The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

What if your teaching could be as valued as your research? What if the innovations you develop in your classroom could advance your career just like publishing in top journals? That's the promise of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), and it's transforming higher education.

If you've ever wondered why students struggle with a particular concept, whether your new teaching strategy actually works, or how to get recognition for your teaching innovations, you're already thinking like a SoTL practitioner. Let me show you what this means and why it matters.

What Is SoTL, Really?

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is more than just "being a good teacher." It's about treating teaching as a form of intellectual inquiry: investigating how students learn, testing different approaches, and sharing what you discover with colleagues.

Think of it this way: You wouldn't publish a research paper without evidence, methodology, and peer review. SoTL applies that same scholarly rigor to teaching. Instead of just trying new things in your classroom and hoping they work, you systematically study whether they actually improve student learning, and then you share those findings.

Key Takeaway

SoTL transforms teaching from a private practice into scholarly inquiry. It's characterized by asking questions, gathering evidence, analyzing results, and making your findings public through peer review.

The Story Behind SoTL

Boyer's Revolutionary Idea

The story begins in 1990 when Ernest Boyer, working with the Carnegie Foundation, published "Scholarship Reconsidered." His radical argument? American higher education had become too narrowly focused on traditional research, undervaluing the other essential work faculty do, especially teaching.

Boyer proposed four equally valuable forms of scholarship:

• Discovery - Traditional research and creative work
• Integration - Synthesizing knowledge across disciplines
• Application - Using knowledge to solve real-world problems
• Teaching - Transforming and extending knowledge through pedagogy

This was controversial. Many argued that teaching was a craft, not scholarship. But Boyer insisted that when teaching involves systematic inquiry, produces new insights about learning, and gets shared with peers, it absolutely qualifies as scholarly work.

From Teaching to Teaching and Learning

Here's where it gets interesting. Early advocates quickly realized Boyer's "scholarship of teaching" needed an update. The focus shouldn't just be on what instructors do but on what students learn.

This shift aligned with constructivism and student-centered learning theory. You can't evaluate teaching effectiveness by watching the instructor perform. You have to look at evidence of student learning, understanding, and development.

That's why we now say "Scholarship of Teaching and Learning." It's a reminder that our inquiry must focus on student outcomes, not just instructor actions.

Why This Matters

The addition of "and Learning" fundamentally changed the game. It means SoTL research must include evidence about student learning: test scores, written work, interviews, observations, not just descriptions of what teachers do.

Going Global

By the 2000s, SoTL was taking off. The Carnegie Foundation launched CASTL (Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning), supporting hundreds of scholars. Discipline-specific journals emerged. The International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) formed in 2004, creating a worldwide community.

Today, SoTL is practiced across six continents, with thriving communities in Canada, Australia, the UK, South Africa, and beyond.

Why SoTL Matters (More Than You Think)

1. Teaching Deserves Equal Status

Let's be honest: In most institutions, research trumps teaching when it comes to tenure and promotion. You can be a mediocre teacher with a strong publication record and advance. But being an excellent teacher with few publications? That's a harder path.

SoTL changes this equation. It provides a framework for treating teaching as legitimate intellectual work worthy of the same recognition as traditional research. When you publish SoTL studies, present at conferences, and contribute to pedagogical knowledge, you're building a scholarly record that parallels disciplinary research.

Progressive institutions now recognize SoTL in tenure decisions. This isn't about lowering standards; it's about recognizing different forms of scholarly excellence.

2. Evidence Over Intuition

How do most of us learn to teach? We copy our own professors, try things that feel right, and stick with what seems to work. But "seems to work" isn't always reliable.

SoTL brings evidence-based practice to education, just like evidence-based medicine transformed healthcare. Instead of relying on tradition or gut feeling, we ask: What does the evidence show about how students actually learn?

This approach has revealed some surprising findings:

• Passive lecture is significantly less effective than active learning for long-term retention
• Frequent low-stakes quizzes improve learning more than high-stakes exams alone
• Students often feel they learned less with active learning (even though they learned more)
• Teaching metacognitive strategies explicitly helps students become better learners

These aren't just opinions. They're findings from rigorous SoTL research across hundreds of studies.

3. Better Outcomes for Students

Here's the bottom line: SoTL improves student learning.

When faculty engage in SoTL, they become more attentive to student struggles, more likely to adopt proven innovations, and more reflective about their practice. This translates into higher student achievement, better retention of knowledge, and greater engagement.

Research shows that when instructors participate in SoTL projects, their students benefit even beyond the specific courses being studied. The inquiry mindset spreads to everything they teach.

