Charting a critical course on the scholarship of university teaching movement

Abstract

It is argued in this article that, despite a steadily expanding literature on the scholarship of teaching, important questions regarding the purpose of the movement have not been sufficiently addressed, and, as such, the scholarship of teaching movement has not yet fully realized its potential to become a catalyst for curricula changes in higher education. The main purpose of this conceptual study was to explore the meaning of the ‘scholarship of teaching’, when conceptualized as the intellectual, practical and critical work done by college and university teachers that facilitates student development toward significant educational goals. Three such goals, that are also directly linked to the widely perceived need for lifelong learning, are self‐management, personal autonomy and social responsibility. In pursuing this objective the theoretical lens of both critical theory and postmodernism was applied. Three implications that arise from a critical/postmodern stance on the scholarship of teaching are discussed. The first relates to how the scholarship of teaching is defined and questions the inclusiveness of these definitions. This raises issues as to the purpose of the scholarship of teaching movement. The second implication relates to the goals and purposes of college teaching and how these are negotiated. The third implication relates to the extent to which our teaching practices are aimed at the empowerment and emancipation of students.