Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is a growing discipline dedicated to taking teaching and learning as serious intellectual work. At DePaul, SoTL is defined as:

“The rigorous investigation of student learning, with the purpose of developing novel teaching methodologies and practices that can lead to the measurable enhancement of student learning. The results of the investigation are made public through quality scholarly outlets and widely-accepted conferences and general or discipline-specific journals.”

This definition makes clear that SoTL is ultimately about improving student learning. Investigating what and how students learn can help faculty develop innovative teaching practices that lead students to significant learning gains. SoTL’s focus on improving student outcomes aligns with DePaul’s Vision 2024, which testifies to the university’s commitment to enhancing academic quality and supporting educational innovation.

Ruben Parra, Professor of Chemistry at DePaul University — Professor of Chemistry Ruben Parra holds instructional materials he developed for a redesigned computational chemistry course. Parra published a case study of his course, which he redesigned according to Fink's taxonomy of significant learning (2013), in the Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education.

Furthermore, in January 2014 the University Faculty Council passed a resolution that strongly endorses the inclusion of SoTL in faculty merit reviews and promotion and tenure evaluations.

Support for SoTL at DePaul

Each year, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) awards grants to support the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at DePaul. Learn More

Getting Started with SoTL

The following list of resources is a good place to start learning more about research in SoTL.

Academic Journals

There are a number of academic journals with a focus on SoTL, both across the disciplines and within them. Some of the most influential interdisciplinary journals are listed below:

Blogs

Many posts from the following list of blogs cite SoTL research, and all of them delve deeply into topics related to teaching and learning.

The DePaul Center for Teaching and Learning's Instructional Design and Development Blog (IDDBlog) features posts on pedagogy and trends in higher education, often informed by SoTL research.
Faculty Focus - The Teaching Professor Blog. Provides weekly practical insights into the field of higher education.

Conferences

Illinois State University's Office of the Cross Chair in SoTL publishes an online listing of SoTL conferences, both in the United States and abroad.

Grants

Internal grants at DePaul, including SoTL grants and other grants for improving teaching and the assessment of student learning.
Teaching and Learning Grant Opportunities - Vanderbilt University's Center for Teaching lists a number of external funding sources.

Projects and Organizations

IDEA papers provide useful ideas related to teaching and faculty evaluation. From the IDEA Center of Kansas State which serves colleges and universities committed to improving learning, teaching, and leadership performance.
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center devoted to improving teaching and learning

Videos and Podcasts

Teaching Commons videos, including the 2013 Fall Forum keynote presentation by Peggy Maki PhD, which addresses SoTL generally.
The Teach Better Podcast, hosted by Doug McKee and Edward O'Neill, interview faculty in higher education biweekly.

Teaching & Learning Websites

Vanderbilt Center for Teaching. Includes an overview of SoTL and other topics in teaching, such as just-in-time teaching and flipping the classroom.
Stanford Teaching Commons. Highlights relevant teaching strategies by using case studies, for example.