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

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

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

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 u..

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

Reexamining the Interrelationship of Mentorship, Undergraduate Research and Identity Development

There is considerable literature on mentoring relationships in higher education, on undergraduate research (UGR) experiences and the identity development of university students. There is, however, little previous work that brings these three diverse literatures together. This presentation sets out to examine how mentoring relationships in undergraduate research experiences influence student identity formation in personal and professional communities. This multi-institutional and multidisciplinary effort introduces work in progress developed at Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning Seminar on Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research. While this work aims to explore how students negotiate shifting identities across personal and professional communities, its preliminary exploration will be on the most important values of mentoring relationships in UGR, and on the mentoring practices that shape students’ identity development. We propose that students’ ability to understand themselves as researchers is largely shaped by the ways in which they navigate/negotiate between personal and professional identities. We would also suggest that mentors might not be aware of the challenges that some students—particularly from under-represented populations—face in negotiating personal and professional identities. Therefore, an outcome for our research is to develop resources for faculty preparing to work with undergraduate researchers