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Tasmanian Institute of Learning and Teaching
ELT505The Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning
Semester 2, 2012
Unit Outline
Dr Sharon Thomas
CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B
Contact details
Unit coordinator/lecturer: Dr Sharon ThomasCampus: Launcestone-mail: [email protected]: 6324 3350fax: 6324 3301contact times:
Course coordinator:
via email
Dr Sharon ThomasCampus: Launcestone-mail: [email protected]: 6324 3350fax: 6324 3301contact times: via email
Unit administration: Ms Emily MarshallCampus: Launcestone-mail: [email protected]: 6324 3740fax: 6324 3301contact times: via email or phone during business hours
Electronic copy of this unit outline (including criteria sheets and assignment cover sheet) is available at :http://www.teaching-learning.utas.edu.au/professional-development/gradcerts
© The University of Tasmania 2012
ContentsUnit description 2Intended learning outcomes 3Generic graduate attributes 3Alterations to the unit as a result of student feedback 4Prior knowledge &/or skills 4Learning expectations and teaching strategies/approaches 4Learning resources required 5Details of teaching arrangements 7Unit schedule 8Assessment 9How your result is determined 12Submission of assignments 12Requests for extensions 12Penalties 12Review of results and appeals 12Academic referencing 13Academic misconduct 13Further information and assistance 14
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Unit description
ELT505The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
This unit has two inter-related purposes: to develop your educational research skills and to improve your students’ learning. In this unit, you explore the principles, theories and practice of the scholarship of university teaching and learning. You are introduced first, to a broad range of literature that reconsiders the notion of scholarship and second, to a number of approaches to engage with the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). This aims to broaden your conception of what constitutes knowledge, evidence, practice and scholarship in teaching and learning. The primary outcome of this unit is a scholarly research paper in which you report to a wider community on an inquiry (into an aspect of learning and teaching) that you have designed and undertaken throughout the semester.
Staff: Dr Sharon Thomas
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching pattern: 2 x 2 days, face-to-face
Prerequisites: ELT502 (E5T course) or CAM506 (E5S course)
Required:
ELT505 Unit Reader (posted to all enrolled participants prior to commencement of unit).
Weimer, M. (2006). Enhancing scholarly work on teaching and learning: Professional literature that makes a difference. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass (available through the Co-op Bookshop on L’ton and Hob’t campuses and L’ton and Morris Miller libraries).
Course: [E5T/E5S]
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Intended learning outcomesOn completion of this unit, you should be able to:
1. critically reflect upon the scholarship of teaching and learning literature and issues
pertinent to your and others’ teaching and learning contexts
2. design and conduct a research-based inquiry into an aspect of a specific teaching
and learning context
3. communicate in academic teaching and learning contexts by presenting (orally) to
peers and writing a scholarly research article.
Generic graduate attributesThe University has defined a set of generic graduate attributes (GGAs) that can be expected of all graduates (see http://www.utas.edu.au/policy/attributes_grads.pdf). By undertaking this unit you should make progress in attaining the following attributes:
Knowledge. Knowledge of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) literature (including historical development and theoretical/conceptual underpinnings), as well as epistemological and methodological approaches to the research of teaching and learning, will be developed by: critically reflecting upon a broad range of literature; and applying new skills and understandings – through a research-based inquiry – to a specific teaching/learning context.
Communication skills. Students will develop oral communication and presentation skills through collaborative dialogue with, and a formal presentation to, teaching and learning peers. Skills in communicating the results of teaching and learning research to the broader community will be developed through the reporting – to an academic journal – of the outcomes of a research-based inquiry into an aspect of teaching and learning.
Problem-solving skills. Students will develop skills in: critically reflecting on their own teaching and learning context and subsequently identifying an issue for a research-based inquiry; and selecting research methodology – from a range of alternatives – most appropriate for the purpose of the inquiry and/or determined as an optimum approach within time and resource constraints.
Social responsibility. Insight into the ethical implications of research in general, and the process of teaching and learning research, specifically, will be developed through class discussion with a member of the UTAS Ethics Committee and through the completion of a university-mandated ethics application.
