Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Network

A network for staff interested in thinking, talking, reading, and writing about their teaching practice.

Aims of the SoTL Network

• Provide opportunities for discussion and reflection about university learning and teaching (L&T)
• Provide opportunities for reading and writing about university L&T
• Support understanding of the education literature
• Build a collaborative community of scholarly academics across the university, complementing existing networks within your discipline area
• Support output of scholarly activities (in their various formats)

Who is this network for?

• anyone and everyone interested in advancing their knowledge and skills in L&T
• anyone interested in scholarly activities in L&T
• current, past, and future participants of the Edinburgh Teaching Award Scheme
• current, past, and future participants of the Principals’ Teaching Award Scheme
• established education researchers looking to expand their network
• learning technologists and learning designers
• learning advisors and student support staff
• early career staff and students
• academics moving into leadership roles

Motivations for attending activities

• Build peer support and networks; work through things together
• Finding the space and time to complete scholarly works that are sitting on your to-do list
• Learning to decode and understand education research jargon and theories
• Learning how to develop research design and methodologies applicable to a range of educational experiences
• Getting new ideas for teaching and research
• Learning where to publish and share L&T work
• Gaining evidence in scholarly continued professional development (Note: useful for those applying for the Edinburgh Teaching Award Scheme)

Upcoming Events & Activities

As the year progresses, more workshops will be added as details are confirmed, and so we would ask you to please check back throughout the academic year.

SoTL: Getting Started with SoTL: Join us to explore how to get started with Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. We will discuss the key concepts and practical advice needed to launch scholarly practices in higher education. ECRs and postgraduate students are particularly welcomed! We will draw upon the advice outlined in Peter Felten’s ‘Principles of Good Practice in SoTL’ (Link: https://doi.org/10.2979/teachlearninqu.1.1.121)

The last SoTL: Getting Started with SoTL workshop from January 2023 can be viewed on Media Hopper.

SoTL: Decoding the Literature: In these seminars, we will unpack one scholarly piece of work that is relevant across many areas of learning and teaching. The presenter will begin by summarising the piece, giving the attendees a general sense of what the piece is about. A discussion will follow where attendees can ask questions and continue to unpack how this research may be applied in practice.

SoTL: Reading & Writing about Teaching: In these sessions (both online and in-person), attendees will have dedicated time and space to read and write about their teaching. The sessions will be run similarly to the Shut-Up-And-Write format beginning with goal setting, followed by writing-OR-reading-only chunks, and ending with a brief reflection. If you don’t know where to start, a prepared reading list will be shared with attendees. We will encourage attendees to talk with each other, cultivating a sense of support and community. In-person sessions will be longer, catered, and located at specific campuses across Edinburgh.

How do I join?

If you would like to join the mailing list, please contact the IAD Learning and Teaching support team:

The privacy statement for IAD mailing lists is available here  IAD privacy statement for mailing lists here

Want to learn more about SoTL?

Visit our IAD SoTL page with further information: Scholarship of Teaching & Learning page

Additionally, as people venture into practising scholarly L&T, they may need specific questions answered or support within their practice area.

Please contact Jackie Dohaney (Academic Developer, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) for one-on-one conversations.

Dr Jacqueline Dohaney

Academic Developer (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning)

Contact details

• Email: j.dohaney@ed.ac.uk

Previous SoTL events and resources

Date & topic: Monday 28 November 2022, SoTL: Decoding the Literature: Project-based learning

Speakers: Dr Jacqueline Dohaney, Institute for Academic Development

Recording: Media Hopper

Date & topic: Monday 17 October 2022, SoTL: Qualitative education research methods

Speakers: Dr Jacqueline Dohaney, Institute for Academic Development

Recording: Media Hopper

Date & topic: Tuesday 27 September 2022, SoTL: Decoding the Literature: Cognitive load and effective learning design

Speakers: Dr Jacqueline Dohaney, Institute for Academic Development

Recording: Media Hopper

Date & topic: Monday 2 May 2022, SoTL: Decoding the Literature: Interactive vs Traditional Lecturing

Speakers: Dr Jacqueline Dohaney, Institute for Academic Development

Files: Decoding the Literature: Interactive vs Traditional Lecturing Presentation slides (PDF)

Recording: Media Hopper

Date & topic: Monday 27th June 2022, SoTL: Decoding the Literature: Debunking Learning Styles

Speakers: Dr Jacqueline Dohaney, Institute for Academic Development

Files: Decoding the Literature: Debunking Learning Styles

Recording: Media Hopper