Joining the dots: the Scholarship of Teaching as part of institutional research

Abstract

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) tends to be conducted at local levels in the university by academics who evaluate and question their own teaching practices with a view to improvement. Institutional research, however, has tended towards the large scale use of statistics often generated through a university’s own procedures, primarily to inform management and policy decisions. Although both forms of research can lead to change or improvement, an opportunity to maximise information available to the university is perhaps missed as these two forms of research tend to remain within different spheres of influence, local practice and management information. This paper draws on examples of different forms of scholarship and research in one of the UK’s Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. It suggests that SoTL should be viewed as part of a wider approach to IR, though mediation may be required between different levels of university structures in order to maximise benefits to university improvement agendas.