9.13 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning - SoTL

Author: Nicola Simmons

Why SoTL?

While you may not have been hired into a SoTL role and while your centre may have someone dedicated to this area, before long, someone is bound to ask you a question about how they can get started in SoTL, what it is, etcetera. The lists are by no means comprehensive; rather, they are intended to point you to some 'getting started' resources you can use and share with faculty and students to support their entry into SoTL.

Getting Started in SoTL

This slideshow gives points for where to begin in SoTL. Feel free to edit for your own use (with attribution, of course.)

Getting Started in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

What is the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)?

For a recent discussion of SoTL definition and issues with that definition, see

Simmons, N., & Marquis, E. (2017, June). Defining SoTL. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(2).

See also the excellent resource The SoTL Guide by Nancy Chick

SoTL Literature – Getting Started

For a great point of entry into the SoTL literature, visit SoTL Annotations. This site provides short annotations on over 100 topics relevant to higher education teaching and learning.

Use it both for your own research as well as a resource to suggest to others engaging in SoTL.

For more resources, please visit https://sotlannotations.com/getting-started-in-sotl/

Free Online SoTL ‘How To’ Guides

The following two guides are free online how to SoTL guides. Great resources for those getting started as well as reminders for the more experienced. Both guides provide excellent lists of additional resources.

Elgie, S., Childs, R., Fenton, N. E., Levy, B. A., Lopes, V., Szala-Meneok, K., & Wiggers, R. D. (2012). Researching teaching and student outcomes in postsecondary education: A guide. Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Fenton, N. E., & Szala-Meneok, K. (2010). Research on teaching and learning guidebook. Hamilton, ON: McMaster University Centre for Leadership in Learning.

For papers about different aspects of SoTL and applications and issues, including student engagement, contingent faculty, leadership, quality assurance, a college SoTL framework, Francophone SoTL in Canada, and educational development, see this special issue of the journal:

Simmons, N., & Marquis, E. (Eds.),(2017). The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(2).

Involving Students

Peter Felten writes about including students as partners in SoTL work.

Felton, P. (2013). Principles of good practice in SoTL. Teaching and Learning Inquiry" The ISSOTL Journal 1(1), 121 - 125

More About SoTL

Definitions, Questions, and Advice from SoTL Experts

For a good introduction to what SoTL is all about, see Key characteristics of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

View this collection of short video-scribed interviews of Gary Poole on several topics about SoTL

Check out some of these other great videos in the series from Elon University

• Examples of SoTL Projects
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning vs. Scholarly Teaching
• Controversies, Debates, and Tensions in SoTL
• Making a Case for SoTL
• Big Tent Debate in SoTL
• History of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

 EDs Supporting SoTL

For an international study of the ways Educational Developers and others support SoTL, see

Simmons, N. & Taylor, K.L. (2019). Leadership for the Scholarship of Teaching and Leaning: Understanding bridges and gaps in practice. Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10(1), article 1.

See also

Felten, P., & Chick, N. (2018). Is SoTL a signature pedagogy of educational development? To Improve the Academy, 37(1), 4-16.

Mårtensson, K., & Roxå, T. (2016). Leadership at a local level: Enhancing educational development. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 44(2), 247-262.

Importance of Collaboration

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.

Identity as a SoTL Scholar

What does it mean to transition from disciplinary research to doing SoTL?

Huber, M.T. (2001). Balancing acts: Designing careers around the scholarship of teaching. Change, (4), 21-29.

Kelly, N., Nesbit, S., & Oliver, C. (2012). A difficult journey: Transitioning from STEM to SoTL. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6(1), Article 18. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2012.060118

Simmons, N., Abrahamson, E., Deschler, J. M., Kensington-Miller, B., Manarin, K. Morón-García, S., Oliver, C., & Renc-Roe, J. (2013). ­Conflicts and configurations in a liminal space: SoTL scholars’ identity development. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 1(2).

Organizations Dedicated to SoTL

In addition to these organizations that are solely focused on SoTL, you will find teaching and learning societies around the world that have SoTL groups and conference streams. Euro SoTL is one such excellent conference.

The International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL)

SoTL Canada

Journals

In addition to the short list below, there are many disciplinary journals that publish SoTL work. Befriend your librarian and ask them if they have such a list.

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Teaching and Learning Inquiry

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Getting SoTL Published

Well worth reading McKinney’s advice on getting your work to press.

McKinney, K. (2013). Getting SoTL article published: A few tips.

SoTL Institutional Impact

These references address the notion of assessing the impact of SoTL. Your library may have the ones not hot-linked.

Poole, G., Taylor, L. & Thompson, J. (2007). Using the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at disciplinary, national and institutional levels to strategically improve the quality of post-secondary education (Invited Essay). International Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 1(2).

Poole, G., & Simmons, N. (2013). The contributions of the scholarship of teaching and learning to quality enhancement in Canada. In G. Gordon, & R. Land (Eds.), Quality enhancement in higher education: International perspectives (pp. 118-128). London: Routledge.

Simmons, N. (2020). The 4M framework as analytic lens for SoTL’s impact: A study of seven scholars. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 8(1).

Simmons, N. (Ed.), (2016, summer). The scholarship of teaching and learning in Canada: Institutional impact. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 146. [online with institutional subscription)

Williams, A.L., Verwood, R., Beery, T.A., Dalton, H., McKinnon, J., Strickland, K., Pace, J. & Poole, G. (2013). The power of social networks: A model for weaving the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning into institutional culture. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 1(2), 49-62.

Wuetherick, B., & Yu, S. (2016). The Canadian teaching commons: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Canadian higher education. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 146. [online with institutional subscription)

Want to Do More Reading?

These books are great overviews of SoTL. Boyer is the oft-cited originator of the movement.

Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Princeton, NJ: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Chick, N. (Ed.),(2018). SoTL in action: Illuminating critical moments of practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

McKinney, K. (2004). The scholarship of teaching and learning: Past lessons, current challenges and future visions. To Improve the Academy, 22, 3-19.

McKinney, K. (2007). Enhancing learning through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

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