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The number of teaching-focused faculty (TFF) continues to increase, raising concerns about opportunities to engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) for academics who are hired to focus on teaching rather than research. Various names for these teaching-focused positions include, but are not limited to: instructional, limited-term faculty; permanent, but not eligible for tenure; equivalent to tenure-track (eligible for tenure); and casual teaching-focused. Regardless of title, TFF face a unique challenge: hired for excellence in teaching and committed to improving teaching and learning, they are often not granted support to engage in professional development or research related to teaching and learning. These and other challenges are associated with their academically marginalized positions. The authors are members of the Advocacy Committee of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL). This paper builds on a session we offered at the ISSOTL conference in Calgary in 2017 where we invited TFF to contribute narrative examples of institutional SoTL challenges and their strategies for overcoming them. We describe potential solutions to creating institutional cultures that are supportive of TFF engaging in SoTL. We finish by offering recommendations for creating a SoTL teaching-focused community within ISSOTL to provide social and professional support.

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) encompasses research on postsecondary teaching and learning across all disciplines. Why do scholars engage in the study of teaching and learning? What supports and challenges do they encounter? What is the impact of SoTL? Using a micro-meso-macro-mega (4M) framework, I explore these questions in interviews with seven SoTL scholars from various disciplines in one institution. Primarily, this article provides a case study illustration of the use of the micro-meso-macro-mega framework to explore SoTL. In addition to exploring participants’ reflections vis-à-vis the four levels, I reflect on possible connections to motivation theory as a lens for themes arising from the participants’ accounts of supports and barriers and the impact of their SoTL work.

The gap between the practice of individual academics based on the ideal of the SoTL—improving student learning—and the institutional infrastructure and leadership to support that work is an ongoing challenge to the development of the field (Hutchings, Huber, & Ciccone, 2011; Poole, Taylor, & Thompson, 2007; Simmons, forthcoming). To better understand how individuals in diverse roles contribute to the development of the SoTL in the context of their institutional cultures, this study examined how faculty, educational developers (EDs), and administrators enact SoTL leadership. A grounded theory approach (Leedy & Ormrod, 2001) guided the development of a survey that used closed and open-ended questions to invite respondents to share their personal conceptions and lived experiences of the SoTL. Drawing on the responses received (n=75), we identified ways faculty, educational developers, and administrators construe their SoTL leadership roles and how they can fulfill a vital role in facilitating leadership across and beyond their institutions to create critical social networks for SoTL work (Mårtensson, Roxå, & Olsson, 2012; Williams et al., 2013) and contribute to institutional cultures that support and value that work. The results reveal how gaps between the work of individual scholars and the cultures of their academic communities are being bridged through diverse leadership roles that cross multiple levels in their institutions and identify some of the gaps that remain. L’écart qui existe entre la pratique de certains professeurs basée sur l’idéal de l’ACEA – améliorer l’apprentissage des étudiants – et l’infrastructure et le leadership institutionnels en place pour soutenir ce travail est un défi continu pour le développement de la discipline (Hutchings, Huber et Ciccone, 2011; Poole, Taylor et Thompson, 2007; Simmons, à venir). Afin de mieux comprendre la manière dont les professeurs, dans leurs divers rôles, contribuent au développement de l’ACEA dans le contexte de la culture de leurs établissements, cette étude examine comment les professeurs, les conseillers pédagogiques et les administrateurs assurent le leadership en ACEA. Une approche basée sur la théorie ancrée (Leedy et Ormrod, 2001) a guidé le développement d’une enquête qui comportait des questions fermées et des questions ouvertes pour inviter les répondants à partager leurs conceptions personnelles et leurs expériences vécues en matière d’ACEA. À partir des réponses obtenues (n=75), nous avons identifié des manières selon lesquelles les professeurs, les conseillers pédagogiques et les administrateurs interprètent leurs rôles en matière de leadership en ACEA et comment ils peuvent jouer un rôle essentiel pour faciliter le leadership au sein de leurs établissements et au-delà afin de créer des réseaux sociaux essentiels au travail de l’ACEA (Mårtensson, Roxå et Olsson, 2012; Williams et al, 2013) et de contribuer à la culture institutionnelle qui soutient et valorise ce travail. Les résultats révèlent comment les écarts entre le travail de professeurs individuels et la culture de leur communauté universitaire sont comblés par le biais de divers rôles de leadership qui traversent plusieurs niveaux au sein de leurs établissements et identifient certains des écarts qui subsistent.

