The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) intersects teaching and research practices and places student learning at the center of its efforts. SoTL researchers identify a line of inquiry, gather/analyze relevant data, and share findings/conclusions with peers—to encourage peer evaluation, revisions of their research, and refined practices for student learning (Hutchings and Shulman, 1999; Francis, 2007). Collegiality is key to SoTL research, as are deep levels of learner engagement.

At UDC’s Center for the Advancement of Learning, we use SoTL research and practice to inform faculty/staff consultations, course design activities, campus-wide professional development workshops on quality classroom practices, and campus-wide engagement in digital learning practices. We focus on traditional, online, and hybrid modalities throughout these efforts.

We encourage faculty who are interested in engaging in SoTL practices or learning from existing SoTL research to explore the Center’s special collection.  Partnering with the library, the Center has selected over 100 titles in areas such as learner engagement, teaching with technology, and the contemporary higher education landscape.  These can be checked out from the UDC library.  Another valuable resource is UDC’s scholarship of teaching and learning guide.

The guide is divided into several areas of focus:

• General SoTL research
• Pedagogy, including active learning, critical thinking, and interteaching
• Student support
• Institutional reform
• Professional development

It includes both at-a-glance, and more in-depth summaries of existing research, as well as other suggested reading on the topic, and is intended as a resource to help you expand teaching and learning in your classroom, as well as introduce you to SoTL research practices.