As a foundational component of higher education and other evidence-based professions, research is the systematic process of the collection and analysis of information that will contribute to a body of knowledge. Academic research focused on teaching and learning may be conducted to further understanding of a variety of topics. The topics could be discipline-specific or may focus on the educational process itself.
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is the process of applying a scholarly perspective to teaching and learning activities. This requires the same use of inquiry, analysis, and methodology used in other research efforts with the goal to publicly sharing and expanding the body of knowledge related to teaching and learning.
In the past, teaching was largely considered to be an individual pursuit, where SoTL evolved in response to a desire to use, contribute to, and disseminate research on learning and teaching. We argue that SoED is a similar response to a desire to use, contribute to, and disseminate research on educational development (Kenny et al., 2017).
Different research disciplines can have building principles based on the context of the subject matter. Felten, proposes five guiding principles of SoTL to provide a foundation and lens for analysis of these scholarly works (Felten, 2013).
Principles of Good Practice in SoTL
- Inquiry focused on student learning
- Grounded in context
- Methodologically sound
- Conducted in partnership with students
- Appropriately public
The primary goal of SoTL is “improving our students’ learning, using evidence-based approaches” (Prosser, 2008). Through this process, educators are able to provide context and direction to their teaching practices in a higher education environment where evidence of effectiveness is becoming increasingly important. Leveraging SoTL practices to critically think about and examine teaching practices provides benefits to both students and faculty.
At the CETL, we are poised to share best practices for effective teaching with our faculty colleagues. Additionally, we would be delighted to support faculty as they plan, organize, and send their scholarship out for publication. The following lists include University Resources and additional resource lists of publications, many of which are focused on teaching and learning.
University Research Resources
Detroit Mercy has support and resources for University research projects. For details please refer to the links and references below.
IRB Review: The Institutional Review Board ensures that projects comply with federal regulations
OSPRA: The Office for Sponsored Programs and Research Activities provides support for external funding resources, compliance documentation, and the promotion of scholarly works.
OIR: Office of Institutional Research is the official source for all institutional reporting of University-related data
UDMPU Faculty Research Awards: Internal Research Grant Fund of research funding available to faculty
Celebrating Scholarly Achievement The University of Detroit Mercy supports scholarly and creative activity with this annual event
Additional SoTL Resources
GENERAL
SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Arts and Humanities
ART
ENGLISH/WRITING/COMMUNICATION
FOREIGN LANGUAGES
GENERAL HUMANITIES
MUSIC
PHILOSOPHY
RELIGION
THEATRE
BIOLOGY
CHEMISTRY
COMPUTER SCIENCE
ENGINEERING
GENERAL & INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE
HEALTH & MEDICINE
MATHEMATICS
PHYSICS
STATISTICS/DATA SCIENCE
Social Sciences
ACCOUNTING
ANTHROPOLOGY
BUSINESS
COMMUNICATIONS
ECONOMICS
EDUCATION
ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE EDUCATION
GEOGRAPHY
HISTORY
LAW
POLITICAL SCIENCE
PSYCHOLOGY
References
Felten, P. (2013). Principles of good practice in SoTL. Teaching & Learning Inquiry: the ISSOTL Journal, 1(1), 121–125. http://doi.org/10.2979/teachlearninqu.1.1.121?refreqid=search-gateway:f284ce62cb4a5b72c42f0ae6ce230cd3
Kenny, N., Popovic, C., McSweeney, J., Knorr, K., Hoessler, C., Hall, S., & Fujita, N. (2017). Drawing on the principles of SoTL to illuminate a path forward for the scholarship of educational development. Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(2), 1–20. http://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2017.2.10
Prosser, M. (2008). The scholarship of teaching and learning. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2(2). http://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2008.020202