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has been variously defined over its history. We suggest that evolving identity definitions are part of SoTL’s developmental process. Ascribing to Huber and Hutchings’ (2005) ‘big tent’ philosophy, we note that useful definitions of SoTL should take into account the local context and focus on the outcome of improving learning and educational quality. L’avancement des connaissances en enseignement et en apprentissage (ACEA) a été défini de diverses manières au fil de son histoire. Nous suggérons que les définitions correspondant à cette identité qui évolue font partie du processus de développement de l’ACEA. En acceptant la philosophie de la « grande tente » de Huber et Hutchings (2005), nous remarquons que les définitions utiles de l’ACEA devraient tenir compte du contexte local et se concentrer sur le résultat qui consiste à améliorer l’apprentissage et la qualité de l’éducation.

This short tribute to the value of ISSoTL conferences explores metatphors of crossing bridges and gaining the confidence through ISSoTL's support to 'dive in.' It reminds us of the value of colleagial networks in encouraging us to swim.

Although academic identity has received attention in the literature, there have been few attempts to understand the influence on identity from engagement with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). In this aper, we (a group of eight scholars from five different countries) describe how our interactions with SoTL have impacted the shaping of our academic identities. We have struggled to define the value, purpose, outcomes, and meanings of being a disciplined SoTL scholar, sometimes in addition to and sometimes in opposition to being a disciplinary scholar. Through analysis of our own 100-word reflective narratives, we identify common conflicts and configurations around our experiences of developing a SoTL identity. We describe how navigating among conflicting identities can lead us into a troublesome but deeply reflective liminal space, prompting profound realizations and the reconstruction of academic identity. Drawing on this notion of liminality helps us to understand our journeys as moving through a necessary and important transformational landscape, and allows us to suggest ways to support those engaging with SoTL to develop an integrative SoTL identity.

Integrating the arts into higher education pedagogy provides an opportunity for cultivating rich ideas and high-level thinking, capitalizing on the creativity that every person already possesses and uses (Livingston, 2010). As Newton and Plummer (2009) note “the use of the creative arts as pedagogical strategy enables individuals to better understand themselves, [and] to stimulate thinking” (p. 75).We extend that premise to examine the impact of an arts activity on scholarly thinking. Our exploratory study examines academics’ (graduate students and educators) identity and role constructs (Kelly, 1955) to understand to what extent engaging in arts-based activities supports meaning-making and conceptualizing research questions. We asked participants to reflect on collages they created, how the collage process supported their research conceptualization, challenges they encountered, and their overall reflections on the process as an adjunct to written scholarly work. We show that the process of creating collages supported participants in making their tacit knowledge explicit, in reflecting at meta-cognitive levels, and in transforming their thinking, often in ways they anticipated would affect their future practice.L’intégration des arts dans la pédagogie de l’enseignement supérieur offre l’occasion de cultiver de riches idées et rend possible une réflexion d’ordre supérieur qui permet de capitaliser sur la créativité que chaque personne possède déjà et utilise (Livingston, 2010). Comme le font remarquer Newton et Plummer (2009), « l’usage des arts créatifs en tant que stratégies pédagogiques permet aux gens de mieux se comprendre et de stimuler la réflexion. » (p. 75)Nous élargissons cette prémisse pour examiner l’impact d’une activité artistique sur la pensée savante. Notre étude exploratoire examine l’identité d’universitaires (étudiants de cycles supérieurs et éducateurs) et les constructions de rôles (Kelly, 1955) pour comprendre la mesure dans laquelle le fait de s’engager dans des activités artistiques appuie la conceptualisation de questions qui portent sur la recherche de la signification. Nous avons demandé aux participants de réfléchir aux collages qu’ils avaient créés, à la manière dont le processus de création de ces collages avait appuyé leur conceptualisation de la recherche, aux défis auxquels ils avaient été confrontés et à leur réflexion générale sur le processus en tant qu’activité d’appoint à leurs travaux académiques écrits. Nous montrons que le processus de création de collages a aidé les participants à rendre explicites leurs connaissances tacites, à réfléchir à des niveaux méta-cognitifs et à transformer leur pensée d’une manière qui allait souvent, comme ils l’avaient anticipé, affecter leur pratique future.

