Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)Â
Definition
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is the systematic, evidence-based study of teaching and student learning, informed by existing research and shared publicly through presentations, publications, or other scholarly forms. A robust body of literature helps educators make informed improvements to courses and curricula, strengthens student learning, and translates individual classroom discoveries into knowledge that benefits higher education more broadly.
SoTL Support at ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø
ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø is defined by its commitment to teaching. In fact, ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø is consistently ranked among the finest teaching institutions in the country. Published evidence of our excellence in this regard is, however, relatively scarce. Therefore, the Crown Center has developed a three-year pilot program providing incentives and support for ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø faculty members to explore, amplify, and share innovative pedagogical practices.
The Crown SoTL Initiative (2026-2029)
Beginning in the 2026 academic year, the Crown Center will launch a pilot program to amplify and support scholarly explorations of pedagogical innovations at ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø. The program includes:
- A series of workshops designed to help faculty members write critically about their teaching goals, strategies, and outcomes.
- Ongoing Educator Learning Community (ELC) sessions and blockly Scholarly Writing & Research Group (SWARG) gatherings to provide peer support for faculty members exploring SoTL projects.
- One-on-one sessions with Crown Center staff to support co-author matchmaking, idea generation, and article submissions.
- A SoTL Summer Fellowship Program that provides stipends to faculty actively pursuing SoTL scholarly research, writing, and presentation opportunities.
- A symposium (2029) bringing together SoTL scholars specializing in block plan/intensive learning teaching formats.
SoTL Resources
Organizations supporting SoTL research and publication:
- The principal international professional organization for SoTL. It offers conferences, interest groups, podcasts, awards, collaborative writing groups, and the journal Teaching & Learning Inquiry.
- : Particularly useful for faculty developers and teaching-center staff. It offers publications, conferences, professional communities, and research grants.
- The principal international association devoted specifically to block, intensive, and immersive higher education. It provides membership, conferences, workshops, regional chapters, awards, networks, publications, and recorded resources.
Research Resources:
- Practical guidance for structuring research assignments, library instruction, independent work, field activities, and individual consultation within a one-course-at-a-time calendar
- Resources on defining SoTL, student–faculty research partnerships, engaged learning, publishing, and promotion and tenure
- : An evidence-informed guide for designing, teaching, supporting, and administering intensive courses
- : Five broad research areas useful for identifying significant SoTL questions and positioning projects within international conversations
- A collection of podcasts, videos, case studies, conference presentations, guidance, and a bibliography of more than 80 articles, chapters, and reports on block and immersive teaching
- Topic-based introductions and annotated readings for researchers entering unfamiliar areas of SoTL
- : A substantial bibliography of foundational and discipline-based SoTL literature
- A free, structured guide covering research questions, literature reviews, ethics, evidence, project design, data analysis, quality, and dissemination
Intensive Learning/Block Plan SoTL Articles
- Konjarski, “The Block: A Catalyst for Ongoing Innovation” (2023)
- Kidd, “: A Literature Review on the Shortened Course Format” (2025)
- Male et al., “Students’ Experiences of Threshold Capability Development with Intensive Mode Teaching”
- Kretovics, Crowe, and Hyun, “A Study of Faculty Perceptions of Summer Compressed Courses”
- Loton et al., “Introducing Block Mode to First-Year University Students
- Dixon and O’Gorman, “‘Block Teaching’: Exploring Lecturers’ Perceptions”
- Freeman, Fedesco, and Cavin, “Teaching Compressed Courses: The Block Plan at ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø”
Publications Accepting SoTL Articles
- : Research on effective learning, teaching, assessment, engagement, and active-learning approaches
- : Concise interdisciplinary studies of instructional practices, assessment, classroom management, and educational technology
- : Original research connecting higher-education theory, educational development, policy, and practice
- : International, interdisciplinary SoTL research; open access and double-blind peer reviewed
- Research, theoretical work, and innovative practices related to postsecondary pedagogy
- : Rigorous empirical research, theoretical work, and studies of innovative tertiary-level teaching practices
- A peer-reviewed, double-blind, open-access journal published by IBILTA
- : Evidence-based studies of college and university teaching and student learning across disciplines
- : Practice-connected research with relevance beyond one classroom
- : Accessible research and practice-oriented scholarship for faculty, graduate students, instructional designers, and faculty developers
- SoTL and scholarship of academic development, welcomes contributors from all disciplines and countries
- : Larger-scale or strongly theorized research on teaching, learning, institutions, policy, and higher education systems
- : Empirical or interpretive research, theory, commentary, reviews, and ‘SoTL in Process’ articles
- Critical, theoretically developed scholarship that transcends disciplinary boundaries. Better suited to conceptually ambitious projects than descriptive classroom reports