Global perspective. Insight into recent developments in learning and teaching research and practice will be developed through engagement with the international literature in higher education – specifically the unit Reader.
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Alterations to the unit as a result of student feedbackAs a result of feedback obtained from students, more exemplars of, and opportunities to engage with, practitioner-based research, have been incorporated into the unit over recent years. Also, the process involved in gaining ethics approval for the research-based inquiry has been incorporated earlier in the unit and in more detail. Furthermore, feedback from the 2011 cohort has led to changes in the structure and timing of some of the class activities on days 2, 3 and 4.
Prior knowledge &/or skillsYou need to have completed ELT502 (E5T course) or CAM506 (E5S course) and thus, have knowledge of and skill in critical reflection. You also need to be committed to self-improvement in your teaching and/or other educational activities, and be willing to engage colleagues in this process.
Learning expectations and teaching strategies/approachesExpectationsThe University is committed to high standards of professional conduct in all activities, and holds its commitment and responsibilities to its students as being of paramount importance. Likewise, it holds expectations about the responsibilities students have as they pursue their studies within the special environment the University offers.
The University’s Code of Conduct for Teaching and Learning states:
Students are expected to participate actively and positively in the teaching/learning environment. They must attend classes when and as required, strive to maintain steady progress within the subject or unit framework, comply with workload expectations, and submit required work on time.
Teaching and learning strategiesThis unit is taught in 2 x 2 day face-to-face teaching blocks (2 days in June and 2 days in early September). Collaborative learning is a feature of this unit, both within, and outside of, the block teaching phases. Self-managed, contextualised, research-based inquiry is the primary learning strategy.
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Learning resources requiredPrescribed Texts
1. Weimer, M. (2006). Enhancing scholarly work on teaching and learning: Professional literature that makes a difference. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
This book provides a detailed insight into existing literature, citing numerous examples of published practitioner research projects and detailing discipline-specific journals that regularly publish in the area of the scholarship of teaching and learning. In this regard it will be directly relevant to both assessment tasks 1 and 2.
This book is also particularly useful in describing a range of possible approaches to practitioner research. In this regard it will be directly relevant to assessment task 2.
This text will be most valuable for students after the face-to-face days in June. It is available immediately from the Coop Bookshop in Hobart and Launceston. CCC students please phone the L’ton Bookshop for delivery (X3296).
Library Call no.
LB 2331.W365 2006 (3 day loan)
2. ELT505 Reader
A book of readings (ELT505 Reader) will be sent to each participant prior to the commencement of the unit. It is expected that students will become familiar with the articles/chapters in this reader prior to the first face-to-face session in June.
Students should draw upon the knowledge and understandings contained within the Reader to inform both assessment tasks for the unit.
Recommended Texts: Books
Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. New Jersey: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Library Call no.LA 227.4.B69 1990 (3 day loan)
Sachs, J. & Brew, A. (2007). Transforming a university: The scholarship of teaching and learning in practice. Sydney: Sydney University Press.
Library Call no.LB 2331.T73 2007 (3 day loan)
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Journal articles
Bensimon, E.M, Polkinghorne,D.E., Bauman, G.L. and Vallejo, E. (2004). Doing research that makes a difference. The Journal of Higher Education, 75 (1), 104-126.
In this article the authors challenge the traditional methodology of knowledge production and propose a ‘practitioner-as-researcher’ model. This journal is available as an ejournal through the UTAS library home page.
Butcher, J. & Stoncel, D. (2011). The impact of a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education on university lecturers appointed for their professional expertise at a teaching-led university: ‘It’s made me braver’. International Journal for Academic Development. Online journal article accessible from :http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2011.620107
This article will be of interest to students enrolled in ELT505 – the capstone unit of the Graduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching offered at UTAS. It highlights the positive outcomes of engagement in such a degree at a UK university. Interestingly, these outcomes mirror those identified in a UTAS evaluation of 2009 (see Thomas, S. (2009). Graduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching and Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching for Health Professionals: An evaluation report. Centre for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching: University of Tasmania).
