Developing teaching and learning programmes for new lecturers in higher education to allow for exploration of the link between research and teaching: a collaborative UK/Canadian project

This is an ESCalate development project led by Lisa Lucas of the University of Bristol and completed in 2009. It looks at teaching and learning programmes for new lecturers in the UK and Canada, specifically the link between research and teaching. The aim of this project was to develop innovative materials and activities, and collect best practice examples that focus on the link between research and teaching that can be utilised within university Teaching and Learning in Higher Education programmes for new lecturers. A comparison between the UK and Canada was taken in order to provide an international perspective on this issue and to help develop materials that would be relevant in different national contexts. It looks at the policy contexts in the UK and Canada, reviews some example teaching and learning programmes and explores the views of early career academics in terms of linking teaching and research. It includes a final project report and colloquium paper, both presented as PDF file

Completing the research cycle: A framework for promoting dissemination of undergraduate research and inquiry

With the rise of undergraduate research and inquiry (UGRI) in higher education, it is important to provide students with opportunities to disseminate their research. This completes the research cycle and builds key communication skills. In this article we develop a framework for the dissemination of UGRI, linking exposure to the development of student autonomy. We illustrate the framework with case studies ranging from dissemination activities within the curriculum, such as poster presentations and journal clubs, through to UGRI journals, conferences and product launches. Finally we consider how institutions can promote and support the dissemination of UGRI. To avoid reliance on individuals, institutions should invest in appropriate infrastructure, such as an undergraduate research office, to ensure long-term support for UGR I and the promotion of dissemination activities

The Canadian Teaching Commons: Exploring the National and Institutional SoTL Landscape in Canadian Higher Education

In Canada, like elsewhere, SoTL has continued to grow and mature as more faculty have participated in what has been called the teaching commons (Huber and Hutchings, 2005). While the growth of SoTL has been documented in the literature, Hutchings, Huber, & Ciccone (2011) advocate the need for SoTL to be supported and legitimized at the institutional level for it to have a larger impact. What has been less explored, however, is a systematic assessment of the extent to which SoTL is actively being conducted at the national and institutional level, its effect on individual scholars’ careers, and the continuing challenges and barriers of conducting SoTL within the academy. This presentation will report on two studies that aim to address this gap. First, the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in Canada approved a study to explore the current state of the SoTL in Canadian Higher Education. The purpose of the project was to examine how SoTL activity and support has been changing in recent years in Canada. The second study assessed the degree to which SoTL was being conducted amongst academic and administrative staff at a single medical doctoral university in Western Canada. This study sought to categorize the depth and intensity of SoTL activity using a model put forth by Trigwell (2012), examining whether demographic variables such as gender, academic rank and academic discipline impact one’s likelihood of SoTL engagement. The presenters will use our findings to illuminate the current state of SoTL in Canada

Who is Represented in the Teaching Commons?: SoTL Through the Lenses of the Arts and Humanities

As the community of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) scholars has flourished across Canada and around the world, there has been a growing sense among humanists that SoTL work has been dominated by the epistemologies, philosophies, and research methods of the social sciences. This is a view that has been supported by SoTL journal editors and resources dedicated to introducing faculty to SoTL. To quote Nancy Chick (2012) in a recent book on the current state of SoTL in the disciplines, “while many well-known SoTL leaders come from humanities backgrounds …, the on-the-ground work largely marginalizes the practices of their disciplines” (p. 15). The question then follows: “How does the apparent under-representation of (arts and) humanities-based disciplines affect expectations for SoTL, from norms for research design and methodology to the genre and style of its products?” (McKinney & Chick, 2010, p. 10). This paper, which frames the special issue looking at “SoTL through the lenses of the Arts and Humanities,” explores the difficulties with, and opportunities provided by, creating an inclusive teaching commons where the scholarly traditions of the arts and humanities are recognized for the value they bring to the SoTL research imaginary. Alors que la communauté des universitaires qui oeuvrent dans le domaine de l’avancement des connaissances en enseignement et en apprentissage (ACEA) s’est épanouie à travers le Canada et dans le monde, on constate l’éclosion d’un sentiment, parmi les humanistes, que le travail de l’ACEA a été dominé par les épistémologies, les philosophies et les méthodes de recherche des sciences sociales. C’est une opinion qui a été appuyée par les rédacteurs de revues sur l’ACEA et par les ressources consacrées à l’introduction des enseignants à l’ACEA. Pour citer Nancy Chick (2012) dans un livre récemment publié sur l’état actuel de l’ACEA dans diverses disciplines, « alors que de nombreux leaders éminents en matière d’ACEA proviennent des sciences humaines ..., le travail sur le terrain marginalise grandement les pratiques de leurs disciplines » (p. 15). Ce qui nous mène à la question suivante : « Comment l’apparente sous-représentation des disciplines du domaine des (arts et des) sciences humaines affecte-t-elle les attentes pour l’ACEA, allant des normes de recherche et de méthodologie au genre et au style de ses produits? » (McKinney & Chick, 2010, p. 10). Cet article, qui encadre le numéro spécial consacré à « L’ACEA à travers le prisme des arts et des sciences humaines », explore les difficultés qui existent à créer une commune d’enseignement inclusive ainsi que les opportunités créées par cette commune, où les traditions de recherche en arts et en sciences humaines sont reconnues pour la valeur qu’elles apportent à l’imaginaire de recherche de l’ACEA

