One Important Lesson I've Learned from My Involvement with SoTL

Abstract

as a regular feature in Teaching & Learning Inquiry, we will ask leading thinkers in the field of SoTL to articulate one important lesson they have learned over the course of their careers. In this first installment, Joy mighty talks about leadership in its numerous forms, from in di vidual to institutional, and its potential for the development of SoTL. before becoming the associate Vice-president, Teaching and Learning, at Carleton university in Ottawa, Joy was the Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning and professor in the School of business at queen's university in Canada. Joy has also served as the president of the Society for Teaching and Learning in higher education, and is the co-editor of Taking Stock: Research on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

Leading Up in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

“…And disciplinary biases can make a scholarly teacher reluctant to embrace an identity as a SoTL scholar. Nevertheless, like Mighty (2013), we argue that leadership in SoTL does not require an appointment to a formal position, nor does it require a particular temperament or personality type. Rather, successful leadership is situational, embedded in a context that includes many individuals' narratives and skills, disciplinary cultures, types of microcultures, as well as institutional structures, communication processes, and reward systems (Gibbs, Knapper, & Piccinin, 2008;Kezar & Eckel, 2002;Marcketti, VanDerZanden, & Leptien, 2015;.…”

“…In this quadrant a teaching and learning centre (TLC) may concentrate its typical activities on individual instructors and courses. The literature has argued for the vital role of teaching and learning centres and educational developers in SoTL leadership, especially in facilitating networks of scholars and in advocating for institutional support (Mighty, 2013;Williams et al, 2013). Individual SoTL scholars can lead in this context by connecting with their teaching and learning centre to identify potential collaborators and projects, and to showcase and disseminate SoTL work through educational events, research showcases, and local conferences.…”

“…Williams and colleagues offer a thorough summary of the psychology of such resistance, while pointing out that "if departments are the places where barriers to change exist, they are also important loci for change" (Williams et al, 2013, p. 52). In an environment of resistance, leaders recognize their responsibility to generate awareness of the value of SoTL among their micro-level peers, and they use their positional power to influence their colleagues by example (Bernstein, 2013;Mighty, 2013). They organize and participate in learning communities, workshops and seminars, and take advantage of social media and the institution's communication channels (newsletters, intranets, etc.)…”

“…First, it extends SoTL awareness to scholars who might not otherwise encounter it, thus enlarging the field itself. Second, as Mighty (2013) suggests, when SoTL work is presented and published in disciplinary venues, the work is then perceived by the institution to have greater value for assessments of merit.…”

“…In the inaugural issue of Teaching & Learning Inquiry, Mighty (2013) proclaims that "perhaps the most important lesson that I have learned in relation to SoTL [is] the critical role of leadership" (p. 114). By describing leadership in terms of influence, Mighty shows that leadership activities are not restricted to deans and other administrators, but can emerge at every level and in many contexts: for example, among students, with faculty, within disciplinary associations, and in educational development units.…”