Getting started with SoTL

Many of us are preparing to begin our classes for the fall term, so we thought sharing a very brief, albeit dated (2007) article entitled, "Getting started with SoTL in your classroom" by Francis might help us consider important steps to consider before the first day of class.

This work reviews foundation information related to SoTL and combines ideas from multiple authors into a manageable vision. The author identifies a seven-step process for use in an individual classroom, and shares a classroom example of the use of SoTL to improve an individual's practice. The steps include:

1. identify the question (hypothesis, research question, problem statement), and/or describe what it is to be learned;

2. develop a plan to gather data (create/find data collection instruments);

3. gather and analyze data (qualitative and/or quantitative);

4. describe your results and generate a context;

5. state your conclusions;

6. share your results publicly; and

7. make decisions about future actions related to your question.

One action item that you might consider for day one of your class is to collect pre-assessment data on student's background related to the topic of your research question. This will provide helpful comparison data when you begin to analyze data following new teaching method(s) that you share.

Francis, R. (2007). Getting started with SoTL in your classroom. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 1(2), Article 20.