SoTL | Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Overview
The SoTL USA program seeks to provide faculty with the tools to design, develop, and implement scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research projects at South Alabama. One approach to addressing the question of student success is to take a scholarly approach to instructional design and engage in SoTL. Perhaps you have a question about the effectiveness of a particular teaching approach or assignment structure and its impact on student learning, well being or persistence in the major. This Institute will launch you on the path of framing a question, designing the appropriate inquiry into the question, and how you might collect evidence that allows you to discover the answer! Not only do you improve student learning, you gain increased satisfaction and fulfillment in your teaching.
The two-day Institute provides the necessary theoretical foundation and resources for developing a SoTL investigation from start to finish. Participants can expect to receive peer and facilitator feedback throughout the implementation phase of their project and to disseminate the results of their project at a SoTL Showcase in 2025. Faculty receive up to a $1000 stipend for completing all milestones:
- Summer SoTL Institute | May 21-22, 2024 | Attendance and completion of deliverables ($400)
- Winter SoTL Reunion | January 2025 | Attendance and completion of deliverables ($300)
- Dissemination of SoTL Study | Presentation of results at CoTL 2025 and/or submission of results to a peer-reviewed journal ($300)
- Post-Study Assessment | Optional | Participate in an SGIF or perform an alternative assessment for the class/program involved in the SoTL study, deadline May 2026 ($250)
Summer SoTL Institute | May 21-22
Dr. Melanie Hamilton was the facilitator for this workshop.
Melanie is a nurse by discipline and taught in two different Bachelor of Nursing programs
in Alberta for over 20 years. She has a passion for curriculum design, review, and
revision. She has a Master of Nursing Education and a Doctor of Educational Leadership
in Higher Education. She is currently teaching in the Master of the Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning. Melanie has been an active SoTL researcher for the past 12
years. She is the current Chair of SoTL Canada and the VP Canada for the International
Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL). She is also the recipient
of a 2020 ISSoTL Fellowship. Melanie's research interests include early career researchers
and mid-career faculty, mid-career faculty and SoTL, and academic integrity and dishonesty.
Application
Applications for the 2024-25 academic year are closed. Pending funding, we will begin accepting applications for 2025-26 in March 2025.
Questions? Please email Robin Lasey at rlasey@southalabama.edu.