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Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at the Heart of Academic CulturePatti McDougall, Vice Provost Teaching and LearningApril 30th, 2013

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My intentions Path to developing and implementing a vision for

the scholarship of teaching + learning (SoTL) Set down aspirations Talk about successful practices

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Vision statementIn 5 years time…

The SoTL becomes a vital and highly regarded component of the research mission at the University of Saskatchewan.

The SoTL is integral to developing and delivering on excellence in education quality and will be rooted in our academic ethos and practice.

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Defining SoTL Study of curriculum and pedagogy Understanding student learning + enhancing

quality of learning experiences Assessing effective practices Opportunities for dissemination to broader

community

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Core characteristics of SoTL Being public Being open to critique and evaluation Being in a form that others can build on

Hutchings & Shulman (1999)

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Fit within a research-intensive environment Why?

• Complex and rapidly changing• Student diversity• Growing course and program offerings• Use of technology to expand classroom borders• Rising demands for institutional accountability

Hubball, Pearson, Clarke, 2013

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Fit within a research-intensive environment Individual benefits:

• Strengthen individual practice• Teaching … intellectually engaging, energizing• Teaching becomes less solitary

Hutchings, Huber, & Ciccone, 2011

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Fit within a research-intensive environment Institutional benefits:

• Investing in capacity• Improve faculty development• Enhanced learning experiences• Evidenced-informed approach to quality• Advance institutional agendas• Catalyst for change• Enhanced reputation

Bernstein, 2013; Hutchings et al., 2011

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Assessing our starting point Wuetherick et al. (summer of 2012)

• 247 faculty members • 37 staff members

• 16% of tenure-streamed faculty complement

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Assessing our starting point 70% responded to e-survey

• 47% less than ¼ of scholarly work• 27% half or more of scholarly work

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Trigwell’s levels – UofS SoTL activityLevel 1 (in-house; non-PR)

48%

Level 2 (PR; inside discipline) 28%

Level 3 (PR; higher ed)

24%

Assessing starting point at UofS

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Think, Pair, Share1. What is the greatest barrier to increasing high

quality SoTL work on a campus?2. How might we overcome this barrier?

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Cultivating activity + excellence in SoTL Igniting people’s passion for teaching

• Need not be the route for everyone• Outside the comfort zone for at least some

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Making it easier… Offering resources (building capacity)

• People • Background resources• Financial resources

Cultivating activity + excellence

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Making it valuable … Teaching as scholarly work Rigour, quality, visibility

• Standards for scholarly work

Cultivating activity + excellence

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Scholarly standards

Clear Goals Adequate Preparation

Appropriate Methods

Significant Results

Effective Presentatio

n

Reflective Critique

Cultivating activity + excellence

Glassick, Huber, & Maerof, 1997

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Making it valuable … Showcase/honour the activity

• Creating a space – directory, posting results• Conferences• High profile collaborations

Cultivating activity + excellence

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Making it valuable … Educating decision makers

• Necessary and appropriate standards (e.g., tenure)• Where does SoTL fit?

• Teaching? Research? Service?• Making one’s case

• Clearly inside system and not under radar• Moving this forward

Cultivating activity + excellence

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Identifying and building strength Leaders and champions Identifying focal areas of research

Cultivating activity + excellence

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Focal areas at the UofS - contenders

Aboriginal Education/Indigenous Pedagogies

Experiential Learning• Community Service Learning; Undergraduate Research

Distributed Learning (instructional approaches)

Cultivating activity + excellence

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Identifying and building strength Creating groups and communities of scholars

• Multi/Interdisciplinary teams• Communities of Practice• Effectively translating research into practice

Cultivating activity + excellence

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Pathways to success Ensuring the SoTL is part of

the larger shared agenda for student learning and success

Leadership, creativity, flexibility