Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) enables faculty to integrate their roles as teachers and scholars within their own classrooms. At its core, SoTL involves systematically investigating questions about student learning and implementing evidence-based approaches to enhance educational experiences. Many faculty across our campus are already engaged in SoTL work, often without recognizing that their research fits this category.
What is Scholarship of Teaching and Learning? (SoTL)
When you engage in SoTL, you investigate questions that matter to your teaching practice: "Are my students reaching their learning goals?" and "How can I better support their success?" These inquiries become the foundation for pedagogical innovation, whether in your specific discipline or through broader pedagogical approaches.
Ethical considerations for SoTL includes obtaining appropriate institutional review board (IRB) approval, ensuring student privacy and confidentiality, practicing informed consent, and considering the potential impacts of your research on all students. Ethical SoTL work recognizes power dynamics in the classroom and seeks to mitigate their influence on research outcomes.
The benefits of SoTL extend in multiple directions. For you as a faculty member, it provides a framework to enhance student engagement, address diverse learning needs, and create more inclusive learning environments. For your students, SoTL translates into increased engagement and improved outcomes, particularly for those with diverse learning needs. At an institutional level, SoTL helps cultivate a culture where questioning and improving teaching practices is valued and leveraged to advance and support evidence-based pedagogical practices across campus.
Get Started with Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
We have put together a downloadable Faculty Guide to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning that includes useful information and resources for integrating scholarship and teaching.