SoTL

"The Science of Learning" (pdf), from Deans for Impact, "summarize[s] the existing research from cognitive science related to how students learn, and connect[s] this research to its practical implications for teaching and learning."

A. The Document

A. "The Reading Quiz Shake-up" (pdf; scroll down) summarizes the findings from  "In Defense of Reading Quizzes" (pdf), "consider[ing] the often-neglected teaching technique of giving frequent quizzes on the reading."

"PhD Completion: An Evidence-Based Guide for Students, Supervisors and Universities" (online article) assesses completion rates for graduate students, lists common reason students do not finish the degree (or take longer than necessary), and offers suggestions for increasing retention and completion rates.

1. Reasons for Not Completing

Dalhousie's "Research Ethics Board User Guide on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research" (online text) "is designed to help instructors interested in conducting SoTL research ... navigate complex ethical issues by addressing key questions they may encounter while designing their research project."

A. Structure

"The user guide is divided into 5 sections": 

"The 3 Instructional Shifts That Will Redefine the College Professor" (post) outlines "three shifts that will make instruction more complex and involved, requiring specialized knowledge and skills and unquestionably a full-time commitment" -- and offers suggestions for going forward.

• "Dabbling in both teaching and knowledge production may be appealing to faculty."

• "But it will become less and less tenable given emerging new demands of college-level instruction."

1. The Dynamic Classroom