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The Scholarship
of Teaching and Learning
The Center for Teaching Excellence is committed to
enhancing the effectiveness of the teaching and learning on our campus.
One method is by assisting our instructors to become scholarly
teachers; that is, to be knowledgeable in pedagogy and reflective
about their teaching practices.
Those who wish to contribute to the pedagogical
knowledge may do so through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
(SoTL). This endeavor as defined by Pat Hutching and Lee Schulman (Change
1999) is a rigorous examination of
the relationship of teaching and learning and is characterized by “being
public, open to critique and evaluation, and in a form that others can
build on.”
On our campus, SoTL work is a systematic reflection
and investigation of our classrooms. It is a bridge between the acts of
teaching and research, with explicit focus on enhancing student
learning. It is asking questions about what works, what doesn’t, and
why and then transforming these activities into a discipline.
Commitment for this initiative is evidenced through our membership in
the Research University
Consortium for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (RUCASTL).
In addition, we have on our campus
two Carnegie Scholars, Vernon Burton (2000-2001) and Michael Loui
(2003-2004), who have SoTL projects.
The Center will provide resources and support to
further promote this process of inquiry. We offer a number of
activities, events, and references in which interested scholars may
learn about or participate in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Please check this site periodically as we contribute to this initiative.
For the Fall 2006 semester, we invite the UIUC SoTL community
to join in a new venture with this year’s 2006-07 Distinguished Teacher
Scholars: Chip Bruce and Kim Graber. This year-long project, titled “Inquiry
into Inquiries” offers weekly reading/discussion groups and an opportunity to
submit a proposal for fostering inquiry and leadership for the improvement of student
learning and reflective teaching. Click
here for a description of the initiative, the reading
list, resources on inquiry, and project awardees.
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