The Challenges and Joys of Juggling There has been growing demand for workshops and materials to help those in higher education conduct and use the scholarship of teaching and learning. This book offers advice on how to do, share, and apply SoTL work to improve student learning and development. Written for college-level faculty members as well as faculty developers, administrators, academic staff, and graduate students, this book will also help undergraduate students collaborating with faculty on SoTL projects. Though targeted at those new to the field of SoTL, more seasoned SoTL researchers and those attempting to support SoTL efforts will find the book valuable. It can be used as an individual reading, a shared reading in SoTL writing circles, a resource in workshops on SoTL, and a text in seminars on teaching. Contents include:

• Defining SoTL
• The functions, value, rewards, and standards for SoTL work
• Working with colleagues, involving students, writing grants, integrating SoTL into your professional life, and finding useful resources
• Practical and ethical issues associated with SoTL work
• Making your SoTL public and documenting your work
• The status of SoTL in disciplinary and institutional

  contexts

• Applying the goals of SoTL to enhance student

  learning and development.

"This book offers a guide to the scholarship of teaching and learning for faculty, faculty development, administrators, and graduate students." (Journal of Continuing Higher Education, Fall 2007)

Kathleen McKinneyis professor of sociology and Cross Endowed Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Illinois State University.

About the Author.

Foreword.

Preface.

1. What Is the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning?

A Bit of SoTL History.

Example Definitions.

Related Concepts.

Conclusion.

2. Why Do SoTL?

Function of SoTL.

Value and Fit in the Reward Structure.

Standards for SoTL Work.

Conclusion.

3. How Do I Get Started?

Challenges for First Timers (and Others).

What Is the "Problem"?

Example SoTL Research Problems and Questions.

The Role of Theory and the Importance of Definitions.

Refining Your Question(s).

Searching for Literature.

Conclusion.

4. How Can I Move My Project Forward?

The Importance of Collaboration.

Collaborations With Colleagues.

Involving Students as Coresearchers.

Integrating SoTL Projects Into Your Existing Professional Life and Workload.

Resources for SoTL Work.

Think Outside the Box: Resources Broadly Defined.

Tips for Grant Writing.

SoTL Funding Opportunities.

Conclusion.

5. What Are the Practical and Ethical Issues I Must Consider?

Practical Issues.

Ethical Issues--Overview.

Institutional Review Boards.

Three Ethical Criteria.

Informed Consent.

Right to Privacy.

Protection From Harm.

Starting to Put It All Together.

Conclusion.

6. How Do I Design My SoTL Project?

Two General Issues.

The Quantitative and/or Qualitative Choice.

Time Frames for Your Study.

Typologies or Categories of Methods.

Specific Methodologies and Examples.

Course Portfolios and Other Refection and Analysis.

Interview and Focus Groups.

Observational Research.

Questionnaires.

Content Analysis.

Secondary Analysis.

Experiments and Quasi-Experiments.

Case Studies.

Multimethod Studies.

Analysis and Interpretation.

How Far Have We Come?

Conclusion.

7. How Do I Make My SoTL Public and Document My Work?

The Meanings of Making Public and Peer Review.

How Common Is Making Public?

Tips and Outlets for Making Public.

Publications.

Presentations.

Web Postings.

Documenting SoTL Work for the Reward System.

Conclusion.

8. What Are the Disciplinary and Institutional Contexts of SoTL?

Disciplinary Context.

Similarities and Difference in Views of SoTL.

Status of SoTL in the Disciplines.

Example SoTL Projects in the Disciplines.

Meaning of Cross- and Interdisciplinary SoTL.

Examples of Cross-Disciplinary SoTL.

Institutional Context.

Campus Support--Some Data.

Campus Support--Possible Methods.

Strategies for Campus Support.

Conclusion.

9. Where Do We Go From Here?

SoTL and Transforming Culture.

Using SoTL.

Levels and Forms of Application.

Some Data on Application.

Thinking About Use and Application.

The Future of SoTL.

Challenges and Opportunities in the Field of SoTL.

Future Images.

Conclusion.

Appendix A: Example Campus Survey on Status of SoTL.

Appendix B: Additional Resources on SoTL--Web Sites, Articles, Chapters, and Books.

Appendix C: List of SoTL Journals and Newsletters.

Appendix D: Example Call for Proposals for Campus SoTL Small Grants.

Appendix E: Possible Funding Sources for SoTL Work.

Appendix F: Example IRB Form Questions and Responses for an Interview Study.

Appendix G: Sample of Useful Books on Portfolios, Classroom Assessment/Research, and Methods.

Appendix H: Example Tenure and Promotion Language re SoTL.

Bibliography.

Index.