SoTL Initiatives
“The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)...is the systematic study of teaching and learning. It involves identifying a problem, asking a question, gathering evidence, drawing conclusions based on that evidence, and making those findings public for the benefit of others” (Auburn Biggio Center). The CTE provides a range of SoTL programming to enable instructors to develop their own scholarly projects and contribute to our understanding of teaching and learning in higher education, as well as engage with existing scholarship.
Programs
SoTL Scholars
The SoTL Scholars program is a year-long, cohort-based program that provides instructors with the knowledge, skills, and supportive community needed to develop and implement classroom-focused scholarly projects that can enhance teaching for themselves and others. The program kicks off with a 3-day SoTL Institute where Scholars are introduced to the foundational principles of SoTL research, learn how to develop a SoTL research question, and design a study to answer that question. Scholars then participate in two workshops and two working sessions throughout the academic year.
SoTL Faculty Learning Community
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Facilitated Learning Community (FLC) is a reading group that provides instructors with opportunities to develop their knowledge of SoTL research and apply it to their teaching through reading, reflection, and discussion. Past SoTL FLCs have covered topics such as research on remote instruction, alternative grading, student engagement, collaborative learning, and teaching with AI.
SoTL Grants
The SoTL Grants program is designed to foster a culture of evidence-based teaching and learning at UVA. Funding supports (1) faculty conducting SoTL research, (2) a group of faculty working on a common SoTL project, or (3) faculty who have conducted a SoTL project and are working toward disseminating their research.
Resources
Engaging in SoTL
On Teaching Hub, the Engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning gallery contains a variety of collections of resources to support instructors in SoTL, from “What is SoTL?” to developing SoTL research questions, designing a SoTL study, and navigating SoTL ethics and the IRB. The gallery is ever-growing!
SoTL Newsletter Sign-Up
UVA CTE’s semesterly SoTL Newsletter shares programs, events, resources, scholar spotlights, and upcoming conferences. Sign up and view past issues.
Events and Opportunities
Writing About Teaching
Writing About Teaching is a series of informal meetups designed to help instructors move forward any scholarly project related to teaching: designing a new SoTL study, crafting an IRB protocol, writing in all forms (e.g., empirical articles, reflective essays, blog posts.), etc. Learn more about current meetups: https://cte.virginia.edu/writing-about-teaching-workshops
MegaSoTL-AI: A Teaching and Learning Project
This cross-institutional scholarship of teaching and learning (MegaSoTL) project brings together faculty, staff, graduate students, and postdocs across Virginia to explore the impact of generative AI in teaching and learning in higher education. MegaSoTL-AI is composed of over 10 different sub-projects related to educators’ and students’ experiences with and perspectives on GenAI. In 2024, the project received funding from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to transform the research into resources and workshops for educators across the state. Learn more and consider joining an existing team or forming a new one.