Enhancing Learning through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

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Enhancing Learning through the Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning

• Keynote Presentation
• Indiana University - Purdue University
• Fort Wayne
• March 20, 2009
• Kathleen McKinney
• Cross Endowed Chair in SoTL
• Illinois State University

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Goal of Keynote Presentation

• Discuss ways in which SoTL and related
  activities (e.g., scholarly teaching, classroom
  assessment) can enhance student learning.

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But, First, Definitions

• One Definition of SoTL
• The systematic reflection/study of teaching and
  learning made public (Illinois State University
  definition).
• Do you have a campus definition?

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IUPU-Fort Wayne survey results- SoTL (N 25)

• studying one's teaching and its impact on
  student learning in a purposefully scholarly
  way.
• The discipline that focuses on the art and craft
  of teaching through systematic review of current
  and best practices, open discussion about the
  process, and exploration of uncharted
  possibilities.
• Formal, scholarly investigations of teaching and
  learning that are peer reviewed as any
  disciplinary research would be

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But, First, Definitions

• Some Common Features of SoTL
• College level (but K-12 as well)
• Discipline-based (but growing cross-discipline
  work)
• Focus on learning, sometimes teaching
• Conducted by regular faculty in the disciplines
• Local
• Methodological diversity
• Must be made public
• Usually requires IRB approval

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But, First, Definitions

• What are the implications of the characteristics
  and definitions of SoTL in terms of what
  constitutes SoTL work?
• What is Scholarly teaching? Assessment?
• (e.g., CATs? Course portfolios? Empirical studies
  of student learning made public? Essays on
  teaching?)

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IUPU-Fort Wayne survey results - Scholarly
Teaching

• Reflection on your own practices - learning
  about potential practices.
• ...that one approaches teaching as one would a
  scholarly activity, by infusing scholarship into
  it, by studying the impact in a scholarly way of
  what one's goals were and what resulted from the
  teaching, by thinking of it as a scholarly
  activity
• Teaching that is informed by self- and
  peer-examination, reflection and research.

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Overview Functions of SoTL

• be used in program review and accreditation
• revitalize some senior faculty members
• involve new networks and partnerships among
  faculty, staff, and students
• bring in some outside funding (not much yet, but
  growing funding opportunities)
• add publications and presentations to faculty
  accomplishments
• provide the chance to be involved in a
  national/international higher education
  initiative
• be used to strengthen budget requests for
  additional operational or personnel funds
• increase faculty credentials for major internal
  and external teaching or scholarly awards
• demonstrate to job candidates that you value
  teaching

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Overview Functions of SoTL- Enhancing Learning,
cont.

• help with assessment
• provide research opportunities for students
• be added to graduate student training in
  preparing future faculty
• improve teaching and, thus, student learning via
  changes

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IUPU-Fort Wayne survey results -What positively
influenced your development as a teacher?

• Literature about teaching 2.44
• Personal reflection 2.64
• Peer feedback 2.21
• Mentor 1.92
• Participation in workshops 2.16
• Feedback from student evaluations 2.28
• Informal student feedback 2.48
• (1 not at all 2 some positive influence 3
  large positive influence)

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How Can We Impact Learning via SoTL?

• By making applications of own or others SoTL or
  assessment work to teaching and learning in our
  classes.
• By engaging in a SoTL research agenda (series of
  related studies that build on each other and add
  to the knowledge base) and connecting with others
  doing similar work.
• By making applications of own or others SoTL or
  assessment work at the program, department,
  college, or institutional levels.
• By making our SoTL work public.

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By making applications of own or others SoTL
work to teaching and learning in our classes.

• Most direct way to use SoTL to enhance student
  learning.
• Read the SoTL literature in your and related
  disciplines and, possibly, conduct your own
  original assessment work or SoTL studies. Apply
  what you learn to your teaching and your
  students learning.

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By making applications of own or others SoTL
work to teaching and learning in our classes.

• How do sociology majors believe they best learn
  sociology? Five Connections that Plug them in to
  Learning. Implications.
• Can you share any local examples?

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By engaging in a SoTL research agenda and
connecting with others doing similar work.

• Allows us to build the knowledge base, to improve
  the quality of the SoTL work, to study impact of
  earlier pedagogical changes, to make connections
  to related workall strengthening what we will
  learn that we can apply to enhance student
  learning.

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By engaging in a SoTL research agenda and
connecting with others doing similar work.

• Studies on promoting learner autonomy- different
  disciplines and specific ideas. Connect via SoTL
  research group. Could also be across institutions
  such as Sociology Capstone study. Implications.
• Can you share any local examples?

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By making applications of own or others SoTL
work at the program, department, college, or
institutional levels.

• Read the SoTL literature in your and related
  disciplines, do local assessment and, for some of
  you, conduct your own original SoTL studies.
  Apply/use what you learn or references to the
  SoTL work to impact decisions about curriculum,
  strategic planning, general education, budget
  decisions

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By making applications of own or others SoTL
work at the program, department, college, or
institutional levels.

• Ag School SoTL Ag contest and implications for
  program curriculum
• Communication School SoTL work on civic
  engagement and implications for curriculum and
  connections to general education
• Can you share any local examples?

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IUPU-Fort Wayne survey results-How you
self-evaluate your teaching

• 88 - Personal reflection about a learning issue
  you identify
• 80 - Reading literature about a learning issue
  you identify
• 72 - Student course evaluations
• 72 - Input from individual student reflections
  on learning
• (Check all that apply all other responses less
  than 28)

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By making our SoTL work public.

• What is the application or impact value of making
  your SoTL work public?
• Do you have any internal/local opportunities to
  make your SoTL work public?

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By making our SoTL work public.

• How can we make our SoTL work public?
• Publications
• Course Portfolios (shared)
• Presentations
• Performances/Juried Shows
• Web Representations (e.g., snapshots)
• Other?
• Specific examples of outlets or opportunities?
• (see http//www.sotl.ilstu.edu for lists of sotl
  publications and conferences)

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IUPU-Fort Wayne survey results-How you
self-evaluate your teaching

• 2.74 Informal conversation with colleagues
• 2.22 Local seminar/workshop
• 2.26 Regional, national, international
  conference
• 1.69 Non-peer-reviewed publication
• 2.00 Peer-reviewed publication
• (1 never 2 occasionally 3 often)

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Resources

• Chapters 7 and 9 in McKinney, K. 2007. Enhancing
  Learning through the Scholarship of Teaching and
  Learning The Challenges and Joys of Juggling.
  Anker Publishing/Jossey-Bass.
• McKinney, K. and Jarvis, P. January, 2009.
  Beyond Lines on the CV Faculty Applications of
  their Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
  Research. International Journal of the
  Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 3 (1).
• http//academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/v3n1/a
  rticles/PDFs/Article_McKinneyJarvis.pdf

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Questions and Comments

• Thanks for you attention and participation!!
• Please feel free to contact me with questions at
  kmckinne_at_ilstu.edu
• I hope to see you at the International Society
  for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
  (ISSOTL) annual meetings, October 22-25 at
  IU-Bloomington.