful to a candidate, provide guidance on how references should be written to best support an application, or to answer general questions about GOLD.

Dates for the GOLD 1-2-1 Drop-In sessions can be found and booked onto via horizon.

Attend optional GOLD writing retreats throughout the application drafting process

Mentees are also welcome to sign up to one of the GOLD Writing Retreats. Colleagues booking a writing retreat should have already found a mentor and have completed the GOLD Introductory Mentee Workshop.  Like the drop in's these are optional, but are highly recommended as spaces to give you time to talk, think and write. We work in partnership with our Advance HE fellowship scheme colleagues at University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University to facilitate these writing retreats. All of them are offered online in teams and all are facilitated by academic members from the respective university L&T teams. The University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University retreats are for Fellowship and Senior Fellowship applications only and are a full day (6 hours long). The University of Greenwich facilitated retreats support applications at all levels and are half a day (3 hours long).

Both writing retreat options are designed to give you dedicated time and space away from work/the office to develop your application, with feedback and peer support being key features of the retreats.

Dates for the Half Day Writing Retreat sessions can be found and booked onto via horizon.

Dates and more information about the Full Day Writing Retreats can be found on horizon.

Submit application for review

Once a mentee is satisfied that their application is complete, they can submit for review at a GOLD review panel. Each application is reviewed by at least 2 approved, experienced GOLD reviewers. We aim to provide review decisions and written feedback within 6-8 weeks from the submission review point. Any unsuccessful applications are accompanied with detailed feedback to help with re-drafting for a future re-submission. Members of the Academic and Learning Enhancement Team can offer re-submission 1-2-1 support, as can mentors.

Please send all applications to gold@gre.ac.uk

Teaching observations

All Fellowship (FHEA) GOLD applications require the mentee to be observed and some Associate Fellowship (AFHEA) ones do (those who claim for A2). There is no teaching observation for Senior Fellowship (SFHEA) mentees. Observations can be live face to face or online teaching sessions.

Supporting statements for GOLD applications

All GOLD applications should be accompanied by 2 supporting statements; one from the mentor and one from another colleague/person who is able to comment directly on the applicant's practice and GOLD application. Both supporting statements must be completed using the GOLD Supporting Statement Proforma. Referees are required to read the guidance to ensure their supporting statement is explicitly aligned to the requirements of the UKPSF and to the GOLD scheme. There is separate guidance for Associate, Fellow and Senior Fellow references.

Referees for SFHEA applications are reminded that their supporting statement should specifically and explicitly emphasise the role of the applicant in influencing the way others teach/assess/support learning. The reference should specifically refer to the teaching observation (undertaken by the mentor/referee 1) and should positively validate/endorse their mentee's application.

Application Forms, Participant Handbooks, and Guidance

The following links provide the application form and the participant handbook for each Fellowship Category as well as the related guidance for the referees and mentors.

Applications will only be accepted if you have attended the mandatory GOLD Introductory mentee workshop and submitted a completed Registration of Intent (RoI) form to gold@gre.ac.uk

Associate Fellowship (D1)

GOLD AFHEA Participant Handbook and Application Form

Fellowship (D2)

GOLD FHEA Participant Handbook and Application Form

Senior Fellowship (D3)

GOLD SFHEA Participant Handbook and Application Form

Supporting Statement Proforma

GOLD Supporting statement proforma

Approved GOLD Mentor List

Approved GOLD mentor List