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Professional learning

The University offers a range of professional development opportunities for staff at all levels and career stages, to ensure quality teaching and learning experiences. These are aligned to the Academic Excellence Framework and include:

Professional learning courses
Sydney Educational Fellowship Program
Peer Review for Teaching Program

Professional learning courses

The Education and Students Portfolio offers a range of professional development opportunities for all professional and academic staff.

On-demand courses include workshops on Cogniti, Interactive Oral Assessments, the Student Relationship Engagement System (SRES), Canvas and other contemporary educational approaches.

Informal opportunities for professional development are supported by our team and include several communities of practice.

More formal programs introduce staff to current principles, practices, debates and research in higher education in the context of the University’s policies. Participants are encouraged to develop scholarly, research-led approaches to teaching while critically reflecting on their teaching and learning.

To learn more about our programs listed below please visit the formal programs page:

Modular Professional Learning Framework
Sydney Professional Certificate (Foundations of Higher Education
Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Higher Education)
- To start your enrolment
- To learn more
Foundations of Research Supervision

We also work with deans and associate deans (education) to offer faculty-specific workshops to support teaching and curriculum planning. Please contact us on [email protected] for more information.

Sydney Educational Fellowship Program

The Sydney Educational Fellowship Program (SEFP) is a professional recognition scheme accredited through Advance HE. It provides support for the international recognition of academic and professional staff who demonstrate a personal and institutional commitment to professionalism in learning and teaching in higher education.

The scheme awards four levels of Fellowship:

Associate Fellow (AFHEA)
Fellow (FHEA)
Senior Fellow (SFHEA)
Principal Fellow (PFHEA)*

* Not awarded through the SEFP accredited program;, please contact the SEFP team for more information about this.

Who's eligible

Fellowship is awarded to Sydney staff who can demonstrate evidence of  effective and inclusive practice in teaching and/or support of learning through the preparation of a written reflective account of professional practice. Support from colleagues in the form of a written reference and/or Formal Observation of Teaching (delivered through the Peer Review of Teaching program) authenticates the account.

Staff who complete any of the five pathways of the Modular Professional Learning Framework will be invited to submit their final reflective statement as part of an application to the SEFP.

How to apply

An application to each category of fellowship requires evidence of teaching and learning at a different standard. Use Advance HE's Fellowship Category Tool to help you decide which category of fellowship is right for you.

Applications for Associate Fellowship (AFHEA), Fellowship (FHEA), and Senior Fellowship (SFHEA) are assessed internally through the Sydney Educational Fellowship Program, at no cost to staff. To get started, enrol in the Sydney Educational Fellowship Program Canvas site, tour the resources there, and register for upcoming workshops.

More information

For more information, enrol in the SEFP Canvas site or contact the SEFP Coordinator on [email protected].

Peer Review for Teaching

The University’s Peer Review for Teaching Program is a centrally-coordinated program to support teaching development and encourage academic excellence and innovation in support of the 2032 Strategy. The program aims to foster collegial and constructive feedback conversations around dimensions of teaching practice.

Who's eligible

All academic teaching staff are eligible to take part in the Peer Review for Teaching Program.

How to sign up for a review

To take part in the Peer Review for Teaching Program and be matched with a trained, expert reviewer, teaching staff need to:

enrol in the MPLF Canvas site, and
complete the application form on Module 12 Finding a Peer Reviewer page.

Please note that reviewer availability may be limited depending on demand, so we recommend signing up early to avoid missing out.

Staff who take part in the peer review process may also elect to use it towards completion of Module 12, Peer Review of Teaching, of the MPLF. This involves writing a brief reflection of your peer review and can be completed in your own time.