APP EXP Referees (PSF 2023)
Being an APP EXP Referee
The guidance below is designed to help you prepare your supporting statement for an applicant for professional recognition through Advance HE. Further information about APP EXP can be found here. It is important that all referees are familiar with the PSF and in a position to comment on and substantiate the applicant’s record of effectiveness in relation to teaching and/or the support of learning in higher education. Your supporting statement should primarily refer to the applicant's experience and achievements in learning and teaching and should refer to his/her research record only in so far as this directly informs their teaching. By completing the reference form you are indicating your support for the application. If you do not feel able to substantiate the application then please do not complete a supporting statement form.
Purpose of Supporting Statements
APP EXP supporting statements are a different kind of reference from ones that are normally required for promotion or a job appointment. In the supporting statement you are asked to offer first-hand evidence that the assertions made by the applicant are genuine. This is done in two ways:
- Confirming that the applicant's written submission presents a fair and honest reflection of practice in line with the relevant Descriptor in the PSF.
- Providing an informed peer review of the applicant's practice giving details of the ways in which they meet the requirements for the relevant Descriptor in the PSF.
In the Written route referees should have access to the whole application, including the Narrative of Professional Practice, and thus see the same evidence as assessors. In the Dialogic route, while the referee will see the written submission, they will not hear the verbal evidence presented during the pedagogic dialogue. Thus a detailed peer review is particularly important as assessors will need to triangulate evidence presented during the pedagogic dialogue, the evidence presented in the written application and the supporting statement from the referee.
Assessment of APP EXP Applications
A key principle for APP EXP is that the applicant is required to make their claim for professional recognition by presenting evidence in the pedagogic dialogue (for the Dialogic route) or the Narrative of Professional Practice (for the Written route). Assessors will consider only this evidence as they review applications. Any additional evidence present in the supporting statement cannot be used to add to, or take away from, the evidence presented by the applicant. The supporting statement will be used by assessors to verify that the applicant has presented a fair and honest reflection of practice.
Preparing the Supporting Statement
Please select and complete the relevant form from this list:
Please offer an informed peer review of the applicant’s work using your knowledge of their practice and the context in which he/she teaches or supports learning in higher education. If possible, this would include comment on the applicant’s most recent role and responsibilities. The statement should include specific practical examples and reference to peer observation of the applicant’s teaching or support of learners if possible. Similarly, please comment on any innovative practice and/or contribution to developments in teaching and learning within his/her discipline.
Submitting the Supporting Statement
Applicants are asked to obtain supporting statements from referees and submit them with the rest of their application. We may wish to contact you to clarify points in your reference. If referees wish to check the written application they have seen is the same as the one submitted through APP EXP they can request to see a copy. If you need advice about completing the forms please contact appexp@warwick.ac.uk.