Why Should I Care About SOTL? The Professional Responsibilities of Post-Secondary Educators

Abstract

Over the last decade, there has been tremendous growth in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) in post-secondary education. Yet, apart from a few significant exceptions, there has been very little discussion of the role this scholarship is to play in the professional activities of post-secondary educators. This essay defends the claim that as professional educators, all college professors have an ethical obligation to participate in SOTL. This participation entails both active research and scholarly review. On these grounds, SOTL is not an isolated slice of scholarly research; it is a necessary condition of post-secondary education. AbstractOver the last decade, there has been tremendous growth in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) in post-secondary education. Yet, apart from a few significant exceptions, there has been very little discussion of the role this scholarship is to play in the professional activities of post-secondary educators. This essay defends the claim that as professional educators, all college professors have an ethical obligation to participate in SOTL. This participation entails both active research and scholarly review. On these grounds, SOTL is not an isolated slice of scholarly research; it is a necessary condition of post-secondary education."The art of life is (i) to live, (ii) to live well, (iii) to live better."_ Alfred North Whitehead, The Function of Reason (1929) The art of teaching is to teach, to teach well and to teach even better.

Teaching and Researching Ethically: Guidance for Instructor-Researchers, Educational Developers, and Research Ethics Personnel

“…Such reflections are considered reflective practice or scholarly teaching, and are vital to instructional practice (Shulman, 2002;Toni & Makura, 2015). To enhance the impact and value of these reflections, university instructors are encouraged to apply their disciplinary and methodological expertise, and commit to making their reflections public to inform others and enable feedback (Bernstein, 2010;Hutchings, 2003;Pecorino & Kincaid, 2007). Such practice moves reflection from the realm of scholarly teaching to the realm of scholarship of teaching and learning (Kreber, 2002;Vajoczki, Savage, Martin, Borin, & Kustra, 2011).…”

9: Institutional Encouragement of and Faculty Engagement in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

“…Essentially SoTL "is about the combining of research and teaching/learning into one activity" (Dobbins, 2008, p. 1). Pecorino and Kincaid (2007) and Shulman (2000) argue that as professional educators, all faculty have an obligation to engage in SoTL. In doing so, they not only improve their own quality of instruction but also further the teaching profession (Pecorino & Kincaid, 2007).…”

“…Pecorino and Kincaid (2007) and Shulman (2000) argue that as professional educators, all faculty have an obligation to engage in SoTL. In doing so, they not only improve their own quality of instruction but also further the teaching profession (Pecorino & Kincaid, 2007). Despite calls for faculty to engage in such work, little is known about the level of faculty engagement in SoTL.…”

The Role of Academic Development Practitioners towards Institutionalizing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A Case Study

“…One way of doing this is by infusing and applying research processes through the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). Drawing from, among others, Pecorino and Kincaid (2007), McKinney et al, ( 2007) and Ciccone's (2011) views on creating spaces for communicating as an institutional platform to discuss pedagogical practices and process, the paper specifically focuses on current contributions of AD Centres in ensuring that teaching and learning continue to be practiced in a scholarly manner. The paper draws from activities of the AD Centre of a South African university to demonstrate how the implementation of SoTL is institutionalised.…”