Gerhard, G. & Mayer-Smith, J. (2008). Casting a wider net: Deepening scholarship by changing theories. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2(1). Online journal accessible from: http://www/goergiasouthern.edu/ijsotl
This article highlights the ways in which our informing theories can influence our approach to, and reporting of, the scholarship of teaching and learning. It provides practical and useful examples of how this translates at a practitioner research level.
Online resources
The Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL)
https://www.iupui.edu/~josotl/
International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (IJ-SoTL)
http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/
Both these journals are available as ejournals from the UTAS library home page. They are USA-based and deal specifically with issues related to the field of SoTL – the conceptual basis of SoTL and practical examples of SoTL.
Innovative Higher Education and
Higher Education Research and Development
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Both these journals are available as ejournals from the UTAS library home page. The first has an American focus the second an Australian focus. Both include numerous examples of practitioner research projects.
Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice.
http://jutlp.uow.edu.au/
This University of Wollongong publication contains examples of research into teaching and learning in higher education. The publishers state the purpose of the journal to be: “to bridge the gap between journals covering purely academic research and more pragmatic articles and opinions published elsewhere.”
Details of teaching arrangementsFace-to-face sessions
Tuesday 12th June 2012, Hobart (10am – 4pm). This later start is in consideration of Launceston-based people who may wish to travel to Hobart on Tuesday morning. Room: LAW225 seminar room 3
Wednesday 13th June, 2012, Hobart (9am-4pm). Room: LAW225 seminar room 3
Monday, 3rd September, 2012, Hobart (10am – 4pm). This later start is in consideration of Launceston-based people who may wish to travel to Hobart on Monday morning. Room: LAW225 seminar room 3
Tuesday 4th September, 2012, Hobart (9am-4pm).Room: LAW225 seminar room 3
** An optional, informal evening get-together may be arranged to coincide with Teaching Matters (December 4th) or December graduation. This will provide an opportunity for students to share the outcomes of their research projects with each other. The unit coordinator (Sharon) will take responsibility for exploring this possibility with students in November.
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SessionDay AM 1 AM 2 PM
One12th June
Introduction to unit – The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): unit outline and
assessment tasks (including criteria sheets)
Defining the field: history of SoTL key authors key concepts past and current
trends areas of dissent personal experience
with SoTL
Examples of practitioner research: previous ELT505
students’ projects previous ELT505
students as guest speakers
Initial thoughts about possible research projects
Two13th June
Research approaches (general): research paradigms personal
experience and approach
Research approaches and methods (learning and teaching): quantitative/qualitative experiment observational survey/questionnaire case study narrative
Designing research: What, Why, How and So
What?
Approaches to analysing data
Ethics: the ‘what’, ‘why’ and
‘how’ of ethics for learning and teaching research (including ‘Minimal Risk’ applications)
Initial planning for assessment tasks 1 and 2
Evaluation of first two days
Three3rd Sept.
Individual/paired presentations
Varying approaches to the reporting of SoTL research: Weimer’s seven categories
Collaborative research planning: developing a research plan with peer input (What, Why, How, timeline, target journal)
Four4th Sept.
Individual/paired presentations
Collaborative research planning: developing a research plan with peer input (What, Why, How, timeline, target journal)
Unit schedule
Month Topic/activity Assessment
May/June Reading preparation (ELT505 reader)
June Face-to-face class time (June 12th -
13th ) Initial planning for assessment tasks
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July and August
Continued reading (set text and recommended reading list from unit outline)
Continued planning of research-based inquiry – assessment task 2 (e.g. ethics application)
Initial literature search related to assessment task 2
Preparation of assessment task 1
September
Face-to-face class time (September 3rd and 4th)
Engagement in research-based inquiry (e.g. data collection)
1. Oral presentation in class (September 3rd or 4th)
October Engagement in research-based
inquiry (e.g. data analysis) Writing of journal article
November Final editing of journal article 2. Journal article
(Nov 6th)
Occupational health and safety (OH&S)The University is committed to providing a safe and secure teaching and learning environment. In addition to specific requirements of this unit you should refer to the University’s policy at: http://www.admin.utas.edu.au/hr/ohs/pol_proc/ohs.pdf
AssessmentAssessment schedule
Assessment task Date due Percent weighting
Links to Intended Learning Outcomes
Assessment Task 1: September 3rd or 4th
30% 1 and 3
Assessment Task 2: November 6th 70% 1,2 and 3
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Assessment task 1 – 30%Oral presentationTask description
This is an individual or paired oral presentation based on a critical review of a journal article from the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) literature. You should select a journal article that is an example of practitioner research rather than one which deals with SoTL at a theoretical or conceptual level like the articles in our ELT505 reader. Your selected article could be discipline-specific (e.g. from a journal such as Teaching Sociology or Medical Education), or it may be more generic (e.g. teaching large classes) and therefore more likely to be housed in a journal such as Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice.
