2 Collaboration in SoTL

SoTL research frequently is a solo act, conducted by an individual educator. However, Bass (1999) states that instead of viewing SoTL research as a way to solve a ‘teaching problem’ all on one’s own, SoTL should rather be viewed as a collaborative activity or as a communal property (Shulman, 2004), where we engage with others to improve our craft:

The solitary approach of SoTL can and should be complemented by a more collaborative approach to inquiry (Felten et al., 2019). Richard Gale has argued:

When a SoTL inquiry is conducted in collaboration with students and peers, SoTL practice is benefited in several ways:

• to collaborate with and learn from colleagues who have more experience in SoTL research than you may have
• to bring in multidisciplinary expertise to the problem being investigated; for example, virtual reality and user experience specialist collaborating with a Geology subject matter expert on a SoTL project to investigate the role of three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality field trips in supporting outdoor fieldwork
• to work with colleagues who bring in skills that you require for the SoTL inquiry but may not have; for example, a statistician to help with the analysis of a survey
• to be able to investigate aspects of student learning on shared pedagogical concerns beyond a particular module/local context/discipline
• to explore questions that are broader and deeper than what is possible in studies of individual classrooms or involving your own set of students
• to bring in perspectives of students to the formulation and design of the inquiry; involve them as co-researchers and as co-authors in dissemination (we will discuss the role of students as partners in SoTL in Session 4)
• to have an ongoing peer review and collective reflection of the SoTL inquiry
• to be able to disseminate the outcomes of SoTL in multidisciplinary communities.

A collaborative SoTL inquiry often yields both specific and general outcomes. Thus, the inquiry contributes towards the primary motive of SoTL by helping to improve an individual SoTL researcher’s practice, and may also have application beyond the local context of a classroom or a module, magnifying a positive change and impact at departmental or institutional levels (Felten et al., 2019).

Activity 2 Collaborative SoTL inquiry

Timing: Allow approximately 5 minutes

As you watch this Center for Engaged Learning video (from 15:32 to 16:42) on collaborative SoTL inquiry by Pat Hutchings, National Institute of Learning Outcomes Assessment and the Bay View Alliance in the USA, make brief notes on the benefits of collaborative inquiry.

Then read the case study that follows and think about how the approach taken in the SoTL inquiry is highly dependent on the collaborative enquiry approach.

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Transcript: Video 2 Collaboration in SoTL

PAT HUTCHINGS

One of the developments that I'm excited about, and I think a lot of people are, is adding to the kind of work that most people begin with, some more collaborative work. So there'll always be a place one would hope for work that individual scholars would do in their own classroom focused on their own students. But increasingly, I'm seeing people coming together around questions that cut across courses. So I might work with another person in an English department to ask about some aspects of learning that we haven't- that we worry about or focus on in common across courses in the field. Or might work with others across fields who are worrying about writing, for instance. So more collaborative work with others around larger outcomes, if you will. I think there's a lot of benefit there in terms of the opportunities for collaboration, and also the opportunity to contribute to larger agendas at the institutional level.

End transcript: Video 2 Collaboration in SoTL

Video 2 Collaboration in SoTL

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Future Directions and Emerging Trends in SOTL [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] video by Center for Engaged Learning, Elon University, https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by-nc-nd/ 4.0/

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Discussion

Pat Hutchings discusses how a collaborative SoTL inquiry facilitates investigating questions related to student learning that cut across modules, courses and disciplines, resulting in outcomes that may contribute to institutional agendas. These themes are inherent to the case study described below.

Now read the case study that follows and think about how the approach taken in the SoTL inquiry is highly dependent on the collaborative enquiry approach.

If you are new to SoTL, need help in getting started or help in finding collaborators, having a mentor can be helpful. You will examine this further in the next section.