Impact of Advance HE Fellowships on professional identity as an educator: an Australian study

Educator identity plays an important role in shaping teaching practice and professional development in higher education. While Advance HE Fellowships have gained prominence as a form of professional recognition globally, their impact on educator identity – particularly in non-UK contexts – remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by investigating how the attainment of Fellowship and ongoing engagement with Fellowship-related activities affect educator identity development across Australian universities. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, we analysed survey (n = 218) and interview (n = 22) data from staff across 23 Australian universities, representing diverse roles and disciplines across Fellowship categories. Our findings suggest that the Fellowship process had a moderate positive influence on participants’ sense of appreciation, connectedness, competence, commitment, and career progression. However, these characteristics were influenced by factors such as engagement with reflective practices, workloads, and institutional cultures around the valuing of teaching expertise. Our study highlights that the value of Fellowship varies due to a number of interconnected factors and the impact of Fellowship is increased when supported by institutional structures that prioritise education.