The primary purpose of this assessment task (aside from providing an opportunity for you to practise and demonstrate your ‘teaching/presentation skills’) is to immerse you in examples of practitioner research (content and methodologies), thereby informing your own inquiry into your teaching and learning practice (assessment task 2). For this reason, the article you select should be no earlier than 2009.
In your presentation you should:
Provide a brief overview of the article.
Position the article in relation to the theoretical/conceptual SoTL literature from the ELT505 Reader (e.g. is it an example of the benefits of ‘collaborative’ rather than ‘solitary’ research – Reader article no. 13; does it highlight the limitations of discipline-specific reporting – Reader article no. 11; is it an example of ‘action research’ – Reader article no. 6; or does it illustrate a focus on learning rather than teaching – Reader articles no. 4 and 5).
Critique the article in terms of its aims/purpose, design, findings/conclusions (i.e. you are essentially acting as a ‘peer reviewer’).
Apply any new knowledge/understandings from your article critique to your own discipline. For example,
is the methodology employed in the article consonant with the dominant methodological approaches in your discipline? What are the implications of your response to this question for T & L research in your discipline?
is the topic/area under investigation in the article likely to be of interest/concern to your discipline? Why/why not? What related topics of inquiry might be of interest to your discipline? Why?
are scholars from your discipline likely to be a target audience for this journal? Why/why not?
Task length 30-35 minutes.
This must include interaction with the class group, either throughout the
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presentation or at the end in the form of a question/answer session.
Each student will be asked to provide feedback for one other presentation (allocations to be made during class in June).
Links to unit’s learning outcomes
1 and 3
Assessment criteria / guidelines
communicate in an academic teaching and learning context critically reflect upon the scholarship of teaching and learning
literature
Date due Monday September 3rd or 4th (allocation of individuals/groups to one of these days will be made during class in June)
Assessment task 2 –70%Academic journal articleTask description Write an article in - collaboration with an ELT505 class member/s –
in preparation for potential publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal. This article will report on the outcomes of a research-based inquiry into a specific teaching and learning context.
Assessment of this article by the unit coordinator should be viewed by students as a ‘first round’ peer review opportunity before deciding whether/when to submit to a journal for consideration for publication.
*Please note, it is not a requirement for successful completion of this unit that the article is accepted for publication. The purpose of the assessment task is to introduce students to the process of learning and teaching research - with the added bonus of a possible future publication.
More detail for this assessment task will be provided in class.
Task length Negotiable (approx. 3000-5000 words) – limits vary according to specific journal requirements
Links to unit’s learning outcomes
1,2 and 3
Assessment criteria / guidelines
design a research-based inquiry critically evaluate research findings communicate in the form of a journal article
Date due Tuesday November 6th
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How your result is determinedYour final result is determined by summing the marks obtained for all assessment tasks. It is the practice of the Faculty of Education (the Faculty within which this graduate certificate is housed) that moderation of marks may occur.
Submission of assignmentsCompleted assessment tasks should be submitted electronically via email to [email protected] before 5pm on the due date. A hard copy of the assignment, including a signed cover sheet [attached], appendices and non electronic attachments, should be delivered or mailed to the following address:
Dr Sharon ThomasTILT Locked Bag 1341 Launceston 7250
Due to occasional delays in mail between campuses and departments, the electronic submission date and time generated by email will be deemed to be the date and time the assignment is received.
Requests for extensionsAll requests for extensions should be submitted via email to the unit coordinator ([email protected]) before the due date of the assignment. Generally, foreseeable work commitments will not be grounds for an extension.