The Research Says

A 2014 meta-analysis in PNAS examined 225 studies comparing active learning to traditional lecture in STEM courses. The verdict? Active learning increases student performance by half a letter grade and reduces failure rates, especially for underrepresented students. That's SoTL making a real difference.

4. Professional Renewal

Teaching the same course year after year can feel repetitive. SoTL offers a path to intellectual renewal. Investigating questions about learning brings the excitement of discovery back into your teaching practice.

Plus, SoTL creates communities of practice. You'll collaborate with colleagues across disciplines, share ideas, and feel less isolated in your teaching work. Faculty consistently report that SoTL communities enhance their sense of professional identity and belonging.

SoTL in Today's Higher Education Landscape

Diverse Student Populations

Today's college students are remarkably diverse: first-generation students, adult learners, international students, and individuals with varying academic preparation. Teaching strategies that work for one group may not work for another.

SoTL helps us understand these differences systematically. Through careful research, we can identify specific barriers different student groups face and develop evidence-based interventions. Equity-focused SoTL has revealed how to create more inclusive classrooms and reduce achievement gaps.

The Technology Revolution

The shift to online and hybrid learning, dramatically accelerated by COVID-19, created urgent questions: What works in virtual classrooms? How do we maintain engagement online? What's the right balance between synchronous and asynchronous learning?

SoTL researchers are generating answers. Studies examine optimal discussion board practices, strategies for building online community, techniques for active learning in Zoom, and approaches to authentic assessment in digital environments.

As emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and adaptive learning platforms enter educational spaces, SoTL becomes even more critical. We need systematic research, not just vendor promises, to understand how these tools actually impact learning.

Accountability Demands

Institutions face increasing pressure to prove they're delivering quality education. SoTL naturally aligns with assessment and accountability, but offers something better than bureaucratic compliance.

Instead of assessment as a checkbox exercise, SoTL embeds it within a culture of genuine inquiry and improvement. Faculty view assessment as a tool for understanding effectiveness, not an imposition from administrators.

How to Actually Do SoTL: A Practical Guide

What Makes It SoTL?

Before diving into the how-to, let's clarify what distinguishes SoTL from regular good teaching:

• Question-driven: It starts with genuine questions about learning
• Systematic: It uses appropriate research methods and collects evidence
• Public and peer-reviewed: It gets shared with colleagues for feedback
• Improvement-focused: It aims to enhance practice

Trying a new teaching strategy? That's experimentation. Trying it, systematically studying whether it works, and sharing your findings? That's SoTL.

Getting Started: A Step-by-Step Framework

Step 1: Start with a Question

What genuinely puzzles you about student learning in your courses? Good SoTL questions are:

• Specific and focused
• About learning, not just teaching
• Investigable with available resources

Examples:

• "Does peer review improve student writing more than instructor-only feedback?"
• "What misconceptions persist after my unit on photosynthesis?"
• "How do international students experience group work differently?"

Step 2: Review What's Already Known

Don't reinvent the wheel. Search SoTL journals, disciplinary teaching publications, and conference proceedings. This helps you:

• Refine your question
• Learn from others' methods
• Position your work in the broader conversation
• Avoid repeating studies that have been done

Step 3: Design Your Study

Choose methods that fit your question and context:

Quantitative options:

• Pre/post tests comparing learning gains
• Statistical analysis of assignment scores
• Surveys with numerical ratings

Qualitative options:

• Student interviews or focus groups
• Analysis of written work
• Classroom observation notes
• Think-aloud protocols

Mixed methods: Combine both for richer insights!

Pro tip: Start simple. A small, well-designed study beats an overly ambitious project you can't finish.

Step 4: Handle Ethics Properly

Your campus Institutional Review Board (IRB) likely requires approval for research involving students.

Key ethical principles:

• Obtain informed consent
• Protect student confidentiality
• Ensure participation is truly voluntary
• Make sure grades aren't affected by participation

Many campuses have streamlined IRB processes for classroom research. Check with your teaching center.

Step 5: Collect and Analyze Data

Be systematic and organized:

• Document your procedures carefully
• Keep all data organized (use folders, spreadsheets, databases)
• Use appropriate analysis tools (statistical software, coding tools)
• Look for patterns, but also pay attention to surprises

The most valuable insights often come from unexpected findings that challenge our assumptions!

Step 6: Share Your Findings

SoTL isn't scholarship until it's public. Options include:

• Campus teaching symposia
• Disciplinary conferences (teaching track)
• SoTL conferences (like ISSOTL)
• Journal publications
• Blog posts or teaching portfolios

When sharing, be honest about limitations and context. Frame implications carefully. What worked in your classroom may need adaptation elsewhere.

Common Pitfall

Don't fall into the trap of confirmation bias. If your results don't support your hypothesis, that's still valuable! Failed experiments teach us what doesn't work, and that's knowledge worth sharing.

