The Research Teaching Nexus:

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4th Annual Learning Teaching Conference Equality
Excellence
The Research Teaching Nexus the Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Professor Vaneeta
D'Andrea City University
University of Wales Institute,Cardiff Athrofa
Prifysgol Cymru Caerdydd 14 July 2004
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Context Teaching/Research Nexus - 1

• One telling measure of how differently
  teaching is regarded from traditional scholarship
  or research within the academy is what a
  difference it makes to have a problem in one
  versus the other. In scholarship and research ,
  having a problem is at the heart of the
  investigative processbut in ones teaching , a
  problem is something you dont want to have,
  and it you have one, you probably want to fix it.
• (source Bass, 1999)

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Context Teaching/Research Nexus - 2

• separation of teaching from research and
  scholarship
• separation of pedagogic research and subject
  research
• effort and resources to maximise research
  funding
• financial incentives for Scholarship of Teaching
  and Learning (SoTL) almost non-existent
• status differentials

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Context Teaching/Research Nexus - 3

• Boyer Categories
• the scholarship of discovery
• the scholarship of integration
• the scholarship of engagement
• the scholarship of teaching
• Source Boyer (1990)

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What is the Scholarship of Teaching Learning
(SoTL)? 1

• NOT NEW
• builds on many traditions
• commitment to help learners understand our
  field/subject/discipline
• peer collaboration
• traditional educational research
• action research
• critical engagement with teaching and learning
• educational development
• (source based on P. Hutchings, 2001)

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What is the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
(SoTL)? 2

• What it IS.
• focus on teaching and learning and their
  inter-relationship as intellectual work
• more than teaching improvement, it advances the
  field
• multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field of
  enquiry
• multiple forms of enquiry- methodological
  pluralism
• cumulative literature and theory based
• a set of products and processes that make
  teaching and learning
• public
• peer reviewed
• builds on and contributes to the field
• communities of engagement
• (source based on P. Hutchings, 2001)

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Teaching Scholars and/or Scholars of Teaching

• What does a Teaching Scholar do?
• __________________________
• __________________________
• __________________________
• What do Scholars of Teaching do?
• __________________________
• __________________________
• __________________________
• (source Richlin, 2001)

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SoTL Capacity Building Some Challenges - 1

• How to
• break isolation of those with an interest in
  pedagogy
• achieve critical conversations between those
  working on SoTL projects
• learn from experience of those engaged in SoTL
  elsewhere
• give reward and recognition for SoTL achievements

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SoTL Capacity Building Some Challenges - 2

• Promoting Dialogue (Hutchings, 2001)
• within and across disciplines (Huber 2004)
• within and across institutions (D'Andrea
  Gosling, 2000)
• across approaches to SoTL
• across types of activities
• between academics in different countries
• Annual International SoTL Conference
• (D'Andrea Gosling, 2003)

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SoTL Capacity Building Institutional Level

• importance of institutional ethos
• institutional commitment to teaching quality
• building an institutional mission and concerns
• linked to institutional LTS

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Conclusions revaluing is difficult but not
impossible - 1

• Institutional commitment to
• Centre with cross institutional responsibility ?
• LTSU
• support for pedagogic research culture ?
• School Practice-based Research Projects
• rewards for staff engaged in SoTL ?
• Teaching Fellowship Award
• opportunities for going public ?
• Annual Learning and Teaching Conference

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Conclusions revaluing is difficult but not
impossible - 2

• Institutional commitment to
• certificated awards with a strong requirement to
  engage in SoTL investigations
• promotion routes which give recognition to those
  who successfully undertake SoTL
• internal peer-reviewed SoTL publications/products
  /artefacts
• link with research funding
• external support --- visiting SoTL professorships

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SoTL You 1

• In pairs
• brainstorm a list of the challenges you would
  encounter in building capacity for the
  scholarship of teaching and learning

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SoTL You 2

• Top Five SoTL Challenges
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.

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Contact Details

• Copies of papers related to this topic and the
  SoTL Conference Proceedings are available from
  The Educational Development Centre, City
  University, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB.
• 44 (0)20 7477 0177
• edc_at_city.ac.uk