Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Thursday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

What is the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL)?

The Scholarship of Teaching & Learning is a systematic approach of investigating teaching and learning in higher education. SoTL involves the formation of a specific research questions, collecting data and evidence with appropriate methodologies, data analysis and dissemination of results to the public. Distinct about SoTL is emphasis on improving teaching and/or learning. While scholarly teaching is the personal reflexive act of inquiry into one’s own teaching, SoTL involves original research questions and the dissemination of research results with a broader audience.

In order for an inquiry to be considered SoTL, it must:

Be centered on teaching and learning,
Use systematic inquiry and appropriate research methods,
Be publicly shared and peer-reviewed,
Undertaken with the goal to increase understanding of how to maximize learning, and
Foster critical reflection on the part of the scholar (Felton, 2013).

Why is SoTL important?

SoTL scholars become reflective, innovative and student-centered teachers. They are driven by continuous improvement, and also by the hope of sharing their teaching discoveries and approaches with others. SoTL provides a space for the intersection of research and teaching and can also demonstrate one’s commitment to teaching.

Become a CITL SoTL Fellow!

CITL is excited to support faculty wanting to develop as SoTL scholars via the CITL SoTL Fellows program. Interested faculty (of any rank), post-doctoral researchers and graduate students are encouraged to learn more and apply. Applications will close May 15th 2024.

Apply Here

SoTL at UMaine

UMaine and UMaine at Machias have a large number of SoTL scholars investigating a diversity of questions around teaching, learning, and faculty educational development. Learn more about these faculty and their important work.

Randy Bass (Georgetown University), Joanna Renc-Roe (Central European University, Budapest), Pat Hutchings (Gonzaga University), Barbara Gayle (Viterbo University), Dan Bernstein (University of Kansas), Mary Taylor Huber (Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching), Gary Poole (University of British Columbia), Nancy Chick (Vanderbilt University), Tony Ciccone (University of Wisconsin — Milwaukee), and Sherry Linkon (Georgetown University) describe key characteristics of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Presented by the Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University and the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), this video was produced for ISSOTL Online 2013, an online conference held in conjunction with the ISSOTL 2013 conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. Learn more about ISSOTL Online 2013 at http://blogs.elon.edu/issotl13. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Felten, Peter. (2013). Principles of good practice in SoTL. Teachng & Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 1(1), 121-125. Retrieved from https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/TLI/article/view/57376/43149