Source: BCcampus News via Academica | February 2, 2015
[CIEC Academic Member] Simon Fraser University’s Institute for the Study of Teaching and Learning in the Disciplines (ISTLD) is working on the development of a framework and resource guide to assist faculty in designing and conducting research involving the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). “Institutions in other provinces have created tools designed to foster inquiry into teaching and learning,” said ISTLD’s Greg Hum, “But for the most part, they don’t focus enough on the specifics of research design and the analysis step in particular, and this is where we’ve seen many projects struggle. We saw the need for a new resource as an opportunity to create a better conceptualization—one that’s practical and will be embraced by our faculty.” SoTL research consists of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, but many researchers rely heavily on surveys and/or best practices that may limit the outcomes of the research. In addition to building the guide, ISTLD is also working to create user-friendly tools to assist with data analysis.