Terry Ng is UCL’s 2000th Arena Fellow

More than 2000 teaching and teaching support staff have now achieved nationally recognised HEA fellowships through UCL Arena.

Terry Ng, (Lecturer, UCL School of Pharmacy), is UCL’s 2000^th Arena fellow, after completing the University’s professional development scheme for staff who teach, supervise, assess or support students’ learning.

UCL Arena is a scheme of awards accredited by Advance HE, giving teaching and support staff nationally recognised fellowships. UCL Arena offers several pathways to professional recognition, catering for staff at different stages in their university teaching career: from postgraduate teaching assistants and lecturers on probation to programme leaders, senior staff with strategic roles, and professional services staff who support teaching.

As a reflection of UCL’s strategic focus on teaching excellence, gaining an HEA fellowship is an explicit criterion in UCL’s Academic Career Framework, which facilitates the recognition and reward of our staff. 

Professor Cate Whittlesea, Professor of Pharmacy Practice (Head of Research Department: Practice and Policy, UCL School of Pharmacy):

““I am delighted that Terry has successful gained her Senior Fellowship as the 2000th successful UCL applicant. Terry is a highly valued member of the UCL School of pharmacy who has made a significant contribution to the clinical and professional teaching of pharmacy. The UK Professional Standards Framework covering the area of activity, core knowledge and professional values, has allowed Terry to demonstrate her curriculum design, leadership and teaching expertise and also helped us to support Terry in developing her teaching focused role.”

Here, Terry shares her experience of gaining a Fellowship through UCL Arena.

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What is your role?

I'm a Lecturer in Practice & Policy at UCL School of Pharmacy teaching on the MPharm programme - an undergraduate 4-year Masters degree that serves as the initial training for students to become a pharmacist. I am responsible for the design and delivery of teaching across all four years of the programme, including a wide range of clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice topics, from therapeutics through to law and ethics and professionalism and leadership. 

In recent years I have taken on more substantive leadership in assessment, for example, as Chair of MPharm Board of Examiners. I have a particular research interest  in education, including assessment and the evaluation of innovative teaching strategies, and lead in cancer teaching for Pharmacy Practice at UCL School of Pharmacy. 

What was your motivation for applying for fellowship?

I started working at UCL in 2014 and have been proactive in taking on leadership responsibilities and supporting colleagues in their own development in providing teaching and learning.  Senior Fellowship allowed me to formally demonstrate and recognise the sustained impact and contributions I had made within my Department. 

Tell us about your experience applying for fellowship?

In preparation I had attended Senior Fellowship workshops with Arena and familiarised myself with the tools and resources provided on Moodle. I also attended a couple of application writing sessions that Arena provided, which really helped me identify what I needed to include in my application and the areas that needed to be emphasised.

I wrote the application itself over the course of a few weeks during the Summer, dedicating a few hours here and there each week to work on the different sections and case studies required. I found it helpful to do little and often because it gave me time and space to reflect on the examples I chosen and the skills and experience I was demonstrating.

What was the most useful element?

I found it particularly helpful to reflect on my experiences and successes since joining UCL and how they have influenced my development as a leader and role model.  The process served as a reminder of the wide networks and accomplishments I had achieved to enhance the teaching and learning practices for my students and also in supporting colleagues in their own growth as educators.  This allowed me to map activities against the UCL Academic Careers Framework and help identify further development opportunities that would support with career progression.

How has it changed your support for teaching or teaching?

The process has given me confidence in my own skills and abilities, encouraging me to accept wider Departmental roles and responsibilities to further my own development, and to support the teaching and assessment within my Department.

How do you think your students have benefited from you taking part?

Taking part has allowed me to recognise the impact I have had in coaching and mentoring colleagues in their own approaches to teaching and assessment.  By supporting others with their own development and progression, I hope that means that the teaching experience is enhanced for a wider student population.

What Fellowship were you successful in securing?  

I applied for and was successful in gaining Senior Fellowship; I was aware that this would be my next step since I had attended the Arena for Probationary Lecturers (previously known as Arena 2) programme and completed my Fellowship application in 2016.

Why did you apply for a fellowship?

I started working at UCL in 2014 and have been proactive in taking on leadership responsibilities and supporting colleagues in their own development in providing teaching and learning.  Senior Fellowship allowed me to formally demonstrate and recognise the sustained impact and contributions I had made within my Department.

What would you say to someone considering working towards a UCL Arena Fellowship?

I would recommend any colleague involved in student teaching and learning and support to explore the possibility of applying for a descriptor of Arena Fellowship.

The Arena Fellowship team offer a lot of support and resources for all the different levels of fellowship, and they are not just designed for academic colleagues.  The fellowship routes are also open to many categories of staff including Professional Services colleagues, and this is a great way to recognise the massive impact they make to benefit the teaching and learning of UCL students.