CESoTL: Creating Excellence in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at UQ
Terms of Reference
Aims: The Creating Excellence in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CESoTL) initiative aims to
consolidate and extend UQ’s position of excellence in university teaching and learning. The initiative
aims to build staff capability in, and foster an institutional culture of, scholarship of teaching and
learning.
Strategic Focus: CESoTL articulates directly to the university’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement
Plan (Sub-goal 2.4) “Build an institutional understanding of and commitment to teaching scholarship
and evidence based teaching practice”; and seeks to operationalise this sub-goal across the university
via five broad sets of activities (detailed below).
CESoTL is designed to support the university’s introduction of teaching focused appointments to the
range of academic roles at UQ (HUPP 5.41.12 Academic Roles), and in particular the obligation of
such staff to “undertake scholarship in teaching and learning and contribute to the development of
pedagogy in their discipline”. CESoTL will: i) facilitate leadership and engagement in the successful
implementation of this initiative within schools and faculties; and ii) provide support mechanisms for
teaching focused staff in the processes of probation, career progression and promotion, and in the
development of SoTL-oriented capabilities and profiles.
This dual focus on building staff capability and institutional culture contributes to the UQ Advantage by
developing professionalism and excellence in teaching.
Activities: Five broad areas of activity comprise the CESoTL initiative. Each is linked to existing or
congruent roles and functions undertaken by the Higher Education Research and Scholarship (HERS)
unit within TEDI.
CESoTL Activities
Build staff capability
within SoTL methods and
practice
Engage and support staff
in SoTL activities
Enacted via TEDI/HERS role and functions
 symbol denotes ‘established and continuing’
 symbol denotes ‘planned’
 University Staff Development Program – professional learning
workshops on SoTL; SoTL embedded within existing teaching and
learning workshops/programs to cover specific priorities such as
assessment, elearning and mobile technologies, RHD supervision,
lecturing, curriculum design and renewal, leadership, evaluation.
 Situated workshops tailored for school/faculty staff or curriculum
teams (around above themes).
 Graduate Certificate in Education (Higher Education) - Embedding
of SoTL orientation, methods, practice within courses
developed/taught by HERS staff (in collaboration with School of
Education staff).
 Information sessions, mentoring and support for staff engagement in
local, institutional, and national funded teaching and learning grant
schemes (Faculty T&L Grants; UQ T&L Strategic Grants; ALTC
Schemes). 
 Readership and feedback for teaching and learning award
submissions (Faculty, UQ, and ALTC Schemes). 
 Proactive identification and encouragement of staff participation in
award and grant schemes (via TEDI/Faculty Affiliate Role and
TEDI/faculty activities).
 Embed and encourage SoTL activities within Faculty/School
curriculum renewal activities and/or teaching and learning
initiatives.
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CESoTL Activities
Create and facilitate SoTL
communities of practice
Advocate for SoTL
oriented policies,
priorities and practices
within school and faculty
teaching and learning
plans/activities.
Develop a
national/international profile
for UQ as a SoTL institution
Enacted via TEDI/HERS role and functions
 symbol denotes ‘established and continuing’
 symbol denotes ‘planned’
 UQ Teaching & Learning Network – facilitated by HERS/CESoTL
coordinator; HERS staff as mentors and facilitators of network
activities; 
 Support for existing/emerging/planned disciplinary
networks/communities of practice (e.g. the Science Educational
Research Unit) – HERS contributions and support to local, schoolbased facilitators; 
 Creation of themed SoTL communities facilitated by HERS staff
around individual specialisations (RHD supervision, elearning,
assessment, large class teaching etc). 
HERS/Faculty Affiliate Role:
 Support Associate Deans (Academic) to identify local SoTL
priorities and practices as relevant to faculty (including connection to
Key Performance Indicators); 
 Attend and contribute to school and faculty Teaching and Learning
Committees, advocate for development of policies, initiatives and
practices, to support teaching focused staff and proactive
engagement of staff in SoTL activities. 
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Institutional research on SoTL initiatives and activities (e.g. currently
includes survey of teaching focused staff; case study research of 2007&2008
T&L Strategic Grant participants etc). 
Contribution to UQ Teaching & Learning Week, SoTL activities across
UQ.
Development of a national SoTL Colloquium for practitioners and policymakers (2009-2010).
Potential host of 2012 International Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Conference – as invited by 2008 co-president Prof Keith Trigwell, and
ISSoTL colleagues, Prof Mick Healey and Dr Mary Taylor Huber.
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