Sara Nasrollahian, SoTL expert and associate director of the Center for Teaching, shares more information about the SoTL Institute on Oct. 18 and offers insights on the impact of SoTL on teaching practices, its vital role in academic development, and how you can get involved in SoTL.
What is the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning? And how does one pronounce SoTL?
Sara: The Scholarship of Teaching & Learning – or the acronym SoTL (pronounced: sotal rhyming with anecdotal) -- is when an instructor uses their research expertise to conduct an inquiry into their teaching. It’s a systemic study of teaching and learning where the instructor pursues a teaching idea or question through a systemic inquiry which includes designing, conducting, and disseminating their study so the teaching communities can use them. Therefore, a significant aspect of SoTL is the opportunities for the instructors to contribute to and nurture the scholarship of teaching and learning through sharing the process and outcomes of their study.
SoTL studies are not limited to “what works or doesn’t work in my classroom”. As Pat Hutchings (2000), a well-known SoTL scholar, argues, SoTL studies may also pursue “what is” questions (such as students' perceptions and experiences) and “what could be possible” questions.
What is the SoTL Institute?
Sara: The SoTL Institute on October 18 (1 - 4:30 p.m.) is the first of a series of campus-wide series. Although our campus already has a variety of faculty and administrators who are using, advocating for, or practicing SoTL, we’ll also be reintroducing SoTL to our campus for those who haven’t yet learned about it. Our hope is that Institute participants will be part of a conversation about brainstorming the potential of SoTL within our teaching community and identifying campus resources which can help facilitate SoTL on campus. The event includes an interactive keynote from the scholar Peter Felten, who is the co-author of the forthcoming book The SoTL Guide, followed by a panel discussion that will include special guest SoTL expert Johan Geertsema and a couple of UIowa faculty and administrators. There will also be an opportunity for Iowa instructors to share about their teaching ideas in a poster session and get questions and feedback. Individuals can apply to share a poster within the registration for attending the Institute.
Who should attend the SoTL Institute, and what will they get out of it?
Sara: Everyone is welcome to join the Institute. When planning for the Institute, we wanted it to be useful for the instructors who are curious about SoTL as well as those who are considering conducting a SoTL study. We are hoping for participation from a wide variety of perspectives, including leadership, since the Institute will also explore SoTL as a recognition of scholarly teaching being performed by instructors. This Institute will also help inform graduate students who are interested in teaching as research, about what, why, and how of this research framework.
Why does SoTL matter for student learning?
Sara: In 1990, Boyer introduced the concept of the Scholarship of Teaching because there was a concern that teaching wasn’t being recognized as a scholarly activity. The idea was to focus research on teaching itself, and soon after it was renamed Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in recognition that you can’t really research teaching without considering learning.
SoTL can impact student learning in various ways. For example, if you want to see if a specific teaching strategy improves the student learning experience, SoTL can help identify what works and what doesn’t. It also explores students’ experiences, backgrounds, perceptions, and instructors’ beliefs about learning. This helps us understand how learning happens.
As an educational psychologist, I understand how crucial it is to explore how students learn and how we can facilitate their learning process. SoTL provides insights into the process of teaching and learning and helps improve students’ learning experiences as well as the instructors’ teaching practice and perspectives.
How does it relate to other kinds of research on teaching, and do you have to already be an educational researcher to read SoTL or conduct SoTL?
Sara: First of all, one of the goals of the SoTL Institute is to invite everyone into the conversation about SoTL. In essence, SoTL is about improving teaching practices through research conducted by the teachers themselves. SoTL is distinctive because the instructor is the primary investigator, driving the research based on their own teaching experiences and questions. It focuses on the teaching-learning experience, whether it’s about student learning or teaching methods. SoTL needs to be “methodologically sound” as Felten (2013) describes it, but it doesn’t have to stick to specific social science methodologies. Therefore, the SoTL scholars are encouraged to consider research methodologies in their SoTL studies that are more aligned with their disciplinary perspectives and approaches. As part of my work, I’m in close conversation with the Human Subject Office, campus librarians, and many other campus stakeholders about these diverse methodologies.
Why does the University of Iowa care about SoTL?
Sara: Teaching isn’t just about what happens in the classroom; it’s about nurturing a scholarly perspective that informs teaching decisions and fosters a sense of community among educators.
I’m so glad to see the value of SoTL recognized in the campus strategic plan because it significantly enhances faculty development and empowers instructors to adopt a more reflective and scholarly approach to teaching. SoTL isn’t just championed by the Center for Teaching; it’s recognized as a crucial element in enhancing the teaching and learning experience for both students and instructors.
Do you have any final thoughts about SoTL for those whose curiosity has peaked?
Sara: Engaging in SoTL can take many forms. You might join a SoTL faculty community on campus, use our SoTL library guide online, learn about ongoing research in various disciplines, or start your own SoTL study by asking teaching questions and exploring potential research.
I’d love to invite everyone on campus to join our institute! In addition to learning about doing SoTL or appreciating it, we aim to explore how SoTL can help improve the practice of teaching, the experience of learning, and the recognition of the instructors’ scholarly practice. I encourage everyone to see how these conversations can nurture teaching and learning excellence at the University of Iowa.