Jennifer Friberg, Ed.D. Bradley University Fall Forum Keynote August 2015 Why SoTL? Why Now? The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as an Opportunity.

Jennifer Friberg, Ed.D.

Bradley University Fall Forum KeynoteAugust 2015

Why SoTL? Why Now?

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as an Opportunity

for Growth and Reflection

Define and explain the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)

Contrast the concepts of good teaching, scholarly teaching, and the scholarship of teaching and learning

Explore the benefits of SoTL for individual courses, academic programs/departments, and the Bradley University community at-large

Goals for this morning:

Integration

TeachingApplication

Discovery

The Evolution of SoTL: Boyer’s Four Scholarships

(Boyer, 1990)

The Teaching Continuum (McKinney, 2007)

Good Teaching

Teaching that promotes student

learning and other desired

student outcomes

Scholarly Teaching

Teaching that is supported by a

body of research to

increase effectiveness

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Combination of reflection and

knowledge which yields

questions about teaching

for study

How might teachers at different points along this continuum handle the following situation:

In an introduction to psychology class at a large Midwestern university, the course instructor notices that her students tend to be reluctant to engage in

whole-class discussions.

What might the good teacher do?What might a scholarly teacher do?How could this be studied in a scholarly manner?

Working within the continuum

Poses a problem related to teaching and learning

Problem is operationalized into a research question

Problem is studied using methods appropriate for specific disciplinary epistemologies

Work is peer reviewed Results are applied to practice

(McKinney, 2007)

What is SoTL?

Contemporary Conception of SoTL

Scholarship of Teaching

and Learning

Systematic examination

Focused on improving

teaching or learning

Disseminated beyond

researcher

To develop a report on an aspect of one particular course

To describe the interaction of several courses or the student experience across courses

To reflect on teaching practices/pedagogical choices from teaching (perhaps over time)

To investigate interdisciplinary commonalities

To synthesize existing SoTL work To propose or test new learning theories

Why Engage in SoTL?

Why engage in SoTL: To improve PCK

Disciplinary Content

Knowledge

General Pedagogical Knowledge

(Pedagogical Content Knowledge ; Schulman, 2004)

PCK

How to SoTL: Potential Data Collection Tools

Course portfolios Specific course artifacts (e.g.,

assignments/projects/assessments) Interviews Focus groups Questionnaires/surveys Content analysis Multi-method studies

SoTL is disseminated in ways consistent with your disciplinary expectations: Internal/external publications

traditional research papers/research notes book blog wiki creative endeavor

documentaryartistic representation

How is SoTL Disseminated?

To better understand how your students learn

To identify ways to deal with unique situational constraints

To determine the impact of an assignment, project, or assessment technique

To compare and contrast pedagogical approaches

Benefits of SoTL: Individual Course Level

Benefits of SoTL: The utility of teaching problems

Bass (1999) posits that teaching problems

aren’t shameful…

they are actually

opportunities for faculty.From Vanderbilt

University’s CFT Homepage

Curriculum review Curriculum development Accreditation Program review Formative/summative assessment

Benefits of SoTL: Academic Unit

B e n e fi t s o f S o T L : I n s t i t u t i o n a l L e v e l

1. SoTL needs to be a part of regular practices of teaching so that any/all pedagogical choices are evidence-based.

2. SoTL needs to be more integrated into institutional policies and agendas to ensure a greater impact into new and ongoing formative and summative assessment efforts.

3. SoTL needs to engage students, more fully, as research associates and collaborators to encourage a reflective/metacognitive focus up on their learning and the learning of their peers.

Future Directions For SoTL (Hutchings, 2015)

Bradley University Core Curriculum Implementation is plannedCore Outcomes can be measurable at class, program, or institutional levels Critical and creative thinking Effective communication Multidisciplinary integration Practical application Social awareness

Why Is Now A Good Time For SoTL?

Bradley graduates will think critically, independently and creatively, and will employ evidence-based decision-making to solve problems and build new knowledge.How can this outcome be measured?

Track problem solving processes over a semester or academic year for innovation

Measure the frequency that students access research to make evidence-informed decisions

Determine the level of critical thinking rigor required of students to complete core practice activities

Critical And Creative Thinking

Bradley graduates will be effective oral, written and non-verbal communicators as well as active readers and listeners.How can you measure this outcome?

Measure changes in peer-peer communications during collaborative activities

Measure changes in peer-teacher communications in structured and unstructured situations

Effective Communication

Bradley graduates will approach learning in an integrated manner, connecting knowledge and skills across multiple disciplines.How can this outcome be measured?

Assess how able students are to generalize information from one course to the next

Determine the success of cross-curricular projects

Ascertain student perceptions of how well integrated their curriculum is from their perspective

Multidisciplinary Integration

Bradley graduates will apply knowledge and skills from the classroom in real-world situations.How can this outcome be measured?

Measure how well students are able to apply some aspect of their course curriculum to solve a “real world” problem with the help of professionals outside academia

Determine the impact of engaging practicing professionals to teach critical aspects of a discipline

Practical Application

Bradley graduates will understand and act ethically upon their connections to larger communities.How can this outcome be measured?

Determine if case studies are impactful in teaching about professional ethics

Measure the impact of civic engagement in the development of a world knowledge, compassion, or learning

Social Awareness

Your View of the Possible…

Bass, R. (1999). The scholarship of teaching: What’s the problem? Invention: Creative Thinking About Learning and Teaching, 1 (1), 1-10.

Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Ginsberg, S. M., Friberg, J. C., & Visconti, C. F. (2012). Scholarship of teaching and learning in speech-language pathology and audiology: Evidence-based education. San Diego: Plural Publishing.

McKinney, K. (2007). Enhancing learning though the scholarship of teaching and learning: The challenges and joys of juggling. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Shulman, L. S. (2004). Teaching As Community Property . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass .

REFERENCES