Lesson 3: Designing a SoTL Project

In this lesson, you will have the opportunity to reflect on the alignment of your teaching and learning scholarship to the key principles of SoTL. These principles are typically embedded in grant applications, such as the University of Calgary Teaching and Learning Grants program. 

There are many step-by-step guides and resources available to help with planning a SoTL project. We recommend that you first use one of the following guides to develop your project, and then return to this lesson to further reflect on your project’s alignment. 

• Engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning: A guide to the process, and how to develop a project from start to finish (Link) 

• Hopscotch Model: Create your own research design (Link) 

• Utrecht Roadmap for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (UR-SoTL) (Link) 

• SoTL Research Methodologies (Link) 

When conducting a SoTL project, many different topics and goals can be explored, including teaching methods, revising the curriculum, incorporating innovative technology into teaching approaches and assessing student achievement. Choosing a SoTL topic often begins with reflection on your local teaching and learning context.  

Ideas will likely also align with curriculum review findings or action plans, strategic plans or initiatives, or academic plans. For example, for the University of Calgary Teaching and Learning Grants program, a list of focus areas is provided each year to help applicants identify how their SoTL can contribute to wider conversations and campus efforts.

Once you have identified a general topic area, a literature review will help you to: 

1. Better understand and ground your project in current knowledge on your topic 
2. Identify the best methods to approach your question 

SoTL research methodologies are diverse, and practices can vary within and among disciplines. You can start with a literature review to identify the best methods to approach your question. Reading what others have done within your discipline or topic area will allow you to identify what is known, and how that understanding has been generated. Using methods and tools previously used will also allow you to add ongoing conversations. Developing your methods is an iterative approach, and you will want to continue re-defining your research questions as you determine your methods. 

A few of the most common methods that newcomers to SoTL use are surveys, evaluating student work, interviews, focus groups, or case studies. A description of these methods with links to research guides is available through the SoTL LibGuide.  

For the UCalgary community, a TFDL SoTL librarian is available to assist with finding literature and methodologies (set up an appointment below)

Your SoTL work will have many impacts. For a number of projects, the largest impact will be felt by students engaged in the educational innovations or improvements that arise from SoTL practice. SoTL work is also important because it inspires others beyond individual courses. When designing your project, you can consider all of the ways that your work can make a difference. SoTL scholars share their work with students, staff, faculty, and administrators through seminars, workshops, open education resources, blogs, podcasts, conferences, book chapters and journal articles.  

See Lesson 1 ‘Get Involved’ for many examples of how work can be shared.