PenaltiesUnless an extension has been granted in writing, a penalty of 5% of the awarded mark will be deducted for each day the assignment is overdue. As assignments are to be submitted electronically, submission on weekends is possible. Weekend days, therefore, will attract the same penalties as weekdays.
Task length and word limits have been set for every assessment task. Submissions that exceed the word limit by more than 10% will incur a penalty of 10% of the awarded mark for each 10% over the word limit.
ResubmissionsResubmission of assignments will only be allowed in exceptional circumstances and will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the unit coordinator.
Review of results and appealsAppeals should go to the unit coordinator in the first instance. If unresolved, appeals are referred to the Course Coordinator (Dr Sharon Thomas [email protected]) and, if necessary, to Faculty Executive (Education) ([email protected]).
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Academic referencingIn your written work you will need to support your ideas by referring to scholarly literature, works of art and/or inventions. It is important that you understand how to correctly refer to the work of others and maintain academic integrity.
Failure to appropriately acknowledge the ideas of others constitutes academic dishonesty (plagiarism), a matter considered by the University of Tasmania as a serious offence.
The appropriate referencing style for this unit is: APA
For information on presentation of assignments, including referencing styles:
http://utas.libguides.com/referencing
Please read the following statement on plagiarism. Should you require clarification please see your unit coordinator or lecturer.
Academic misconduct Academic misconduct includes cheating, plagiarism, allowing another student to copy work for an assignment or an examination and any other conduct by which a student:
(a) seeks to gain, for themselves or for any other person, any academic advantage or advancement to which they or that other person are not entitled; or (b) improperly disadvantages any other student.
Students engaging in any form of academic misconduct may be dealt with under the Ordinance of Student Discipline, and this can include imposition of penalties that range from a deduction/cancellation of marks to exclusion from a unit or the University. Details of penalties that can be imposed are available in the Ordinance of Student Discipline – Part 3 Academic Misconduct, see http://www.utas.edu.au/universitycouncil/legislation/
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Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a form of cheating. It is taking and using someone else's thoughts, writings or inventions and representing them as your own; for example, using an author's words without putting them in quotation marks and citing the source, using an author's ideas without proper acknowledgment and citation, copying another student's work. If you have any doubts about how to refer to the work of others in your assignments, please consult your lecturer or tutor for relevant referencing guidelines, and the academic integrity resources on the web at: http://www.academicintegrity.utas.edu.au/
The intentional copying of someone else’s work as one’s own is a serious offence punishable by penalties that may range from a fine or deduction/cancellation of marks and, in the most serious of cases, to exclusion from a unit, a course or the University.
The University and any persons authorised by the University may submit your assessable works to a plagiarism checking service, to obtain a report on possible instances of plagiarism. Assessable works may also be included in a reference database. It is a condition of this arrangement that the original author’s permission is required before a work within the database can be viewed.
For further information on this statement and general referencing guidelines, see http://www.utas.edu.au/plagiarism/ or follow the link under ‘Policy, Procedures and Feedback’ on the Current Students homepage.
Further information and assistance If you are experiencing difficulties with your studies or assignments, have personal or life-planning issues, disability or illness which may affect your course of study, you are advised to raise these with your lecturer in the first instance.
There is a range of University-wide support services available to you including Teaching & Learning, Student Services, International Services. Please refer to the Current Students homepage at: http://www.utas.edu.au/students/
Should you require assistance in accessing the Library visit their website for more information at http://www.utas.edu.au/library/
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Assignment Return AddressOFFICE USE ONLY
Assignment received:
Student Name:
Student ID:
Unit Code:
Assignment Title:
I declare that all material in this assignment is my own work except where there is clear acknowledgement or reference to the work of others. I am aware that my assignment may be submitted to plagiarism detection software, and might be retained on its database. I have read the University statement on Academic Misconduct (Plagiarism) on the University website at www.utas.edu.au/plagiarism or in the Student Information Handbook.
Signed…………………………………………………………………………. Date ……………………………………………
Assessor’s comments: ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Assessment: ................................................Assessor’s Signature:................................. Dated: ................................................
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Tasmanian Institute of Learning and Teaching
Assignment Cover Sheet