Exploring the Foundations for Student Success: A SoTL Journey

This paper illustrates the chronology of a research project which began in 2010 and continues today.  The research has evolved over time from a focus on the phenomenon (developing an understanding of student diversity and its impacts on student success), to experimental research (to learn the impact or benefits derived from the introduction of high impact practices), to a more complex understanding of the foundations for student success.  The fourth stage of the research, which is just underway, divides our efforts into two distinct directions.  The first is quantitative research utilizing institutional and learning management system data which was previously untracked and untapped.  The second is a shift to employing more qualitative research tools aimed at advocacy and institutional change.  Through each phase of the research the paper presents two distinct perspectives: First is the perspective of instructors-turned-SoTL-researchers as we muddle our way through understanding our challenges and learning how to use SoTL research methods to help guide the way.  The second perspective is that of an established SoTL researcher, who provides commentary and guidance to our journey.  Our hope is that the reader finds these two perspectives of a research journey both informative and valuable in providing insights into how a long-term research project might unfold

Exploring the SoTL Landscape at the University of Saskatchewan

This paper presents the results of a quantitative study that comprehensively assessed the level and extent to which the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) was being conducted amongst faculty and staff at the University of Saskatchewan, and identifies the barriers and challenges faced by SoTL practitioners

International perspectives on student awareness, experiences and perceptions of research: implications for academic developers in implementing research‐based teaching and learning

This paper explores the implications of the effective integration of research, teaching and learning for academic development through the lens of an international multi‐institutional comparison of student perceptions of research and its impact on their learning environment. The study, with a sample of over 500 final‐year undergraduate students across three institutions in the UK and Canada, represents a spectrum of research and teaching intensive universities and is one of the largest exploring undergraduate student perceptions of research in the linking teaching and research literature. The results indicate a complex relationship between student perceptions and experiences of research and the type of institution, as well as the individual, institutional and national context. They also inform the discussion of particular issues that academic developers face and the strategies they use to improve the integration of research and teaching to benefit the undergraduate learning experience in their institution. Cet article explore les implications, pour le développement pédagogique, de l’intégration effective de la recherche, de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage à l’aide de la lentille d’une comparaison internationale multi institutionnelle des perceptions étudiantes à l’égard de la recherche et de leur impact sur l’environnement d’apprentissage. L’étude, reposant sur un échantillon de plus de 500 étudiants en dernière année de 1er cycle, provenant de trois institutions au Royaume‐Uni et au Canada, représente un spectre d’universités centrées sur l’enseignement ou sur la recherche. L’étude constitue une des recherches les plus importantes au sujet des perceptions étudiantes à l’égard de la recherche dans la littérature portant sur le lien entre l’enseignement et la recherche. Les résultats indiquent une relation complexe entre les perceptions et les expériences des étudiants, et le type d’institution, de même qu’avec les contextes individuel, institutionnel et national. Les résultats contribuent aussi à la discussion de questions particulières auxquelles les conseillers pédagogiques font face ainsi que les stratégies que ceux‐ci utilisent en vue d’améliorer l’intégration de la recherche et de l’enseignement de façon à en faire bénéficier l’expérience d’apprentissage au 1er cycle au sein de leur institution

Incorporating the mentoring of undergraduate research into your professional portfolio

Presentation given at the Council on Undergraduate Research preconference panel and workshop presented at the annual ISSOTL Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Mentoring, undergraduate research, and identity development: A conceptual review and research agenda

© 2015 Taylor & Francis. Mentored undergraduate research has been identified as a high-impact practice that enhances teaching and learning in higher education. It is reported to influence students’ academic, affective, and behavioral outcomes. However, there is only an emerging literature related to student outcomes associated with identity development, specifically students’ personal and professional identities. This integrative literature review examines the intersections and interrelationship across mentoring, undergraduate research, and student identity development. Its results uncover the complexity of the constructs, and their dynamic interrelationship, especially when viewed through the lenses of the sociocultural perspective grounded in the notion of mediated action. Two assumptions undergird this perspective: first, that all investigation takes place at the intersection of these constructs with mediated action, not individuals in isolation, as a unit of analysis; and, second, that any study of identity must focus on an understanding of identity as multiple, dynamic, and situated in personal and cultural contexts (institutional, disciplinary, and external community culture and values). Thus, the sociocultural perspective and its underlying assumptions shape the proposed research agenda. This research agenda has the potential to advance current knowledge related to mentored undergraduate research and the confluence of elements that contribute to student personal and cultural identities (academic, disciplinary, and professional). Findings from this work will inform our understanding of learning and knowled e construction in sociocultural context, and the trajectory of identity development of students engaged in high-impact learning experiences