Elizabeth Wallace

This is the question that inspired me to start this discussion forum.  I became aware of SoTL, something I've called a movement in another thread (although that's open for debate), a short time ago.

One of my ideas was that those of us who are interested might be able to contribute to the development of SoTL by engaging in discussion in this community site.  It seems to me that the contributors to this forum have certainly generated a lot of interest and ideas about SoTL. But I'm wondering why there has been limited engagement from the SCoPE community at large, or from  the attendees at the conference in Victoria.

One theory is that online communities are still innovative, and a fledgling movement is less able to engage in innovative practices than more established groups or organizations.  I'm convinced that this kind of forum could contribute to SoTL, even if it's just as a communication vehicle. But I think that a lot more promotion, a lot more buy-in, and full engagement from interested educators are needed before the true potential will be achieved. Any other thoughts on this? 

Shulman, Lee.(2000). From Minsk to Pinsk: Why a scholarship of teaching and learning? Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning(Jo SoTL). Volume I, Number 1, pp. 48-53. Indiana University.

There have been some great resources added to this thread. Thanks to everyone who is helping to build this repository in SCoPE.

This particular discussion will be winding up in a few days on March  5, and I don't want to miss the opportunity to provide a link to another of the writings that is considered to be foundation in the SoTL movement. This short, online journal article addresses the question of "why" and it's very well worth reading. However, I hope you'll also check out the JoSoTL site for other illuminating articles.

 www.iusb.edu/~josotl/Vol1No1/shulman.pdf

In their keynote presentation, Lynn Taylor (Dalhousie) and Teresa Dawson (UT/Scarborough) proposed the following definition of SoTL and invited feedback. You are invited to add your thoughts!

The scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education is a process of inquiry that focuses on improving student learning in particular educational contexts. SOTL takes place within disciplines and draws on the associated methods and epistemologies appropriate to those disciplines in its inquiry. While remaining open to and inclusive of the conceptual frameworks, methods and philosophies of its practitioners, SOTL takes place in scholarly communities, thereby ensuring that it is critically and publicly examined by peers and adheres to rigorous standards of assessment.

In her opening remarks to the conference, the president of the Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Julia Christensen Highes, pointed out that Canada does not yet have a national framework for SoTL.  STLHE wants to play an advocacy role in developing that kind of framework. 

But how important is a national framework? Does that mean that individual institutions should wait until that framework is developed before moving ahead in developing SOTL?  Is it better to have country-wide initiatives based on local experience, or is there more strength in a cohesive strategy?

What is the experience of educators in countries who are moving ahead in SoTL?

The Educational Developers' Caucus is taking place right now, and the focus of discussion for two days will be the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. So that we can share the news, issues, discussions and discoveries with other in the international community, attendees are invited to post here. Let us know what ideas you picked up in presentations, who stimulated your thinking, what made you laugh!