Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at the Heart of Academic Culture Patti McDougall, Vice Provost Teaching and Learning April 30 th, 2013

My intentions  Path to developing and implementing a vision for the scholarship of teaching + learning (SoTL)  Set down aspirations  Talk about successful practices

Vision statement  In 5 years time… The SoTL becomes a vital and highly regarded component of the research mission at the University of Saskatchewan. The SoTL is integral to developing and delivering on excellence in education quality and will be rooted in our academic ethos and practice.

Defining SoTL  Study of curriculum and pedagogy  Understanding student learning + enhancing quality of learning experiences  Assessing effective practices  Opportunities for dissemination to broader community

Core characteristics of SoTL  Being public  Being open to critique and evaluation  Being in a form that others can build on Hutchings & Shulman (1999)

Fit within a research-intensive environment  Why? Complex and rapidly changing Student diversity Growing course and program offerings Use of technology to expand classroom borders Rising demands for institutional accountability Hubball, Pearson, Clarke, 2013

Fit within a research-intensive environment  Individual benefits: Strengthen individual practice Teaching … intellectually engaging, energizing Teaching becomes less solitary Hutchings, Huber, & Ciccone, 2011

Fit within a research-intensive environment  Institutional benefits: Investing in capacity Improve faculty development Enhanced learning experiences Evidenced-informed approach to quality Advance institutional agendas Catalyst for change Enhanced reputation Bernstein, 2013; Hutchings et al., 2011

Assessing our starting point  Wuetherick et al. (summer of 2012) 247 faculty members 37 staff members 16% of tenure-streamed faculty complement

Assessing our starting point  70% responded to e-survey 47% less than ¼ of scholarly work 27% half or more of scholarly work

Trigwell’s levels – UofS SoTL activity Level 1 (in-house; non-PR) 48% Level 2 (PR; inside discipline) 28% Level 3 (PR; higher ed) 24% Assessing starting point at UofS

Think, Pair, Share 1. What is the greatest barrier to increasing high quality SoTL work on a campus? 2. How might we overcome this barrier?

Cultivating activity + excellence in SoTL  Igniting people’s passion for teaching Need not be the route for everyone Outside the comfort zone for at least some

Making it easier…  Offering resources (building capacity) People Background resources Financial resources Cultivating activity + excellence

Making it valuable …  Teaching as scholarly work  Rigour, quality, visibility Standards for scholarly work Cultivating activity + excellence

Scholarly standards Clear Goals Adequate Preparation Appropriate Methods Significant Results Effective Presentation Reflective Critique Cultivating activity + excellence Glassick, Huber, & Maerof, 1997

Making it valuable …  Showcase/honour the activity Creating a space – directory, posting results Conferences High profile collaborations Cultivating activity + excellence

Making it valuable …  Educating decision makers Necessary and appropriate standards (e.g., tenure) Where does SoTL fit? Teaching? Research? Service? Making one’s case Clearly inside system and not under radar Moving this forward Cultivating activity + excellence

Identifying and building strength  Leaders and champions  Identifying focal areas of research Cultivating activity + excellence

Focal areas at the UofS - contenders Aboriginal Education/Indigenous Pedagogies Experiential Learning Community Service Learning; Undergraduate Research Distributed Learning (instructional approaches) Cultivating activity + excellence

Identifying and building strength  Creating groups and communities of scholars Multi/Interdisciplinary teams Communities of Practice Effectively translating research into practice Cultivating activity + excellence

Pathways to success  Ensuring the SoTL is part of the larger shared agenda for student learning and success  Leadership, creativity, flexibility