Framework for Strengthening the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the Canadian College Sector

Abstract

Following collaborative discussion and an initial literature review, a small group of college educators from three Canadian provinces, occupying roles at the micro, meso, and macro levels of their respective institutions, identified the need to develop a tool that considers institutional context in both determining the state of, and preparing for the advancement of, the state of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Further exploration into both the literature and our own experiences revealed that the state of SoTL within a particular institution seems to rely less on its categorization as a, for example, college, university, or technical institute, and more on the intricate web of factors that constitute the institution’s context. While other researchers have put forth this call to consider institutional context to determine support for SoTL practices and processes, a detailed process or tool for doing so was not apparent. Adopting Bolman and Deal’s (2008) framework for organizational structure, and combining this with data-gathering processes popularized by Smith’s (2005) institutional ethnography, as well as a series of guiding questions, our tool represents an initial step in systematically representing SoTL-enabling and impeding artifacts commonly found in post-secondary institutions. Assuming SoTL leaders modify this tool based on their own entry points, a call is put forward to the Canadian post-secondary SoTL community to field-test the tool in order to facilitate reflection upon how a variety of factors encourage and impede SoTL advancement at our unique institutions, the interconnections between these factors and how we might use these to solve the pedagogical problems we face. Après avoir mené une discussion collaborative et examiné la documentation publiée, un petit groupe d’éducateurs de collèges de trois provinces canadiennes, qui jouent des rôles aux niveaux micro, meso et macro dans leurs établissements respectifs, ont identifié le besoin de développer un outil qui prend en considération le contexte institutionnel à la fois pour déterminer l’état de l’avancement des connaissances en enseignement et en apprentissage (ACEA) et pour se préparer à sa croissance. Un examen plus approfondi à la fois des documents publiés et de nos propres expériences a révélé que l’état de l’ACEA au sein d’un établissement donné semble s’appuyer non pas tant sur sa catégorisation en tant que, par exemple, collège, université ou institut technique, mais plutôt sur le réseau complexe des facteurs qui constituent le contexte de l’établissement. Bien que d’autres chercheurs aient déjà suggéré de prendre en considération le contexte institutionnel afin de déterminer le soutien apporté aux pratiques et aux processus d’ACEA, aucun processus détaillé d’outils permettant d’y arriver n’a été identifié. Notre outil, qui adapte le cadre proposé par Bolman et Deal (2008) pour une structure organisationnelle en le combinant avec des procédés de collection de données popularisés par l’ethnographie institutionnelle de Smith (2005), ainsi qu’une série de questions d’orientation, constitue une étape initiale pour représenter systématiquement les artefacts paralysants et favorables à l’ACEA communément trouvés dans les établissements post-secondaires. À supposer que les leaders de l’ACEA modifient cet outil selon leur point d’entrée, un appel est lancé à la communauté de l’ACEA des établissements d’enseignement supérieur canadiens pour tester l’outil sur le terrain afin de faciliter la réflexion sur la manière dont une variété de facteurs encouragent et entravent la croissance de l’ACEA dans nos établissements uniques, sur les inter-connexions entre ces facteurs et sur la manière dont nous pourrions les utiliser pour résoudre le problème pédagogique auquel nous sommes confrontés.

Staying Engaged and Achieving Promotion: The Role of Collegial Support and Career Reflection and Assessment for Mid-Career Faculty

“…To address the challenges faced by MCF and promote their retention, it is essential to prioritize professional development opportunities [7,13]. DeCourcey et al [35] emphasized that supporting MCF's professional growth and agency is vital to their engagement and satisfaction within the institution. Professional development should encourage MCF to critically examine their teaching practices, foster faculty leadership, and facilitate conversations that enable a transition from scholarly teaching to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) [24,36].…”

“…Professional development should encourage MCF to critically examine their teaching practices, foster faculty leadership, and facilitate conversations that enable a transition from scholarly teaching to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) [24,36]. One of the challenges that college MCF face is maintaining vitality in teaching, including engagement with scholarly activities, such as SoTL ( [35]). The scholarship of teaching and learning is an international movement in higher education that contributes to the quality of teaching and learning research at the individual, faculty, program, and institutional level, as well as higher education in general [37][38][39].…”

Emerging Scholarship of Teaching at Canadian Dental Schools

“…Furthermore, adopting a framework that can strengthen scholarship of teaching activities, such as the one recently published by De Courcy et al, 5 can encourage continuous development and commitment to the scholarship of teaching and learning-not just for Canadian dental schools but for expansion to dental education worldwide. Furthermore, adopting a framework that can strengthen scholarship of teaching activities, such as the one recently published by De Courcy et al, 5 can encourage continuous development and commitment to the scholarship of teaching and learning-not just for Canadian dental schools but for expansion to dental education worldwide.…”

“…Determining whether the observed scholarship surge among Canadian dental educators is exemplary or not requires a more rigorous investigation of more dental education journals and should consider data prior to 2010. Furthermore, adopting a framework that can strengthen scholarship of teaching activities, such as the one recently published by De Courcy et al, 5 can encourage continuous development and commitment to the scholarship of teaching and learning-not just for Canadian dental schools but for expansion to dental education worldwide. Change is not easy, but it is a constant in higher education.…”