Post-secondary institutions are placing growing emphasis on the importance of both the practice and scholarship of teaching and learning. Individuals and networks of practice (Roxå & Mårtensson, 2009; Roxå, Mårtensson, & Alveteg, 2011) across institutions are using SoTL’s cycle of systematic inquiry and dissemination to establish, implement, and investigate initiatives related to enriching the quality of our teaching and learning environments. In turn, engagement in the SoTL helps to establish a reciprocal culture of teaching and learning that is supported by SoTL, and a SoTL culture that is supported by a strong culture for teaching and learning. Recent research has focused on the importance of taking an integrated, multi-level approach to supporting the practice and scholarship of teaching and learning in post-secondary institutions (Williams et al., 2013). In this interactive session, participants will actively explore a multi-level framework for building a sustained culture for the scholarship and practice of teaching and learning, through both small group and large group discussion. The framework is based on a recent case study at the University of Guelph, which presents three catalysts for supporting engagement in the SoTL across multiple institutional levels: Leadership Commitment; Reward and Recognition; and Integrated Networks for Sustained Support (Kenny, Watson, & Desmarais, in press). By the end of this session, participants will be able to evaluate their own institutional context and use this framework to identify specific actions and opportunities for building and supporting a sustained culture for the scholarship and practice of teaching and learning.
References:
Kenny, N., Watson, G. P. L., & Desmarais, S. (in press). Building sustained action: Supporting an institutional practice of SoTL at the University of Guelph. New Directions for Teaching and Learning.
Roxå, T., & Mårtensson, K. (2009). Significant conversations and significant networks–exploring the backstage of the teaching arena. Studies in Higher Education, 34(5), 547-559.
Roxå, T., Mårtensson, K., & Alveteg, M. (2011). Understanding and influencing teaching and learning cultures at university: a network approach. Higher Education, 62(1), 99-111.
Williams, A. L., Verwoord, V., Beery, T. A., Dalton, H., McKinnon, J., Strickland, K., . . . Poole, G. (2013). The power of social networks: A model for weaving the scholarship of teaching and learning into institutional culture. Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 1(2), 49-62.