Graduate students use existing knowledge and are ultimately expected to add to that knowledge. Students in a Masters of Education entry course were asked to find a Wikipedia page related to the course topics, critique it, and make improvements to it to begin to develop these skills. In this paper, I examine ways in which their perspectives were transformed (Mezirow, 1991) regarding their roles in knowledge use and construction and how they grew as a result.

The purpose of the conference session upon which this paper is based was to challenge the notion that evidence of scholarship must be limited to publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and to open the doors for creative thinking about what might constitute evidence of scholarship of teaching and learning. Existing theory around defining scholarship (Boyer, 1990; Glassick, Huber, & Maeroff, 1997; Sorcinelli, 2002) can provide a justification for alternatives, but how can scholarship expressed through teaching or other creative performance be demonstrated? Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) scholars in particular may face challenges in documenting their scholarship so promotion and tenure committees can understand its worth. My intent was not to negate the importance of peer-reviewed publications, but to parallel them with other forms of scholarly dissemination that I argue might in some cases have more impact on advancing the field. I also maintain that any understandings of scholarship are both individual and contextual (Baxter Magolda, 1999). The purpose of this summary therefore is not to promote a common definition but rather to challenge the traditional boundaries of understanding. Engagement in scholarship suggests an exchange of ideas, and it is my hope that this article may serve as a starting point for future discussion.

A global view requires not only a broader perspective, but also greater depth to anchor it firmly. In increasingly changing contexts, are we connected to ourselves in a way that feeds our spirits and nourishes our work? A professional sphere based only on research and practice risks being unbalanced and may jeopardize our well-being as academics. The activities outlined in this paper encourage you to add a third support: integration of self as scholar towards a more balanced perspective. Balance in Scholarship

In the Fall 2009 term, we participated as students and instructor in a graduate education course modeled after participatory pedagogy. Siemens (2008) defines this approach as “one that does not fully define all curricular needs in advance of interacting with learners...Multiple perspectives, opinions, and active creation on the part of learners all contribute to the final context of the learner experience.” Since completing this course, we have continued our collaborative travel reflecting on our course experiences and how this learning has affected us beyond the course boundaries. In this synthesis of our journey we invite readers to join us in understanding the impact of this pedagogical approach and its transformative possibilities.

This paper examines information portrayed on Canadian educational development (ED) centre websites and, in particular, whether information that corresponds to questions compiled from a literature search of ED centre practices is readily available from centre websites. This study phase is part of a larger national study of Canadian educational development centres’ practices.

Excerpt: As a member of the International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning editorial board, I have the privilege of reviewing articles that make a significant contribution to the SoTL literature, and more importantly, to practice towards improving teaching and learning. I also occasionally see articles that could fall into that category, but fall short. For this 5th anniversary issue, members of the editorial board were asked to write 500 words on what characterizes...

Excerpt: SoTL scholars (for example, Poole, 2009; Weston, Berthiaume, Matsushita, Tovar, & Timmermans, 2008) have found using a lens of micro-meso-macro to represent individual, departmental/institutional and national/disciplinary/interdisciplinary impacts to be helpful in considering SoTL work at various levels and where there might be unexplored opportunities.