Anyone Here Familiar with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Field? Let’s Talk.
That question – “Anyone here familiar with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) field?” – pops up in faculty lounges, online forums, and conference hallways. Sometimes it’s tinged with curiosity, sometimes with a hint of “Is this really a thing?” and often with a genuine desire to connect with others navigating similar waters.
If you’ve asked it, or if it sparked your interest just now, welcome. You’re not alone. The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, often just called SoTL (pronounced “sō-tul” or “sot-ul”), might not be as universally recognized as astrophysics or literature, but it represents a powerful movement reshaping how we think about our core mission in higher education and beyond: effective teaching.
So, What Exactly Is SoTL?
At its heart, SoTL is about treating teaching and learning as subjects worthy of rigorous, scholarly investigation. It’s the systematic study of how students learn in specific contexts and how specific teaching approaches influence that learning. Think of it as applying the curiosity, methods, and critical analysis inherent in your own academic discipline to the practice of teaching itself.
It’s more than just reflecting on what worked or didn’t work in class yesterday (though that’s a starting point). It’s about:
1. Asking Meaningful Questions: “Do collaborative problem-solving exercises actually deepen understanding in my introductory physics course compared to traditional lectures?” or “How does targeted feedback on draft essays improve final submission quality in my composition class?”
2. Gathering Evidence: Using appropriate methods – surveys, interviews, analysis of student work, classroom observations, learning analytics – to understand what’s happening.
3. Applying Rigorous Analysis: Critically evaluating the evidence, looking for patterns, understanding limitations, and drawing conclusions based on data, not just intuition.
4. Sharing Findings Publicly: Disseminating your work so others can learn from it, critique it, build upon it. This could be through conferences, journal publications, departmental presentations, or institutional repositories.
5. Reflecting and Iterating: Using what you learn to refine your teaching practice, leading to new questions and further investigation.
Why Bother? The “So What?” of SoTL
You’re already busy. Research, service, administration, grading… why add another layer? The reasons are compelling and touch the very core of academic life:
Improved Student Learning: This is the ultimate goal. SoTL isn’t navel-gazing; it’s directly aimed at understanding and enhancing student outcomes. By systematically investigating what works, you can make more informed, evidence-based decisions that genuinely help students succeed.
Professional Growth & Intellectual Engagement: SoTL rekindles the intellectual spark for many educators. It allows you to bring your research skills to bear on the complex, fascinating problem of how people learn your subject. It combats teaching stagnation and fosters continuous improvement.
Bridging the Teaching-Research Divide: For too long, research and teaching have been seen as separate, even competing, spheres. SoTL explicitly bridges this gap. It validates teaching as scholarly work and provides a pathway for teaching excellence to be recognized alongside traditional disciplinary research, especially in tenure and promotion processes (though institutional culture varies).
Creating a Shared Knowledge Base: Teaching often happens in isolation. SoTL breaks down those walls. By sharing findings about what works (and what doesn’t) in specific contexts, we build a collective understanding of effective pedagogical practices across disciplines. Your investigation into using case studies in biology could inform a colleague in history.
Enhancing Teaching Credibility: Engaging in SoTL demonstrates a commitment to evidence-based practice. It moves teaching beyond anecdote and personality to a more professional, scholarly foundation.
Promoting Inclusive & Equitable Teaching: SoTL provides powerful tools to investigate questions like: “Are my assessment methods biased?” or “How can I design this course to better support underrepresented students?” It’s essential for creating more equitable learning environments.
“Okay, I’m Intrigued… How Do I Even Start?”
Diving into SoTL doesn’t require abandoning your discipline or becoming a full-time education researcher overnight. It’s about starting small and building:
1. Begin with Curiosity: What puzzles you about your students’ learning? What’s a persistent challenge you face? That’s your potential SoTL question.
2. Start Small: Your first project doesn’t need to be a multi-year, multi-institutional study. Try a small-scale investigation in one class module: compare two approaches to teaching a specific concept, analyze the impact of a new feedback technique, or track student engagement with a specific resource.
3. Lean on Your Disciplinary Strengths: How would someone in your field approach this question? Your methodological expertise is invaluable.
4. Seek Community & Mentorship: Find colleagues interested in teaching improvement. Join a faculty learning community. Attend teaching conferences (like the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning – ISSOTL conference). Seek out mentors who have experience with SoTL.
5. Learn Basic Educational Research Methods: You don’t need a PhD in Education, but understanding core principles of qualitative and quantitative educational research design, ethics (especially regarding student data), and analysis is crucial. Many centers for teaching and learning offer workshops.
6. Explore Existing Literature: See what others in your discipline (or related fields) have already discovered about similar questions. Journals like Teaching & Learning Inquiry, The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and discipline-specific pedagogical journals (e.g., Journal of Chemical Education, The History Teacher) are goldmines.
7. Make Your Work Public: Share your findings locally first – a department presentation, a teaching showcase. Then consider broader dissemination. Peer review strengthens your work and contributes to the field.
The Broader Impact: Beyond the Classroom Walls
The ripple effects of SoTL extend far beyond individual classrooms. It informs curriculum design, program assessment, educational policy, and faculty development programs. It fosters a culture where teaching is valued as intellectual work. It pushes institutions to better support faculty in their teaching roles and to prioritize student learning outcomes in meaningful ways.
So, Anyone Familiar with SoTL?
The answer, increasingly, is “Yes.” More educators every year are discovering the power of systematically investigating their teaching practice. They are moving beyond “this seemed to work” to understanding why and how it worked, for whom, and in what context.
If the question resonates with you, consider this an invitation. The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning offers a powerful framework to deepen your impact as an educator, rekindle your curiosity about learning, and contribute to building better educational experiences for all students. It’s about taking teaching seriously – as the complex, vital, and deeply scholarly endeavor that it truly is. Why not start asking your own questions? The journey is as rewarding as the discoveries.
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