On nurturing the emergent SoTL researcher: responding to challenges and opportunities

ABSTRACT

This study reports on an investigation into the experiences of faculty engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Common challenges that emerged across the interviews included competing priorities, and a lack of background knowledge and research skills relevant to their SoTL work. These challenges were often overcome by working alongside colleagues, as well as receiving support provided by the institutional teaching and learning centre. The findings of this study offer insights into how institutions can best support and encourage SoTL research among faculty, and thereby enhance the quality of teaching.

KEYWORDS:

• Faculty support
• pedagogy
• research skills
• scholarship
• SoTL

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alice S. N. Kim

Alice S. N. Kim is a scholarship of teaching and learning researcher and course instructor, with a background in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience. She teaches a variety of psychology courses, including cognition, biological psychology, research methods, and introduction to psychology. Alice is also the Founder and Managing Director of Teaching and Learning Research (TLR) In Action, a not-for-profit research organization focused on conducting and public dissemination of teaching and learning research. Alice’s research is focused on factors that impact students’ learning trajectories, including student engagement, experiential education, and application of cognitive learning principles in course design. Much of Alice’s research also explores student-faculty partnerships that foster the co-creation of learning and teaching. Outside of higher education, Alice also partners with colleagues in industry on projects related to workplace learning.

Celia Popovic

Celia Popovic is Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, York University, Toronto. For 7 years she was the Director of the Teaching Commons at York. She has published widely in topics related to Educational Development, Student Engagement and Academic Conferences. Her latest research inquires into the use of crafts such as knitting as a means of combating work related stress.

Laura Farrugia

Laura Farrugia is a 4th year honours psychology student at York University. With a passion for mental health advocacy, she is working towards pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. She has an interest in research that will provide insight into more effective teaching and learning practices, as well as clinical research that will improve future therapeutic disciplines.

Salma A. F. Saleh

Salma A. F. Saleh recently graduated with an Hons BSc in Psychology from York University. In addition to research on the scholarship of teaching and learning, she has been involved in research about student–faculty partnerships and the co-creation of teaching and learning.

Geneviève Maheux-Pelletier

Geneviève Maheux-Pelletier holds a PhD in applied linguistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a seasoned educator with a comprehensive understanding of university culture, having played multiple roles within academia over the last 20 years as a full-time professor, an undergraduate program director, a contract faculty, an educational developer, and a scholar-researcher of teaching and learning. She has taught at various universities in Canada, the United States, and France. Currently, she serves as the Director of the Teaching Commons, York University’s teaching and learning centre, in Toronto, Canada. Her work and research focus on experiential education, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and evidenced-based practices in educational development. She serves as Chair, Bilingual Advocacy, with the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, and on the editorial board of the Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Mandy Frake-Mistak

Mandy Frake-Mistak, PhD, is an educational developer at the Teaching Commons at York University, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Having taught at numerous universities across Southwestern Ontario, her extensive teaching experience informs her everyday work as she leads initiatives related to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, higher education policy, course design, and the Instructional Skills Workshop. She is an active member within the educational developer community serving in numerous executive capacities. She has been chair of the Council of Ontario Educational Developers, secretary of the Educational Developers Caucus, and is the chair of the Accreditation Committee of the Educational Developer Caucus.