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The National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) scheme in the UK recognises and rewards individual excellence in teaching in higher education in England, Northern Ireland, and since 2011 also Wales. The scheme began in 2000, with total funding per year of £2.5 million (to date), and there are 500+ NTFs awarded, with the most recent in July 2014 (ref to report).

Around 50 awards are made annually from a process that requires applicants to provide an evidenced and endorsed case of their approaches to teaching, and how their work has impacted their institutions, across the UK and within education internationally. The application is assessed by two independent reviewers and is matched to set criteria. These include supporting the student experience, supporting peers and colleagues and scholarly activity (reference).

The scheme supports teaching excellence in higher education and also further education, and as stated in a recent report, there are now 340 eligible institutions across the UK, Northern Ireland and Wales.

History of the NTF scheme
The NTF shame began in 2000. Alongside other forms of professional recognition (HEA fellowships), this was in response to Government policy to enhance the profile of learning and teaching. (More information on relevant reports). At this time the academic climate was changing and also saw the introduction of the National Student Survey to also raise the transparency of university choice, and compilation of additional metrics such as student employability survey. This decade was the expansion of the UK university sector from XX students to XX, with fee raises in XX and again with the latest increases in 2012. The sector will undergo further change in 2015 with the removal of individual university number restrictions (student number control) (reference), with the suggestion this will lead to an open education market and increased competition (references). XXX Link to page on Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

Awarding body (HEA)
The Higher Education Academy (HEA) is an independent UK organisation that supports further (?) and higher education in a number of ways. The key goal is to promote teaching excellence and improve the learning experience for students (2011 white paper). It does so through supporting individuals and institutions (164 UK HEIs?) through development of research and teaching, through training events, funding, and reward schemes (references).

The HEA oversee the application process in an annual call for applicants. The application is 10,000 words long and is required to provide substantial evidence of the applicants outstanding impact in predesignated areas. The application requires the development of a narrative - the applicant's story - alongside evidence in the form of colleague endorsements, publications and funding, and an institutional statement of support. It is not uncommon for applicants to have more than one attempt, and most review the process as "developmental" and a useful reflective exercise as part of their academic and professional career pathway (references?).

Universities and colleges
Every UK university and college is eligible for NTF status….with the exception of Scotland and Southern Ireland. Scotland is due to join the scheme in 2015 (?). Southern Ireland have their own scheme (?). The "national" scheme complements internal institutional teacher fellowship schemes which supports the professional development of staff earlier on in their careers. To date, XXX universities and XX colleges have produced successful applicants (2014 or latest data). Staff who then retire and change roles or careers, might be no longer affiliated to their original institution, but tools exist to search for fellows within their awarding institutions or by discipline (HEA page).

Professional disciplines
There are NTFs representing every academic discipline, from arts to sciences. Although the majority of NTF applicants are from academic disciplines, many work in professional services and management, for example library services and careers staff can have a significant impact on student learning, and make excellent cases for fellowship applications. Each individual who is successful gets an award of £10,000 to spend over three years to support their professional development or to fund an educational project. This small amount of money can make a large difference to support the attendance of professional events and conferences, and to kick-start pilot projects. (Links to fellows on Wikipedia??)

Educational expertise
The fellows may be recognised for investigating novel teaching approaches and supporting students within their subject disciplines, within their professional service area, or in a university-wide theme. Such themes include widening participation, supporting student transitions, employability, learning technology and many more (refs?). (Something about academic research?). Fellows are often experts in pedagogy (link) - the science and research of education. They will be expected to publish in peer-reviewed journals and champion their expertise within their departments, institutions and beyond.

Association of National Teaching Fellows
The NTF scheme is overseen by the Higher Education Academy (reference). The work of the individual (and group???) NTFs is greatly supported by the HEA. Qualified NTFs become members of the UK Association of NTFs (ANTF) who coordinate additional events and activities. There is an annual symposium that shares good practice and invites external topical speakers, and other activities in recent years have included a book-sprint that resulted in the publication of a book "For the Love of learning" edited by Tim Bilham (2013) (Reference).

Other work of the ANTF association includes publicity of the scheme, and working with colleges and schools to explore future applications. The Association is a body of unpaid volunteers, with a three year tenure ship, Blah who work closely with the HEA.

International NTF schemes
Many international schemes…..and international association of NTFs????

Benefits to being an NTF
There are many reported and published benefits to aspiring to become an NTF. Personal recognition, evidence for internal promotions, benefits to institution. (References). The UK Government (2011 white paper) sought to raise the profile of "Teaching Excellence" in the UK not just through the NTF scheme but other professional recognition routes (HEA fellowships etc). It has been argued that university internal promotional procedures have been slower to recognise and offer opportunities for those staff engaged in academic research (Annette Cashmore's work), but certainly, education roles and promotions to Reader and Professorship are more common than in previous years.