SoTL Consultations

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) is research on teaching and learning in higher education that aims to bring rigor to analyzing what happens in the classroom.  It is multidisciplinary in its orientation and therefore brings a myriad of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of teaching and learning, often with very empirical studies of teaching effectiveness via systematic data gathering. Fundamentally, this scholarship of teaching and learning involves asking and answering meaningful questions about student learning, and about the teaching activities designed to facilitate it.

Many instructors at Vanderbilt have found the scholarship of teaching and learning informative for their practice and have sought consultations with CFT staff about it to deepen their base of knowledge and improve their instruction, their courses, and entire curricula. Some have sought to conduct their own scholarship on teaching and learning via rigorous analysis of their own teaching, often leading to publications or other professional engagements.

CFT staff are available for consultations about any stage of the SoTL process – question generation, literature review, project design, gathering evidence of student learning, analysis, presenting or publishing the work. SoTL represents an opportunity to more fully reflect upon and assess one’s teaching, and can lead to significant professional growth.

To arrange a SOTL consultation, call the CFT at 615-322-7290 or email our administrative assistant, Juliet Traub, at least a week in advance. Juliet will schedule the consultation with one of our consultants.