Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

April 21, 2021

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (or SoTL) is the systematic investigation of teaching and learning in higher education with the goal of improving students’ learning. This work builds on scholarly conversations, and may be classroom-specific, or look across courses, programs, and even universities (sotl.gmu.edu). SoTL should also be methodologically sound (Felten, 2013) and shared publicly upon completion. That said, SoTL does not require a particular method of research or mode of production–it is frequently interdisciplinary and it can be creative (Chick, 2014). Finally, some of the best SoTL is conducted in partnership with students, who bring their perspective as novices in a field to their interpretation of why a particular pedagogical technique may or may not have successfully met the course instructor’s goals (Cook-Sather, Bovill, & Felten, 2014).

Conducting research on teaching and learning – whether in a specific course, for a program, or across disciplines – is part of strong reflective practice and building a healthy environment of teaching and learning. We can help you get started.

Getting Started Programming consultations Resources Deeper Dives

Getting Started

ATL encourages instructors across the institution and at all levels (from undergraduate and graduate TAs to part-time instructors, tenured professors and more) to reflect on your teaching practices and consider whether you have questions that may be answered through SoTL. We support all instructors’ efforts to engage in SoTL by offering workshops and consultations, funding opportunities, and providing access to curated resources to facilitate the planning, execution, and publication of your research.

Programming

Rhody Scholars Program

Does the thought of developing a SoTL project on top of everything else you’re doing feel totally overwhelming? Do you have a question about your teaching or your students’ learning that has been nagging at the back of your mind? Do you want to develop and share your teaching expertise, but aren’t sure where to […]

SoTL Reading Club

Keeping up with the latest research in teaching and learning doesn’t have to be onerous! Join this monthly meeting to explore some of the newest scholarship in SoTL and connect with your colleagues as you consider possible applications to your own teaching context. Each month will feature a different disciplinary context and a different method […]

Consultations

Conducting research on teaching and learning – whether in a specific course, for a program, or across disciplines – is part of strong reflective practice and building a healthy environment of teaching and learning. We can help get you started.

  • For questions related to SoTL, email Faculty Development Specialist, Sophia Abbot [sophia.abbot@uri.edu]

Deeper Dives

SoTL, Ethics, & the IRB

Completing the SoTL cycle involves sharing your research publicly. In order to do so, you will likely need IRB approval in some form.

Resources

Several excellent guides have been written to support instructors getting started with SoTL research. The following is a very brief and incomplete list of recommendations to help you get started. All are available open access or through the URI library:

  • SoTL in Action, edited by Nancy L. Chick (2018) URI Libraries; DOI
    This book covers the entire SoTL process, from question generation through data collection methods, to public sharing. Each chapter offers concise guidance for designing and carrying out your own SoTL project. 
  • Writing about Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Mick Healey, Kelly Matthews, & Alison Cook-Sather (2020) DOI
    This open access book offers an invaluable guide to the process of writing in SoTL and reviews the wide range of forms this writing may take. 
  • Becoming a SoTL Scholar, edited by Janice Miller-Young and Nancy L. Chick (2024) DOI
    This open access book offers advice from across a SoTL-focused career trajectory. The authors provide tools and advice for scholars, as well as address barriers and challenges to working in this field. 
  • McKinney, K. (2014, November 3). SoTL and Institutional Review Boards (IRB), Human Subjects Approval. The SoTL Advocate. Link
    This blog post offers a useful overview of ethical considerations for researchers who plan to conduct SoTL.
  • Kennesaw State’s Teaching Conferences Directory and Teaching Journals Directory Conferences Link; Journals Link
    These two sources are great finding tools for identifying both general and disciplinary-specific teaching conferences and journals.
  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Annotated Literature Database, edited by Nicola Simmons Link
    Featuring a robust topic list from active learning to universal design, this site offers annotations of select key articles in SoTL. This is an excellent starting point for scholars wanting to know more about what’s out there on a particular teaching topic. 

References

Chick, N. L. (2014). ‘Methodologically sound’ under the ‘big tent’: An ongoing conversation. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2014.080201

Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C., & Felten, P. (2014). Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching. Jossey-Bass. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uri/detail.action?pq-origsite=primo&docID=1650837

Felten, P. (2013). Principles of Good Practice in SoTL. Teaching & Learning Inquiry The ISSOTL Journal, 1(1), 121–125. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.1.1.121