SoTL
SoTL: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is the "scholarly inquiry into student learning which advances the practice of teaching by making inquiry findings public."
The Teaching Commons supports faculty practices, research, and publication in SoTL.
This support encompasses
- Communities of practice
- Teaching chairs
- Postdoctoral research associates
- Professional development for graduate students and teaching assistants
- Links to useful resources.
6 Core Learning Principles
"Learning Assumptions" (online article) outlines "a few assumptions about learning that [are] ... fundamental to the planning of an education program... [and] [that come] from the general field of educational philosophy."
1. "Persons at all ages have the potential to learn, with some learning faster than others."
Researching Teaching/Student Outcomes: A Starter Resource
"Researching Teaching and Student Outcomes in Postsecondary Education" (pdf) introduces the methods and techniques in research on student outcomes in postsecondary education, covering the following steps:
1. Initiating a Research Study
- Finding a researchable question
- Drawing from what's already out there
- Formulating research questions
- Some advice
2. Study Design
Barriers to Faculty Pedagogical Change
"Barriers to Faculty Pedagogical Change: Lack of Training, Time, Incentives, and ... Tensions with Professional Identity?" (online article) argues that -- while training, time, and incentives are "real and present barriers to changing pedagogy -- one key "underlying reason" for the "limited success ... in widespread biology education reform" is the "professional baggage" of "a scientist's professional identity":
