SoTL: Scholarship of Teaching and

LearningMaking Sense of Perceptions

Dr. Staci Trekles, atrekles@pnw.edu

Review: SoTL Basics

• Reflective process, similar to research in any disciplinary field

• Goals typically relate to improving student learning and experiences

• Five primary steps (Bishop-Clark & Dietz-Uhler, 2012):1. Generate the research question and do literature review2. Design the study3. Collect data4. Analyze data5. Present and publish

Designing Your Study• Many SoTL projects are qualitative or

mixed-methods due to the inductive, exploratory nature

• Your research questions will often help point the way to the type of data that you should expect to collect and analyze

• Consider a pilot study first as a way to see whether your research ideas are viable – it could be something that lasts only a class session!

Perceptions in SoTL• SoTL research often lends itself to multiple perceptions because of the

nature of the data – be conscious of them and use to your advantage as ways to extend the research

• It tends to be limited to just your classroom practices (or maybe a little further), and is therefore often seen as less generalizable

• You must also be sensitive to the ethics of the research – as the researcher and the instructor, you hold a different kind of “power” over student participants

• Maintaining ethical practices and participating in the research as a partner is a good idea – protect student privacy and confidentiality at all times

What are you seeing in your research so far?

• What kind of evidence or data do you have to work with?

• What is the data telling you at this point?

• If you look at the same data from a previous point in time, does it look different to you? Why?

• Types of data that you might include:• Formative and summative assessments• Projects and presentations• Discussions and interviews• Surveys• Current vs. past data from different

semesters• Institutional research data for

comparisons

Examples from Our Colleagues• C. Rogalin: bringing guest

speakers into the classroom to make real-world connections to class content and finding out if this helped students understand the content better

• S. Simerlein: developing and implementing fun tutorial videos using rhymes and songs to help students learn difficult concepts

Digging Deeper• Often there are many facets to SoTL

research, and more will emerge the deeper you dig into your data

• Be reflective – consider changes not just in students but also in yourself as a teacher while studying the data

• What factors could have influenced the trends that you see? Keep asking new questions and you’ll see your research evolve

SoTL Pitfalls• We know that SoTL can be too

focused to be generalizable to other situations

• It’s also very hard to measure student learning because of the many variables (learning style, study approach, life background, etc)

• Really useful article with rubric for gauging your research design: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/teth.12020/abstract

• Principles of good practice:• Inquiry-focused• Focused on student learning

process as well as outcomes• Grounded in context and

available literature• Solid design• Conducted in partnership with

students

Your Turn!

• Where are you at so far with your project?• Where do you need more help (more advice, more data,

more questions)?• What’s confounding you so far in the process?

More Resources• Vanderbilt SOTL “getting started” guide: https://

my.vanderbilt.edu/sotl/doing-sotl/getting-started/ • Guidebook to SOTL – thinking of a problem and the questions:

https://my.vanderbilt.edu/sotl/files/2013/09/1SoTLProblem4.pdf • Annual SoTL Conferences:

http://www.washington.edu/teaching/sotl-annual-conferences/ • Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning at Univ. of Central Florida:

http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/ResearchAndScholarship/SoTL/ • Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University videos: https://

www.youtube.com/channel/UCNIm8Apo1feU73SPyxEXXgg

References• Bishop-Clark, C, & Dietz-Uhler, B (2012). Engaging in the scholarship of teaching

and learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus. • Boyer, E.L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professorate. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.• Felten, P. (2013). Principles of good practice in SoTL. Teaching and Learning

Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 1(1), 121-125.• Hutchings, P. (2000). Opening lines: Approaches to the scholarship of teaching and

learning. Menlo Park, CA: Carnegie.• Nelson, C. (2003). Doing it: Examples of several of the different genres of the

scholarship of teaching and learning. Journal of Excellence in College Teaching, 14(2), 85-94.