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iSoLT - Innovation and Scholarship of Learning & Teaching

Welcome to the iSoLT guide

The purpose of this is to guide academics with teaching responsibilities through the process of developing and implementing their iSoLT projects, disseminating findings in iSoLT or discipline specific journals and to provide information on how to gather evidence of iSoLT. The guide also provides Faculty of Health Sciences contacts who can support your engagement in iSoLT.

 

iSoLT @ Curtin

At Curtin, Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoLT) is defined as “…systematic inquiry, critique, research and development in teaching, learning and the broader educational context which advances and publicly provides educational benefit to students, staff and the higher education sector".1

The Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoLT) is an emerging movement of scholarly thought and action that draws on the reciprocal relationship between teaching and learning at the post-secondary level.2 However, there are many differing viewpoints on what constitutes SoLT across settings, disciplines and institutions.

An important goal of SoLT is to enhance and augment learning amongst and between individual learners by investigating the many features of discipline specific expertise and best pedagogical practice.3

                                                          

                                                                             Writing foundations by the Wufoo Team 

The Scholarship of Learning and Teaching is an iterative, systematic process involving:

  • Engagement with the literature to inform development and exploration of meaningful questions around student learning and activities;
  • Answering these questions through analysis of evidence provided through student learning;
  • Sharing the results with the intention of improving student learning and teaching practice and adding to the SoLT knowledge base.

There are five principles of good practice in SoLT.

Felten, 2013.5

1. Curtin University. (2015) Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. https://ctl.curtin.edu.au/research/scholarship_teaching_learning.cfm accessed on August 12 2015.

2. Boyer, E. L. 1990. Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. Princeton, NJ: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

3. McKinney, K. 2007. Enhancing Learning through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: The Challenges and Joys of Juggling. Bolton, MA: Anker.

4. Glassick, C. E., Huber, M. T., & G. I. Maeroff. 1997. Scholarship Assessed: Evaluation of the Professoriate. San Francisco – Jossey-Bass.

5. Felten, P. (2013). Principles of good practice in SoTL. Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal 1(1): 121-125.

6. Kern, B., G. Mettetal, M. D. Dixson, and R. K. Morgan. 2015. "The Role of SoTL in the Academy: Upon the 25th Anniversary of Boyer's Scholarship Reconsidered."  Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 15 (3):1-14.