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Excellence in teaching is a primary goal of Cal Poly’s faculty, and active participation in various types of scholarly activities is therefore essential to meeting this goal.
A Carnegie Foundation report entitled Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professorate (Boyer, 1990), identified the Scholarship of Teaching:
As a scholarly enterprise, teaching begins with what the teacher knows. Those who teach must be well-informed and steeped in the knowledge of their fields. Teaching is also a dynamic endeavor which must bring students actively into the educational process.
Further, teaching, at its best, means not only transmitting knowledge, but transforming and extending it as well. In the end, inspired teaching keeps scholarship alive and inspired scholarship keeps teaching alive. Without the teaching function, the continuity of knowledge will be broken and the store of human knowledge diminished.
Click here to read more about the University’s Strategic Plan regarding Faculty Scholarship 
Building upon the premise of scholarly teaching, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is defined as systematic inquiry into student learning that advances the practice of teaching by sharing research publicly. SoTL includes the following characteristics:
Thus, SoTL provides a powerful mechanism to improve teaching effectiveness, enhance student learning outcomes, and transform academic cultures and communities.
In the following schematic, the field of teaching is represented by the green oval. Within teaching, some faculty engage in scholarly teaching (i.e. review relevant literature, innovate new pedagogies). A subset of scholarly teaching also includes the scholarship of teaching and learning, wherein faculty publish and present evidence of student learning.
Thompson, Samuel B., (2001)
In the article, “The Scholarship of Teaching: New Elaborations, New Developments,” Pat Hutchings and Lee Shulman (1999) wrote that scholarship of teaching requires faculty to “frame and systematically investigate questions related to student learning – the conditions under which they occur, what it looks like, how to deepen it, and so forth – with an eye not only to improving their own classroom but to advancing practice beyond it.”
Approaches to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning have been categorized into the following areas (Hutchings, 2000):
“What works?” – questions seeking evidence about the relative effectiveness of different teaching approaches, e.g. alternative designs for delivering a course
“What is?” – questions seeking to describe, not evaluate, a particular teaching approach or intervention, e.g. describe and systematically analyze student experience or learning outcomes
“Visions of the possible” – questions related to teaching goals and how they can be achieved, e.g. how to reach students in “moments of difficulty” and transforming such instances into teachable moments
“Conceptual frameworks” – questions shaping new forms of practice or theory-building, e.g. problem-based learning, community service-learning
Other genres of SoTL include reports on particular classes, reflections on many years of teaching, analyses of prior studies, formal research, and broad comparisons across disciplines.
Although there is no single best approach or method to this form of inquiry, SoTL, at first glance, should be guided by a faculty member’s specific discipline, teaching objectives, and personal reflection.
Research goals of SoTL can take on varying forms, spanning the spectrum from original, significant, and replicable results to individual reflections pertinent only to improving one’s own classroom. With respect to this issue, Donald Schön (1987) posed a “dilemma of rigor or relevance” for research epistemology:
In the varied topology of professional practice, there is a high, hard ground overlooking a swamp. On the high ground, manageable problems lend themselves to solution through the application of research-based theory and technique. In the swampy lowland, messy, confusing problems defy technical solution. The irony of the situation is that the problems of the high ground tend to be relatively unimportant to individuals or society at large, however great their technical interest may be, while in the swamp lie the problems of greatest human concern. The practitioner must choose. Shall he remain on the high ground where he can solve relatively unimportant problems according to prevailing standards of rigor, or shall he descend to the swamp of important problems and nonrigorous inquiry?
Upon determining one’s research goals, a relevant research question must be formulated and appropriate methods for gathering evidence of student learning should be considered. The following questions can assist in choosing a research methodology:
In moving forward with a research design, methods for capturing student learning data should be determined. Both quantitative (e.g. grades, course statistics) and qualitative methods (e.g. student interviews, focus groups) provide valuable insights. In general, by collecting data from multiple means and over frequent events, validity of the study results is enhanced.
After data collection, faculty must analyze quantitative and/or qualitative data in order to demonstrate student learning.
For assistance with research design and statistical analysis, contact Cal Poly Statistical Consulting. The function of the consulting statistician is to provide free advice on various statistical techniques to members of the Cal Poly community involved in university-related research, theses, or senior projects.
Cal Poly is committed to the protection of human subjects in research. To assist with this goal, the University has designated a Human Subjects Committee (also called Institutional Review Board or IRB) to review proposals for research involving human subjects. The Committee evaluates the research only in terms of its compliance with ethical standards regarding the treatment of subjects.