Popular SoTL Project Types

Intervention Studies: Test whether a specific teaching innovation improves learning. Example: Does using clickers for in-class polls increase engagement and understanding?

Student Perception Studies: Explore how students experience learning. Example: What do students find most helpful about office hours?

Assessment Studies: Analyze student work to understand learning. Example: What patterns of errors appear in statistical problem-solving?

Course Redesign Studies: Document the impact of major course changes. Example: How does flipping the classroom affect student preparation and performance?

Cross-Institutional Studies: Collaborate with colleagues at other schools to see if findings generalize across contexts.

Overcoming Common Challenges

Challenge: "I Don't Have Time"

Solutions:

• Start small; even a one-semester project with simple methods is valuable
• Integrate SoTL into existing teaching (use assignments you already give)
• Seek institutional support (course releases, summer funding)
• Collaborate to share the workload

Paradoxically, many faculty find SoTL actually saves time long-term by making their teaching more efficient.

Challenge: "I'm Not a Research Methods Expert"

Solutions:

• Use campus resources (teaching centers, education faculty)
• Take SoTL workshops or online courses
• Read methodological guides written for SoTL
• Collaborate with someone who has complementary expertise
• Start with simpler designs and build skills over time

Challenge: "Being Both Teacher and Researcher Feels Weird"

Solutions:

• Emphasize truly voluntary participation
• Have colleagues collect sensitive data
• Use existing course materials as data (minimizes intrusion)
• Work with your IRB to ensure ethical practices

Challenge: "Where Do I Publish This?"

Solutions:

• Check if your discipline has teaching journals
• Submit to cross-disciplinary SoTL journals
• Present at SoTL conferences first (great for feedback)
• Use institutional repositories or teaching portfolios

Key SoTL Resources

Major Journals:

• International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• Teaching and Learning Inquiry
• The Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Professional Organizations:

• International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL)
• POD Network (Professional and Organizational Development)

Essential Reading:

• Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship Reconsidered
• McKinney, K. (2007). Enhancing Learning through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• Felten, P. (2013). "Principles of Good Practice in SoTL"

Real-World Impact: SoTL Success Stories

The Active Learning Revolution

In 2014, Freeman and colleagues published a massive meta-analysis in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the world's most prestigious journals. They synthesized 225 SoTL studies comparing active learning to traditional lecture in STEM courses.

The results were stunning: Active learning increased student performance by half a letter grade and reduced failure rates by 55%. The impact was especially strong for underrepresented students.

This single paper, built on decades of SoTL work, influenced teaching practices at hundreds of institutions. It demonstrated that SoTL research can achieve the kind of impact usually reserved for breakthrough disciplinary discoveries.

High-Impact Practices

SoTL research identified specific educational practices (undergraduate research experiences, learning communities, capstone projects) that disproportionately benefit students. These "high-impact practices" are now prioritized in curriculum design nationwide, directly improving student retention and success.

Inclusive Excellence

SoTL studies on equity have revealed how seemingly neutral teaching practices can disadvantage certain groups. This research informed concrete changes: incorporating diverse examples in course materials, using inclusive discussion techniques, supporting first-generation students with explicit academic skills instruction.

These aren't just feel-good initiatives. They're evidence-based interventions that measurably improve outcomes for underrepresented students.

The Future of SoTL

SoTL has come a long way since Boyer's 1990 report. What started as a provocative idea is now a thriving field with journals, conferences, professional societies, and practitioners worldwide.

Looking ahead, several trends suggest continued growth:

• Increasing emphasis on evidence-based practice across higher education favors SoTL
• Growing student diversity creates urgent questions about inclusive pedagogy
• Technology transformation demands research on effective digital teaching
• Accountability pressures require institutions to demonstrate teaching effectiveness

Challenges remain, especially ensuring SoTL gets proper recognition in tenure decisions and extending it beyond its current base. But the fundamental premise is more relevant than ever: teaching, when approached with intellectual rigor and systematic inquiry, is genuine scholarship worthy of recognition.

Final Thoughts

The ultimate measure of SoTL's success isn't publications or conferences; it's improved learning for students. When faculty systematically investigate teaching and learning, share findings with colleagues, and base pedagogical decisions on evidence rather than tradition, students benefit. That's what makes SoTL not just intellectually interesting, but morally compelling.

Ready to Get Started?

You don't need to wait for a grant, perfect conditions, or extensive methods training. Start where you are:

1. Pick one genuine question about your students' learning
2. Design a simple study you can actually complete
3. Share what you learn with even one colleague

That's SoTL. And it starts today, in your classroom, with your students, addressing the learning challenges you already care about.

What question will you investigate first?