As part of a multi-year effort funded by the P3 Strategic Initiatives Fund, the University of Iowa is using scholarly inquiry to advance excellence in teaching and learning.
The Building a Culture of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) P3 Project is a multi-year initiative providing faculty members with expert, ongoing support to design, implement, and disseminate SoTL studies. The project also provides opportunities for the entire campus to learn more about SoTL, which is a systemic inquiry into teaching and learning in which instructors leverage their scholarly expertise to enhance students’ learning experiences and refine their own teaching strategies.
"The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning provides us with a framework to explore and enhance student learning in a systemic way," says Tanya Uden-Holman, associate provost for undergraduate education and dean of University College. "By embedding scholarly inquiry into teaching, instructors not only refine their own practices but also contribute to a growing body of knowledge that strengthens higher ed overall.”
As part of the initiative's aim to connect members of campus with leading SoTL experts, the UI will hold an interactive SoTL workshop on Monday, Feb. 24 featuring Dr. Susannah McGowan, director of curriculum transformation initiatives at Georgetown University. McGowan, who is former associate editor and current board member of the SoTL journal, Teaching and Learning Inquiry, and United States Co-Vice President and Board Member of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), will help us explore strategies for taking a scholarly approach to teaching and learning. Participants will generate inquiries about how their students learn, develop pathways to answer those questions, and reflect on opportunities to share their work beyond the classroom.
"Bringing SoTL experts like Susannah McGowan to Iowa provides our faculty with an opportunity to learn from an internationally-recognized thought leader about the latest perspectives and approaches to SoTL,” says Lois Geist, associate provost for faculty. “Workshops like this offer faculty members the space to step back and reflect on their teaching through a scholarly lens, enhancing faculty success and improving students’ learning experience.”
Dr. McGowan’s visit is the second in this series. Last October, the University of Iowa was honored to host Dr. Peter Felten (Elon) and Dr. Johan Geertsema (National University of Singapore) for the first campus SoTL Institute. Co-sponsored by the Division of Student Life, the institute provided space for faculty representing a wide variety of disciplines and departments and other stakeholders including staff and graduate students to explore the value of SoTL for transforming teaching and learning and improving students’ learning.
The institute started with a poster session featuring clinical, instructional, and tenured faculty presenters representing five colleges. Topics included both scholarly teaching ideas and completed and progressing SoTL studies.
Following the poster session, Felten, co-author of the forthcoming The SoTL Guide, guided participants through understanding what SoTL is and how and why they might leverage it as educators.
“I’m so pleased to see the campus support for SoTL continue to grow,” says Sarah Hansen, Vice President for Student Life. “Having Peter Felten help us launch the institute was the perfect framing for our campus. Peter intentionally uses the term 'educators', knowing that teaching happens across all types of roles, and in many settings. The conversations I had at the institute were rich and I’m excited to see how our SoTL work will help us progress our strategic plan goals.”
The institute ended with a panel featuring Felten, Geertsema, Sara Nasrollahian (Center for Teaching), and Darren Hoffman (Anatomy and Cell Biology), which explored the potential of SoTL in the University of Iowa context as a research-intensive institution.
Curious about how SoTL can transform your teaching? Register for the upcoming session with Dr. Susannah McGowan or reach out the Center for Teaching (teaching@uiowa.edu) to learn about the SoTL faculty learning community, one-on-one consultations, and other opportunities to get involved.