Planning your SoTL Project

The first step is for you to begin thinking about potential research questions. Is there something new that you are trying, and would like to assess? Do you have any particular questions about your students, such as how they study or what knowledge they bring to the course? If you do, please jot them down! If not--don't panic. One of our first tasks will be to help you come up with a good question.

 

Here are the slides for our SoTL Institute planning day. They walk you through the planning process.

SoTL Institute day 1.2106.pptx

 

There are many potential tools for data collection. We suggest using existing data such as student work, exam scores, course grades, student evaluations whenever possible, because it is no extra work for you. 

Other sources of tools:

Angelo and Cross, Classroom Assessment Techniques Links to an external site.

Barkley and Majors, Learning Assessment Techniques Links to an external site.

CLASSE Links to an external site. is a class-level version of the NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement). You must fill out some paperwork, so this is not a "last minute" tool. 

 

Some readings:

 A brief overview of Download classroom action research

(an informal version of SoTL), by Gwynn.

Another brief Download overview article

 on how to turn your teaching into SoTL, from Faculty Focus.

If you are feeling more adventurous, here is a longer article on the Download Role of SoTL in the Academy.

Discusses using SoTL as teaching excellence vs as scholarship. (Beth and I were co-authors)