1. Beginner’s Guide to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning September 14, 2006 Jackie Dewar Director, Center for Teaching Excellence Loyola Marymount University

2. Outline What is SoTL? (simple answer) Questions (yours/mine) initiate SoTL Reframe the questions Next Step: Gather evidence Example: A SoTL project you can join in Parallels with Traditional Research What is SoTL? (more complex answer) Why do SoTL?

3. What is SoTL? Practitioners of SoTL see teaching problems (or questions) as invitations to undertake a scholarly investigation.

4. Some “teaching problems” My students aren’t as prepared for class as I would like I’m not satisfied with my students’ writing (in -----) Our (----) core class is called idiot (---)

5. Some T&L “questions” Sometimes I wonder what our majors understand about ---signature method or concept--- how deeply they understand ------ by graduation what future teachers think ------ is all about

6. Your turn Write a teaching/learning problem or question that you have…

7. Now what? Reframe these questions to make them researchable---

8. Aids in re-framing What disciplinary issues does the problem or question rest on? Three types of SoTL questions: –What is? –What works? –What could be? Can you think of some evidence you might gather?

9. What if I give my students reading assignments? What if I give them reading questions for the assigned reading? What if I also ask them to generate their own questions after reading? How can I get them to ask better questions? What kind of questions are they asking now? My students aren’t as prepared for class as I would like

10. What if I clarify expectations with writing samples? What if I clarify expectations with rubrics? Does peer review improve writing? Do opportunities for revision after feedback help? I’m not satisfied with my students’ writing (in -----)

11. The (---) core class is called idiot (---) What happens if we add group projects on community issues to a (---) core class? Will they learn as much or more? Do their attitudes toward math change? What else do they gain? Find out September 28!!

12. Your turn: Reframe Remember the Aids-- Identify underlying disciplinary issues. Three types of questions: What is? What works? What could be? Is there evidence you have or can get?

13. What evidence can be gathered? Student work samples –Capture with Blackboard? Surveys –Survey Monkey? Pre/post tests Focus groups or Interviews “Knowledge surveys” Think alouds

14. Your turn What evidence can you gather?

15. Another SoTL Example Let’s look at a SoTL project that anyone could join in.

16. Comparisons Disciplinary 1. Problem/Question 2. Frame/Refine 3. Research according to disciplinary methods 4. Draw conclusions  Ready to go public? 5. Ask further questions SoTL 1. Problem/Question 2. Frame/Refine 3. Gather evidence – think disciplinarily, but… 4. What does it tell me  Ready to go public? 5. What more do I want to know?

17. Other resources/issues/going public LMU colleagues versed in SoTL Human Subjects Who is your audience? –Conference or Journal Research the literature (ERIC or your own disciplinary pedagogical literature) Provide a “Theoretical framework”

18. What is SoTL? Practitioners view the classroom as a site for inquiry, asking and answering questions about students’ learning in ways that can improve on their own classrooms and also advance the profession of teaching.

19. What is SoTL? SoTL is the work faculty do when they apply their disciplinary knowledge to investigate questions about teaching and learning, draw conclusions based on evidence provided by students, submit those conclusions to peer review and make them available for others in the academy to build upon.

20. Why do SoTL? Brings real benefits to students (and faculty) Signals institutional commitment to learning –Carnegie Leadership program Provides authentic student-generated evidence (accreditation, accountability) Energizes faculty to view their professional life through this new lens

21. Next Steps… Join us for the SoTL Brown Bag lunches –Today at 1:45 or October 13 at noon Join in the Assessing Students’ Disciplinary Understanding project SoTL on CTE website Your own ideas….