Advancing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning using Learning Theories and Reflectivity

Oct 15, 2026

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) remains difficult to define and is interpreted through academic, institutional, and national/international lenses. The article argues for a clear engagement approach by using a postgraduate diploma module, Higher Education Context and Policy, to show how a facilitator can mediate teaching through social constructivist learning theory and reflectivity. It addresses the pedagogical training gap among academics and proposes continuous, reflective learning as a way to strengthen academics’ praxis and advance SoTL.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

SoTL: Definitions and Interpretations

Facilitating SoTL Through Learning Theories and Reflectivity

Pedagogical Training Challenges for Academics

Continuous Reflective Development in Higher Education

doi: 10.26529/cepsj.298 Advancing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning using Learning Theories and Reflectivity Lester Brian Shawa1 • The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) remains a mostly elusive notion. For universities to genuinely contribute to SoTL, they must delineate clear parameters of engagement. For example, while some engage SoTL at the academic level, others examine it from an institutional policy perspective. Others view it from national and international frameworks that impact teaching and learning in universities. Engaging SoTLat the academic level, this article uses a postgraduate diploma module, Higher Education Context and Policy (mostly attended by university academics from South African universities) to show how a facilitator could draw from learning theories and reflectivity to teach and advance SoTL. More specifically, it demonstrates how a facilitator could mediate the module utilising a social constructivist learning theory perspective. Keywords: scholarship of teaching and learning, postgraduate diploma in higher education, learning theories, reflectivity, social constructivist learning theory 1 University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, [shawa@ukzn.ac.za](shawa@ukzn.ac.za). 192 advancing the scholarship of teaching and learning using learning theories and ... Spodbujanje dodelitev štipendij za poučevanje in učenjez učnimi teorijami in refleksivnostjo Lester Brian Shawa • Štipendija za poučevanje in učenje (SoTL) večinoma ostaja nedorečen pojem. Univerze morajo jasno opredeliti parametre delovanja, če želijo resnično prispevati k SoTL. Nekatere ustanove sodelujejo pri SoTL na akademski ravni, druge jo preučujejo z vidika institucionalne politike, tretje pa jo obravnavajo z vidika nacionalnih in mednarodnih okvirov, ki vplivajo na poučevanje in učenje na univerzah. Za prikaz dodelitve SoTL na akademski ravni so v članku uporabljeni: modul diplome na podiplomskem študiju, Kontekst in politika visokošolskega izobraževanja (večinoma so se ga udeležili univerzitetni akademiki z južnoafriškihuniverz) in način, na katerega bi spodbujevalec poučeval in spodbujal dodelitev SoTL na osnovi učnih teorij in refleksivnosti. Prav tako članek podrobno opisuje, na kak način lahko spodbujevalec posreduje modulob uporabi socialno-konstruktivistične teorije učenja. Ključne besede: štipendija za poučevanje in učenje, diploma na podiplomskem študiju, teorije učenja, reflektivnost, socialnokonstruktivistična teorija učenja Introduction While much attention has been paid to the notion of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) since its first use by Boyer in his 1990 publication, Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities for the Professoriate, the meaning of this term remains elusive, and it is used differently by different scholars. For example, some perceive SoTL as the work of academics in their pedagogical and research activities with their students, others as institutional policies that support activities such as staff development and promotion, and still others asthe national and international frameworks that impact a university’s scholarship (Fanghanel, Pritchard, Potter, & Wisker, 2016) . This article engages with the understanding ofSoTL as the work of academics in their pedagogical work with their students. While much has been written on academics and their engagement with teaching (see, Flint, 2016; Hằng, Bulte, & Pilot, 2017), few studies share how academics could draw on both learning theories and reflectivity to advance SoTL. This article, therefore, uses a postgraduate diploma in a higher education module, Higher Education Context and Policy, to show how a facilitator could draw on both learning theories and reflectivity in mediating a university module while advancing SoTL. More specifically, it demonstrates how a facilitator could mediate the module by utilising the social constructivist learning theory and reflectivity. One of the significant problems associated w

FAQs

Why does the article describe SoTL as an elusive notion?

SoTL’s meaning is treated differently by scholars and is framed from multiple perspectives, including individual academic work, institutional policy, and wider national/international frameworks.

What module does the article use to illustrate how a facilitator can advance SoTL?

It uses a postgraduate diploma module titled Higher Education Context and Policy.

How do learning theories and reflectivity contribute to improving academics’ contribution to SoTL?

The combined use of learning theories and reflectivity offers academics foundational resources to deepen their SoTL contribution and to refine their praxis through ongoing reflection and shared experiences.

Oct 15, 2026

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