What is SoTL?

SoTL stands for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and is the systematic study of teaching and learning. It overlaps the space between teaching and research in the traditional 3 bucket view of faculty time (teaching, research, and service). Some teaching activities are informal and private, such as designing a course or developing a lesson, while others are more public, such as sharing your curriculum materials or teaching portfolio. Other teaching activities may be more systematic, such as using evidence based practices, engaging in classroom assessment, or sharing your pedagogy and assessment results at a teaching conference. SoTL is both a systematic and public teaching activity. Kern, Mettetal, Dixon, and Morgan (2015) proposed the DART model to represent this range of teaching activities as seen below.

Similar to other forms of disciplinary research, an instructor will begin with a curiosity about some aspect of learning. He/she will then review the literature and design a new instructional strategy based on the findings. Once the strategy has been implemented, the instructor will systematically collect, analyze, and interpret the data. If the strategy was successful the instructor will continue to use the approach and publish the empirical work in the appropriate outlet.

In order for an activity to be considered SoTL rather than scholarly teaching, it must meet 5 criteria:

1. Be about teaching and learning,
2. Be systematic, using rigorous and appropriate research methods,
3. Result in information that is shared and critiqued publicly,
4. Undertaken with the goal to increase understanding of how to maximize learning, and
5. Foster critical reflection on the part of the scholar.

In an effort to support IUB faculty members who are interested in implementing their first SoTL project, CITL will be offering an FLC during the 2017-2018 AY. If you would like to participate in this FLC, please apply by Sunday, June 4, 2017.

Additional Readings:

Potter, M. K. & Kustra, E. D. H. (2011). The relationship between scholarly teaching and SoTL: Models, distinctions, and clarifications. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 5(1), 1-18.

Kern, B., Mettetal, G., Dixson, M. D., & Morgan, R. K. (2015). The role of SoTL in the academy: Upon the 25th anniversary of Boyer’s scholarship reconsidered. Journal of the Scholarship for Teaching and Learning, 15(3), 1-14.