The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

My journey with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) started serendipitously. 

In January 2019, I got a ping in my inbox. A forwarded email about a "call for applications for the 2019 ISSOTL International Collaborative Writing Group". If you are unfamiliar with ISSOTL (International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning), they are an organisation that "serves faculty members, staff, and students who care about teaching and learning as serious intellectual work... and fosters scholarly work about teaching and learning" (ISSOTL, n.d.).

One of the proposed research topics caught my eye, "Investigating boundary crossings within SoTL collaborations". I took my chances and applied to be a part of an International Collaborative Writing Group. Almost two years and two manuscripts later, I am still a part of that writing group and the amazing larger community of SoTL colleagues. 

If you are wondering "What is SoTL?", I had the exact same question when I saw that email back in 2019.  

What is SoTL? 

SoTL work involves

"... the habits of asking questions, gathering evidence of all different kinds, drawing conclusions or raising new questions, and bringing what they learn through that to… students’ learning."

This video series produced by ISSOTL and Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning can offer more insights on the field of SoTL. 

Why does SoTL matter? 

The landscape of higher education has gone through a year of unforeseen challenges and has had to respond with significant pedagogical and technological shifts. Most students and teachers are navigating this uncharted territory for the first time.

Have you had any of the following thoughts in the past few months? 

"Are the new teaching approaches effective?" 

"Are students watching the recordings and interacting with the learning materials?"

"Are you students enjoying the class?"

"How do I get students talking and keeping them engaged?" 

"How do I get students to work together online?" 

If so, you are not alone. It is natural to be curious about what your learners are going through, and whether the implemented changes are effective. And that natural curiosity will ultimately benefit your learners and their learning experiences tremendously. 

It is now a better time than ever for educators to reflect on their practices, to ask questions and seek answers that benefit students in your cohort and beyond. 

How to get started on your own SoTL journey? 

Talk to someone. It is THAT simple to get started. 

In fact most radical changes and innovative ideas often stem from a chat with a someone down the hallway from your office, or from a coffee catchup with colleagues in your "small significant network" (Roxå & Mårtensson, 2009). These are private conversations that can often inspire bold, experimental, and even rebellious ideas against the conventional regimes in teaching (Mårtensson, Roxå and Olsson, 2012). 

As ideas from these conversations transform into investigations in your own classroom and inquiries related to your own teaching approach and practices, the results of these investigations can feed into a larger discourse. There are many avenues for the sharing of your ideas and reflections, including but not limited to a blog posts, presentations at departmental meetings, seminars, teaching and learning showcases, conferences, and peer-reviewed journals. 

Simultaneously, it is also important to build up your capabilities as an educator and ensure that your teaching is informed by research. You can do so by taking advantage of the the wealth of training and development opportunities provided by your Faculty Teaching and Learning Team (TaLT) and the Monash Education Academy (MEA). Subscribing to the TaLT's newsletter and the ISSOTL's newsletter, attending conferences and doing your own reading are also good ways to stay up to date with the literature. For SoTL literature, the Teaching and Learning Inquiry is a great place to start. 

And finally, don't forget to join a network of like-minded people who are also interested in doing SoTL. You may not only find moral support, but also your next SoTL collaboration!

1. Chat with your colleagues (academics in the department and your Educational Designer)
2. Attend training and academic development opportunities to ensure your teaching is informed by research. 
3. Investigate what is going on in your own classroom. You can conduct your own reflection and gather feedback from students.  

4. Publicly share your reflection and knowledge with colleagues in and outside of your institution and discipline. 

5. Join the SoTL community.

The following visual representation of different teaching activities by Kern and colleagues may help you reflect on your teaching activities and what you can do to start engaging in SoTL.

A closing thought

Be kind to yourself. Whether you are privately reflection on your practices, chatting with a colleague about your teaching, or adopting scholarly teaching, it is worth remembering than every journey has a beginning. Nothing you do is too small or insignificant, as long as students' learning is at the core of it.

References: 

Center for Engaged Learning. (2013, September 9). Key characteristics of the scholarship of teaching and learning. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/yvDKHHyx7YY.

Francis, R. (2007). Getting Started with SoTL in Your Classroom. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 1(2), n2.

Kern, B., Mettetal, G., Dixson, M., & Morgan, R. K. (2015). The role of SoTL in the academy: Upon the 25th anniversary of Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 1-14.

Mårtensson, K., Roxå, T., & Olsson, T. (2011). Developing a quality culture through the scholarship of teaching and learning. Higher Education Research & Development, 30(1), 51-62.

Roxå, T., & Mårtensson, K. (2009). Significant conversations and significant networks–exploring the backstage of the teaching arena. Studies in Higher Education, 34(5), 547-559.