The Scholarship Of Academic Development

In recent times academic development has moved from the margins to the mainstream of higher education institutions. This work addresses the concept and nature of academic development and examines research into and within the field. It shows how academic development might be distinguished from and overlap with educational development and staff development, and how it encompasses those activities concerned with developing learning and teaching in higher education at individual, departmental, faculty, institutional and even at national/international levels.

Within the field of academic development, the last twenty years have seen a great expansion of published research into practice and the further development of theoretical approaches. This growth in the scholarship of academic development matches a growth in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Advancing Practice in Academic Development draws on these evolving scholarships to advance professional practice in academic development, addressing questions such as: . How have global academic developers and their units developed and changed over recent decades? How has the context in which academic development work is done altered? What have academic developers and their professional associations learnt? Case studies and examples are used throughout the text to illustrate development scenarios and methods. Academic development is considered as, among others, a critical, a scholarly, a principled, a pragmatic, a supporting and a leadership role. This book is ideal for use on academic development courses run by SEDA and other international organisations as well as by those who have responsibility for leading the improvement of educational practice. Written in a scholarly, accessible, stimulating and practical style, this book acknowledges difficulties and offers ways forward. As well as analysing problems, it offers solutions. Links to web sources referenced in this book can be found at www.seda.ac.uk/apad

Educational developers play a central role in supporting faculty members and informing their ongoing professional development programming through the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). SoTL presents an opportunity for faculty professional development that is action-oriented, evidence-based, and engaging for faculty members at any stage in their academic career. Evidence-Based Faculty Development Through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is a critical scholarly publication that examines SoTL research as a method of professional development for educational developers and higher education faculty members. Highlighting topics such as professional development, research ethics, and faculty engagement, this book is ideal for deans, professors, department chairs, academicians, administrators, educational developers, curriculum designers, researchers, and students.

Praise for The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Reconsidered "A worthy capstone that pulls together two decades of Carnegie Foundation projects on the scholarship of teaching and learning. The authors review the genesis of these ideas and envision a future of continued integration of a culture of evidence in the world's universities and colleges. Projects end but the work continues." —Lee S. Shulman, president emeritus, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education emeritus, Stanford University "This book captures the most important lessons from a decade of thoughtful experimentation with methods to improve the learning outcomes of American college students. The authors have deep experience in institutionalizing various approaches that have been devised and endorsed by faculty in many kinds of higher education settings. It will be a manual for those seeking to improve their own teaching and learning outcomes." —Katharine Lyall, president emerita, University of Wisconsin System "The authors recount the history of research into one's own teaching, further develop its conceptualization, and make recommendations for how to bring it into the mainstream. Collectively, they have been at the center of the movement and have written, spoken, strategized, and organized conversations and scholarly work on the topic for many years. They present rich examples from many different environments and an unwavering vision of the benefits of the scholarship of teaching and learning and its potential." —Nancy Chism, Indiana University School of Education, Indianapolis "This book reframes the literature on the scholarship of teaching and learning, faculty development, assessment, and the future of higher education. The writing sparkles with fresh analysis on teaching, learning, academic culture, and the possibilities for change. This book will help both individual faculty and entire institutions to enhance scholarly teaching and to deepen student learning." —Peter Felten, assistant provost and director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, and associate professor of history, Elon University

This is a book for anyone who has ever considered engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning – known familiarly as SoTL – and needs a better understanding of what it is, and how to engage in it. The authors describe how to create a SoTL project, its implications for promotion and tenure, and how it fosters:* Increased satisfaction and fulfillment in teaching* Improved student learning* Increased productivity of scholarly publication* Collaboration with colleagues across disciplines* Contributing to a growing and important body of literatureThis guide provides prospective SoTL scholars with the necessary background information, foundational theory, tools, resources, and methodology to develop their own SoTL projects, taking the reader through the five stages of the process: Generating a research question; Designing the study; Collecting the data; Analyzing the data; and Presenting and publishing your SoTL project. Each stage is illustrated by examples of actual SoTL studies, and is accompanied by worksheets to help the reader refine ideas and map out his or her next steps. The process and worksheets are the fruit of the successful SoTL workshops the authors have offered at their institution for many years. SoTL differs from scholarly and reflective teaching in that it not only involves questioning one’s teaching or a teaching strategy, but also formally gathering and exploring evidence, researching the literature, refining and testing practices, and finally going public. The purpose of SoTL is not just to make an impact on student learning, but through formal, peer-reviewed communication, to contribute to the larger knowledge base on teaching and learning. While the roots of SoTL go back some 30 years, it was Ernest Boyer in his classic Scholarship Reconsidered who made the case for the parity of the scholarships of integration, of discovery, of application, and of scholarship of teaching as vital to the health of higher education. Glassick, Huber, and Maeroff ’s subsequent Scholarship Assessed articulated the quality standards for SoTL, since when the field has burgeoned with the formation of related associations, a proliferation of conferences, the launching of numerous journals, and increasing recognition and validation by institutions.

This book makes a significant contribution to the literature on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). It provides both theoretical and practical insights that should be of interest to many SoTL scholars and practitioners worldwide. The theme of teaching and learning, and SoTL, as fundamentally communicative acts, connects the entire volume and will be picked up by SoTL scholars elsewhere as a useful and critical frame for future scholarship. The cases from South Africa and Sweden offer new perspectives on teaching, learning, and SoTL.ÿ

A survey of exemplary SoTL research projects and the use of their results on a broader scale. When the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) emerged, it often concentrated on individual faculty practice in one classroom; it is now, however, increasingly common to find work in SoTL focused more broadly. SoTL studies may engage with a cluster of courses, a program, a particular population of students, a pedagogical approach, or a field—all of which are represented in the essays collected here by authors from a diverse array of institutions and nations. This volume features examples of SoTL research conducted in, and applied to, a variety of contexts and disciplines, offering a theoretical framework for an expanded vision of SoTL—one that moves beyond the individual classroom.

Develop effective models of practice and positively impact institutional teaching and learning quality. This volume provides examples and evidence of the ways in which post-secondary institutions in Canada have developed and sustained programs around the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) that impact the institutional pedagogical climate. Topics include: the historical development of SoTL in Canada, institutional SoTL practices, including evidence of impact, program design and case studies, and continuing challenges with this work. This is the 146th volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education series. It offers a comprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving college teaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and the latest findings of educational and psychological researchers.