SoTL Symposium 2009:
SoTL exchanges
Purposes of this workshop
1. To remind you of one way to think about SoTL
2. To introduce you to the potential benefits to
cooperating/collaborating on SoTL projects
3. To explore the different roles that people can play
within collaborative projects
4. To give you the opportunity to identify your talents
with regard to SoTL
5. To encourage you to identify how collaborator(s)
could help you to engage in and advance your
SoTL
Glassick et al’s SoTL framework
Clear goals - clearly identified objectives and purposes.
Adequate preparation - appropriate engagement with relevant,
current literature in the field.
Appropriate methods - the use and application of methods that
relate to the stated goals so e.g. different aspects of methodology
and procedure from ‘the logic of the syllabus to pedagogical
procedures to evaluation’ (Glassick et al., 1997, p4).
Significant results - results that relate to the stated goals and the
impact of results on the learning of your students and/or other
practitioners in the field
Effective communication – SoTL requires the dissemination of
ideas and findings to the wider academic community.
Reflective critique - ‘the scholar thinks about his or her work, seeks
the opinion of others, and develops his or her learning over time’
(Glassick et al., 1997, p 5).
On your own …..
What’s the biggest thing that gets in the way of you
starting/getting on with/completing SoTL work?
Barriers/challenges of doing SoTL
Time?
Coming up with ideas?
Getting started?
Maintaining enthusiasm?
Procrastination?
Not knowing the best methods of evaluation/
getting student feedback
Writing for public consumption
Finishing off?
Collaboration in Higher Education is getting more
common…..
“Collaborative working is an increasingly vital part of
Higher Education working life. Traditionally, university
culture supported individual research and scholarship.
Today, the focus has shifted from the individual to the
group or team.” (Walsh and Kahn, 2009)
“between 1981 and 2001, the average number of coauthors on a paper for [a particular science journal] rose
from 3.9 to 8.4” (Borner et al., 2004)
Cooperation versus collaboration
“The roots of each word offer hints.
Cooperation requires only 'operation', which we can take as
something which requires no change in momentum (of will, effort or
any other inertial entity).
Collaboration requires 'labor', implying exertion or application of
force. While each is intended to lead to an end whose sum is greater
than its parts, it is only cooperation that can be achieved through
simple facilitation. Collaboration equals cooperation plus new effort.”
(Rob Carver, 2009 – Anecdote.com.au)
Potential benefits of collaboration
Break through Organisational Barriers and Silos
Enhanced interdisciplinary
Making SoTL fun?
Increased creativity/productivity
Having said all that, collaboration is not without its
challenges…
Model for collaborative
working
in
HE
What ‘social’ opportunities are
there that might foster
collaboration?
Is collaboration
common or valued
in your discipline/
department?
Have you had
previous
experience of
collaboration?
Do you need to seek out or create
new opportunities?
Social Vehicles
Context
Professional
dialogues
Where are the
opportunities for
dialogue in your
discipline/
department?
What about
opportunities for
dialogue across
disciplines/depts?
Practice
Engagement
Are there
opportunities for
working on
common
problems/interests
with others?
Are you able to
bring enthusiasm
and commitment
to a collaboration?
Are you ‘free’ to
collaborate?
Adapted from Walsh and Kahn, 2009
What kind of collaborator are you?
structure
“We need to make a plan and a
timeline, apportion the work, and
organize things before we do
anything else.”
“The project will get done if the
group just gets moving. Too
much planning and talking will
just bog things down.”
action
thinking
“It’s neither smart to plan nor to
take action before you think
carefully and come up with a
studied and well-conceived idea.”
“The first goal must be to
harmonize the relationships
among people in the group or the
project won’t get off the ground.”
people
Many thanks to Lesley Ortquist-Ahrens, Otterbein College for this activity
What kind of collaborator are you?
structure
thinking
In your corners, discuss:
1) why have you picked the corner you have?
2) when you’ve worked in teams in the past which other corner have you
experienced most conflict with and why?
3) be ready to convince the other 3 groups why you believe it’s important
to go at group or collaborative work from your corner’s perspective.
action
people
Many thanks to Lesley Ortquist-Ahrens, Otterbein College for this activity
What makes a successful collaboration
Common goals
Flexibility – different ways to achieve a goal
Communication and cooperation
Ability to disagree and still work together
Social element – getting to know each other
Joint decision-making
Defining roles and tasks but remaining flexible
Glassick et al’s SoTL framework
Clear goals - clearly identified objectives and purposes.
Adequate preparation - appropriate engagement with relevant,
current literature in the field.
Appropriate methods - the use and application of methods that
relate to the stated goals so e.g. different aspects of methodology
and procedure from ‘the logic of the syllabus to pedagogical
procedures to evaluation’ (Glassick et al., 1997, p4).
Significant results - results that relate to the stated goals and the
impact of results on the learning of your students and/or other
practitioners in the field
Effective communication – SoTL requires the dissemination of
ideas and findings to the wider academic community.
Reflective critique - ‘the scholar thinks about his or her work, seeks
the opinion of others, and develops his or her learning over time’
(Glassick et al., 1997, p 5).
What can you bring to a SoTL project?
Think of as many talents, skills, traits or attributes that
you have (or could develop) that could allow you to
contribute to a SoTL project.
I’m good at
editing written
work
I enjoy
reviewing the
literature
I’m quite good
at designing
questionnaires
I can do some
basic statistics
I seem to be
quite good at
motivating other
people
I really like
planning a
group’s
activities
Enthusiasm
What could a potential collaborator do to help?
What would help you get started/move forward with
your SoTL work?
Try to be as specific as possible e.g.
“I want to do a comparison of how first year arts students
and science students approach their exam provision – I
need someone in the sciences who will be able to access
first year science students.”
“I’ve never applied for ethical approval before and would
like advice from someone who has.”
“I have written the first draft of a paper/report but I’m not
sure if it’s any good, I want a ‘critical friend’/editor”
Personal Ads time…..
1. Top half - write a brief description of you – subject
area, SoTL interests and expertise you might be
able to offer
2. Bottom half – write a brief description of what you’re
looking for in a collaborator
3. Place in the ‘Newsagent window’
For instance….
Good at coming up with new SoTL ideas/Struggle with maintaining
momentum and finishing off.
Interested in staff and student experiences of HE - some experience
of qualitative methods of data gathering and analysis
Not bad at editing/commenting on drafts (for other people).
Desperately seeking collaborators who will encourage me to keep
going in our project/work with me to get going with writing up
Interested in any project that attempts to enhance and explore the
student experience.
Must have patience and GSOH
And finally
1.Take a look at the newsagent window
2. Write your name/email address on 1 or more postits
3. Attach these to the cards that interest you
4. Take your own card away with you
5. Wait expectantly for your potential collaborator to
get in touch 