Hence, in order to conduct educational research on students, faculty must obtain approval from the Human Subjects Committee. Student participation also requires informed consent, and faculty must draft appropriate letters of informed consent. For more information on informed consent and IRB approval, contact Dr. Steve Davis, Chair of the Human Subjects Committee (sdavis@calpoly.edu).
Faculty who engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning are contributing to the discovery of knowledge about teaching and learning in higher education. The following diagram illustrates how SoTL makes the connection between both teaching and research.
Thompson, Samuel B., (2001)
There are multiple regional and national conferences on SoTL and discipline-specific approaches to teaching in higher education. Below are some of the major external and internal organizations offering conferences and publications:
Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education
Lilly Conferences on College & University Teaching
International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL)
International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning (ISETL)
CSU Institute for Teaching and Learning (Online Journal and Teacher-Scholar Summer Institutes)
For more comprehensive listings of publications and conferences (both general and discipline-specific), see the following web sites:
Illinois State SOTL Web Site: Publications and Conferences
Buffalo State SOTL Web Site: Publications and Conferences
Abilene Christian University: Discipline-specific publications
Following are examples of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning conference presentations and publications by Cal Poly faculty:
Work in Progress: Enhancing Student-Learning through State-of-the-Art Systems Level Design and Implementation (pdf and review) (Authors: Albert A. Liddicoat, Jianbao Pan, James G. Harris, Lynne Slivovsky, and Dominic J. Dal Bello);
Robotics Competition: Providing Structure, Flexibility, and an Extensive Learning Experience (full paper and review) (Authors: Joseph Grimes and John Seng)
Although every conference and publication is unique, following are some general criteria used to assess submissions:
Theme (i.e. the submission matches journal or conference theme, goals, or philosophy)
Soundness of work (e.g. clear goals and methodology)
Work contribution (e.g. innovative approach, process, or theory of learning; original, creative ideas; outlines strategy for testing innovation’s effectiveness)
Scholarly approach (e.g. incorporates previous research, theory, evidence, and/or assessment; compares theories; provides context for future research)
Model of exemplary teaching and learning practices (e.g. provides inspiration)
Presentation and writing quality
Fosters critical reflection and discussion related to diversity
SoTL involves systemic inquiry into practice. SoTL research findings have practical implications on teaching practice and student learning as well as make contributions to the knowledge base of teaching and learning in higher education. Richlin (2001) distinguished between the cycles of scholarly teaching and scholarship of teaching and learning with the following conceptualization:
The CTL Grant Program (CTLGP) is designed to aid in achieving Cal Poly’s commitment to teaching excellence and the resulting quality enhancement of the learning experience. Its purpose is to assist faculty at the assistant and associate professor ranks (probationary or tenured) to engage in course enhancement activities, particularly course redesign or course development through assigned time, travel support, equipment, and/or funding for student assistance.
The Discipline Research Project is a 2-year multi-campus discipline-based community, whereby systemwide teams of 6-8 common-disciplinaryfaculty focus on critical teaching and learning issues as an applied-research project. Teams receive funds in order to support their collaboration and experimentation on individual and team research questions.
The CTL Technology Grant Program is designed to assist faculty in achieving Cal Poly’s commitment to teaching excellence by incorporating technology into their course(s) as a component to enhance student learning and improve their role as a scholar. Tenured and tenure-track probationary faculty are eligible to participate in the CTL Technology Grant Program. Technology experience of participants may range from little to highly proficient.
For more information, see Grants & Awards.
Boyer, Ernest L. (1990). Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professorate. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bruff, Derek (n.d.). The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Vanderbilt University. Retreived from http://www.vanderbilt.edu/cft/resources/teaching_resources/reflecting/sotl.htm
Hutchings, Pat (2000). Introduction. In P. Hutchings (Ed.), Opening Lines: Approaches to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Menlo Park, CA: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Hutchings, Pat and Shulman, Lee S. (1999). The Scholarship of Teaching: New Elaborations, New Developments. Change, 31(5).
Richlin, Laurie (2001). Scholarly Teaching and the Scholarship of Teaching. In Kreber, C., (Ed.), New Directions for Teaching and Learning (86). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Schön, D. A. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner: Toward a New Design for Teaching and Learning in the Professions. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass Inc.
Thompson, Samuel B., (2001). Tutorial on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL). International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.issotl.org/SOTL.html#tutorial
