Despite the expansion of teaching-focused roles in higher education (HE), the expectations for engagement in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) are often ill-defined within individual career pathways, across institutions, and across the global HE sectors. As such, our understanding of effective ways to intentionally grow SoTL capacity and the need for the support of SoTL practice across micro, meso, macro, and mega levels is limited. Consequently, the work of SoTL leaders guiding these efforts also remains somewhat ambiguous. The current image of SoTL leadership within the literature is one of isolated approaches to capacity building, often failing to support individuals who take on the role of nurturing and supporting SoTL development. Inspired by the fifth SoTL Grand Challenge (“to better understand and improve the practice, use, and growth of SoTL”) and the theme of the 2023 ISSOTL Conference (Context Matters), this paper initiates a multi-pronged research project aimed at developing a more comprehensive and inclusive understanding of SoTL leadership. Here, the eight authors begin by reflecting on our unique and individual career trajectories into SoTL leadership in order to establish and apply a framework for exploring the ways in which SoTL leaders enact their leadership practice.
The Maker Movement has gained in popularity over the last decade, allowing people of all ages and with varying skills and abilities to come together in order to create and explore in areas such as art, science, and engineering. To facilitate this movement, for profit companies, non-profits, and educational institutions run makerspaces. This qualitative study set out to examine the benefits of makerspace adoption in higher education in Ireland, with particular attention to their pedagogical value. The authors sought to identify opportunities for teaching and learning and the development of rich, diverse, and inclusive educational environments, as well as the potential to develop a maker network linking tertiary makerspaces with the wider community. Nine administrators from diverse types of makerspaces participated in interviews where they described the impacts and observed effects of makerspaces on participant learning experiences. Findings indicate that makerspaces support self-directed and peer learning, foster inclusive learning communities characterised by skill-sharing and mentorship, and provide safe environments for experimentation and productive failure. In doing so, makerspaces support learning dispositions such as agency, resilience, and self-efficacy, which are increasingly recognised as critical to student learning, persistence, and adaptability in contemporary higher education. Participants also perceived positive impacts on mental health, an area that remains under-researched in tertiary makerspaces. Finally, interviewees advocated for the development of a maker network in Ireland, suggesting that such a network could facilitate the sharing of skills and resources and strengthen access to larger-scale funding.
In this paper, we present findings from an interactive workshop at the 2024 International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) conference that aimed to develop a global roadmap to advance the awareness and appreciation of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). While some institutions have successfully embedded SoTL into their cultural fabric, challenges persist in many academic contexts where SoTL remains misunderstood as a cross-discipline field of scholarship and research as well as undervalued as a change-making enterprise. Through collaborative activities, workshop participants explored systemic barriers, misunderstandings, and effective strategies from diverse institutional perspectives. The findings highlight actionable steps for institutions, administrators, and faculty to align their efforts, bridge knowledge gaps, and further elevate SoTL as a recognized scholarly pursuit. We also propose practical suggestions to support SoTL initiatives, enhance institutional commitment, and foster cross-institutional collaborations.
Various disciplines view reflection as both a theory and a practice for helping make learning more visible to students as well as giving them a greater sense of agency; thus, the importance of reflection in higher education is well established. In recent years, scholars in SoTL have acknowledged and theorized about the importance of reflection for faculty. Our 360-degree model builds on this scholarship and research in writing studies in order to suggest that directional (inward, outward, forward, backward) reflection helps faculty analyze their teaching practices by integrating theoretical insights and evidence to evaluate effectiveness while also supporting ongoing professional growth. This poster shares an application of the 360-degree model of reflection, encouraging faculty to build reflective practices into their SoTL projects.
In the modern world, students should be equipped with critical thinking, problem-solving, and autonomous learning skills. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is designed to foster these competencies by shifting the focus from teacher-centered instruction to student-centered learning. However, many instructors struggle with this transition and tend to take control of the classroom instead of encouraging students to take charge of their own learning. This study investigates how teachers implement PBL and what factors contribute to teacher dominance in a student-centered approach. We employed a mixed-methods design, incorporating classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers from two universities in East Java, Indonesia. Findings revealed that teachers correctly implemented only 37.50% of PBL phases, while in 62.50% of cases, the instructors misapplied or didn’t complete the PBL phase. Teacher-centered activities dominated 64.17% of classroom interactions, limiting opportunities for learner autonomy. Interview results highlighted that many teachers misunderstood problem presentation, while some believed PBL was only effective for high-achieving students. These findings highlight a need for targeted professional development programs to help teachers become facilitators rather than content deliverers. Without proper training, PBL risks becoming a modified version of traditional teaching. Future research should explore long-term changes in teacher autonomy and incorporate students’ perspectives in order to better understand the impact of PBL implementation.
