Beyond Lines on the CV: Faculty Applications of Their Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research

This paper reports on a study focusing on a key issue in the field of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). The goal of our research was to examine the frequency, types, supports, and barriers for the practical application of SoTL results. In this paper we report on quantitative and qualitative results from a study assessing the level and forms of concrete applications of SoTL to improve teaching and learning. We obtained data from a self-administered questionnaire and a focus group with respondents drawn from 20 faculty/staff recipients of internal SoTL grants at a large Midwestern university as well as data from a larger survey project on SoTL with 152 faculty and staff members at the same institution. We found positive attitudes about the practical value of SoTL and that most of the faculty/staff respondents reported they regularly applied their own and/or others’ SoTL work to their teaching and students’ learning. They also reported that application is less likely at other levels (e.g., department). Supports for greater application included time, funding, collaboration, and situational factors. Finally, we provide brief, concrete examples of application.