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Your Teaching as Research: the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

A teacher points to a student with their hand raised.
COBE marketing photoshoot, students in classroom with Katia Guerra, MBEB (Micron Business and Economics Building), photo by Priscilla Grover

Are you thinking about making pedagogical changes to your teaching or course design as a result of your own assessment, student feedback, a (CTL) workshop or program, or because you feel like it is time for a change? Did you know the CTL can help you plan and implement the change(s) and assess their effects? The CTL offers a variety of support for this kind of work, including

  • Identifying questions and pedagogical changes and strategies
  • Determining how to capture the assessment data
  • Analyzing and reviewing the assessment data
  • Strategically planning the next steps for further progress

Make it a SoTL research collaboration

Once you have a plan to assess changes you are making to your course, you’re on the road to a Scholarship of Teaching of Learning (SoTL) project. SoTL research encompasses faculty engaging in a systematic inquiry of their teaching strategies or course design to assess student learning and success, and sharing the results. The inquiry is informed by existing research and best practices in teaching and learning and can take place in partnership with colleagues, students, or other academic programs. The Center for Teaching and Learning is offering SoTL-specific support based on faculty needs ranging from support with

  • Generating ideas and research questions
  • Project planning
  • Literature review and background research concerning existing research and best practices in teaching and learning
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Sharing your results with others (through a CTL workshop, discipline-specific conference presentation, or teaching and learning publication, etc.)

Getting involved in SoTL is not only good for your teaching progression (trying out new strategies, staying up to date with best practices, assessing student learning, etc.), but it also supports the teaching community in general and is a valuable addition to your faculty review and promotion process. Whether you are interested in just trying something new and assessing the impact or wanting to start your SoTL research and publication journey, the CTL is here to help.

For questions and SoTL proposals, please contact Sarah Lausch (sarahlausch@boisestate.edu).