Cultivating a Culture for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This article describes the approaches adopted by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) Cam-pus to create a culture for the scholarship of teaching and learning. This project consisted of three steps culminating in the implementation of a SoTL program. Step one consisted of an individual faculty needs analysis to document faculty experience with teaching, knowledge of SoTL, per-spectives and theories on learning, research training, and interests in un-dertaking professional inquiries into teaching practice. Step two saw the development of an ecological model to help understand and place SoTL projects at the individual, community, and institutional level. Step three involved setting up teaching improvement projects and a Certificate of Professional Inquiry and Scholarship for faculty interested in SoTL re-lated studies. Results of this case study indicate that the creation of learn-ing communities centered on SoTL is an effective means of engaging fac-ulty in pedagogical inquiries and research. CTL-sponsored events resulted in substantial research outputs on a variety of teaching and learning top-ics all aimed at creating better conditions for student learning. This case study confirms that CTLs have a vital role to play in facilitating teaching and learning projects and promoting the formation of a SoTL institutional culture.

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