learning and professional identities scholarship of...
TRANSCRIPT
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Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and Professional
Identities
Clarke MathanyErin Aspenlieder
Katie ClowUniversity of Guelph
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Setting the Context
• University of Guelph– Midsize, comprehensive – 20, 291 full time
undergraduate & graduate students
– 840 faculty, 2000 staff– Open Learning and
Educational Support • Inspiring and empowering
excellence in teaching and learning
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Setting the Context
• Study bridges two areas: – scholarly identity formation– ‘engagement’ with the scholarship of teaching and
learning
• With few exceptions (Simmons, et al 2013), current research on ‘engagement’ with SoTL focuses on faculty perspectives
• Current research on academic identity focuses on the ‘discipline’ as core.
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Setting the Context: Academic ‘Identity’
• Identity is shaped and formed by strong and stable communities and the social processes generated within them (Henkel, 2005).
• For academics, the discipline is at the core of their academic identity and is reinforced by entrenched reward systems and interests, values and deeply ingrained ways of understanding research and inquiry. (Chalmers, 2011).
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Research Questions
1. Do participants conceive of themselves as researchers in the scholarship of teaching and learning?
2. How does the scholarship of teaching and learning fit in within their own disciplinary or professional identity?
3. What, if any, barriers do scholarship of teaching and learning researchers experience when engaging in SoTL research?
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Methods90 minute semi-structured focus groups
7 Faculty 1 Sessional
Range from 1.5 to 32 years of SoTL
experience
5 Graduate Students
PhD students at all stages
6 Professional Staff
LibraryLearning Commons
Teaching and Learning Centre
Transcribed, initial coding and thematic analysis
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Five Themes that Impact Identity Emerging
Definitions Training
AnxietiesIdentity
Motivation
Barriers
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Definitions
“It’s like an umbrella term for all the different avenues that research can take”
“I’m thinking about the word scholar...it’s someone who is considered an expert within a particular field.”
“If I am doing research in SOTL, I am actually conducting a research study in that area.”
“It’s a systematic, evidence-based way for me to evaluate my teaching as well as to do research on my teaching.”
“I think it is primarily a faculty-orientated term.“
“..Intentionally engaged in a project related to teaching and/or learning, with the intent to publish or present at a conference”
“...a way of looking at the trends of what people are implementing in their teaching and also the trends in learning.”
FacultyGraduate students
Staff
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Definitions
SoTL continuum
Where is the line? Do you need to publish for it to be research?
Formal research with
publication
Scholarly approach to
teaching
Faculty and staffGraduate students
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Definitions
• What might be the value or drawback of a universal definition of SoTL?
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Motivations
Faculty
➔ Fulfill professional responsibility
➔ Foster continuous improvement in teaching
Graduate Students
➔ Strengthen CV➔ Stand out in a
competitive job market
➔ Diversify research skills
➔ Collaborate with other disciplines
Staff
➔ Establish credibility with faculty
➔ Foster continuous improvement in programming
➔ Facilitate positive change in the education
➔ Make a place for ‘learning’ in SoTL
Make a difference to students.
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TrainingFormal training Increased
confidence inconducting SoTL + credibility
Informal training Supports dissemination
e.g. Developmental, longer-term programs that include scaffolded opportunities in different areas of SoTL research (formulating research questions, methodologies, ethics)
e.g. Mentorship, communities of practice, critical reflection.
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Training
- How might these different research and academic identities impact our programming?
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Common Barriers
● Funding
● Systemic ○ value of SoTL across institution ○ research ethics ○ information targeted at faculty
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Unique Barriers
Faculty Graduate Students Staff
● pigeon-holed● discipline leaders may
devalue● faculty status and
contribution toward T&P● support (or lack of from
departmental chair)● PD resource allocation to
SoTL or discipline?
● awareness of literature● lack of prescribed
methods● value judgment of
department / advisor● time to complete side
projects
● gaining access to campus SoTL network
● time dedicated within position - is overtime worth it?
● confidence in applying methods
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Barriers
• What are some of the ways you currently foster a culture that is supportive of SoTL?
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AnxietiesFaculty
➔ Scholar suggests credentials & depth of knowledge
➔ Perception of colleagues that SoTL journals are ‘tiny-tots’
Graduate Students
➔ Only lead to teaching-centric positions
➔ Misunderstanding leads to resistance
➔ No disciplinary home - being on the fringe
➔ Hide it or own it?
Staff
➔ Imposter syndrome➔ Resentment toward
perceived teaching / classroom focus of SoTL
➔ Require coaching to be proud of SoTL research
A ‘second class citizen’
Levels the playing field
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Not everyone identified anxieties
“I see absolutely zero disadvantages to identifying as a SoTL researcher....I only align myself with people who are pro-teaching, student-centred SoTL researcher and if you don’t like that about me, then I don’t work with you.” - P4, Faculty
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Research(er) Identities
Faculty
Grad Students
Staff
All identify as researchers; many separate disciplinary research from SoTL research and claim SoTL researcher when the activity is formal.
Some identify as researchers in their discipline - all as ‘developing’ researchers; none as SoTL researchers - even those doing SoTL projects.
“And I think too, when I think of myself as a researcher, it’s not actually when I’m taking a scholarly approach to teaching, it’s whe I’m doing actual research with REB or something” (F, P2)
“I would say that I’ve conducted SoTL research, but I wouldn’t say that I identify as a SOTL researcher. I think the reasons being are that I don’t identify as being a researcher in general. I think you grow into that identity the more you do it” (GS, P3).
Many do not identify as researchers at all; with some expressing lacking confidence or credibility.
“Take out the word SoTL and I didn’t even think I was a researcher” (S, P6).
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Research(er) Identities
How would you describe the relationship between a disciplinary research identity and a SoTL research identity?
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Next steps with our research
- Refine coding- Solidify thematic analysis - Consider implications for our campus support of
SoTL programming - Look to impact campus culture - back to our
departmental vision
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Discussion
- Considering the information presented, what strategies for supporting SoTL researchers at your institution might you change or develop?
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Questions
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ReferencesChalmers, D. (2011). Progress and challenges to the recognition and reward of the Scholarship of Teaching in higher education, Higher Education Research & Development, 30:1, 25-38, DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2011.536970
McKinney, K. (2006). Attitudinal and structural factors contributing to challenges in the work of the scholarship of teaching and learning. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2006(129), 37-50.
Simmons, N., Abrahamson, E., Deshler, J. M., Kensington-Miller, B., Manarin, K., Morón-García, S., et al. (2013). Conflicts and Configurations in a Liminal Space: SoTL Scholars' Identity Development. Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 1(2), 9-21.