Sparking SoTL: Triggers and Stories from One Institution - Article 10

Oct 15, 2026

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With the growing interest in educational research across post-secondary campuses, this paper identifies the supports that enable Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) initiatives. Using survey and semi-structured collaborative interview data from one institution, it describes who has completed or plans to complete a SoTL study, what experiences triggered interest, and how participants judge SoTL’s importance for teaching and student learning. The paper proposes four lenses, called a Scholarship Window, and concludes with recommendations to build institutional capacity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages14

Reading Time35 min

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Sparking SoTL: Triggers and Stories from One Institution

Abstract

Triggering SoTL Inquiry

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Volume 9 | Issue 1 | | Article 10 | | --- | --- | --- | | April 2018
Sparking SoTL: Triggers and Stories from Institution
Klodiana Kolomitro
Queen's University, [kk78@queensu.ca](kk78@queensu.ca)[ ](kk78@queensu.ca)Cory Laverty
Queen's University, [corinne.laverty@queensu.ca](corinne.laverty@queensu.ca)[ ](corinne.laverty@queensu.ca)Denise Stockley
Queen's University, [stockley@queensu.ca](stockley@queensu.ca)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea](https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea) | One | | Recommended Citation Kolomitro, K., Laverty, C., & Stockley, D. (2018). Sparking SoTL: Triggers and Stories from One Institution. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 9 (1). Retrieved from [https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea/vol9/iss1/10](https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea/vol9/iss1/10) Sparking SoTL: Triggers and Stories from One Institution Abstract With the growing interest in educational research across post-secondary campuses, it is useful to identify the specific supports that best enable Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) initiatives. This paper documents a picture ofSoTL interests and supports at one institution through survey and semi-structured collaborative interview data. Both the survey data (289 respondents) and three semi-structured group interviews (8 participants total) provide a picture of participants who have completed or are interested in completing a SoTL study; the events and experiences that triggered an interest in SoTL; and their perceptions of the importance ofSoTL in their own teaching, student learning, in their department, and within the institution as a whole. Based on these two datasets, we propose four lenses that are defined in terms ofSoTL triggers and which we name a Scholarship Window. We conclude with a number of recommendations as away to build capacity for SoTL at the institutional level. Suite à l’intérêt grandissant de la recherche dans le domaine de l’éducation sur tous les campus d’enseignementsupérieur, il est utile d’identifier les soutiens spécifiques qui favorisent le mieux les initiatives de l’avancement des connaissances en enseignement et en apprentissage (ACEA). Cet article présente un tableau des intérêtset des soutiens enACEA dans un établissement donné, établi par le biais d’une enquête et d’une séried’entrevues en collaboration semi-structurées. Les données obtenues suite à l’enquête (289 répondants) et celles de trois entrevues semi-structurées (8 participants au total) ont permis d’établir un tableau de participants qui ont complété ou qui s’intéressent à compléter une étude enACEA, les événements et les expériences qui ont déclenché cet intérêt en ACEA ainsi que les perceptions des répondants de l’importance de l’ACEApour leur propre enseignement, pour l’apprentissage des étudiants et pour leur département, ainsi qu’au sein de l’établissement dans son ensemble. Sur la base de ces deux groupes de données, nous proposons quatre lentilles qui sont définies en tant que déclencheurs d’ACEA, que nous avons nommées « fenêtre sur l’avancement des connaissances ». En conclusion, nous présentons un certain nombre de recommandations pour renforcer les capacités en ACEA au niveau institutionnel. Keywords SoTL, triggers, institutional support This research paper/rapport de recherche is available in The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: [https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea/vol9/iss1/10](https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea/vol9/iss1/10) Kolomitro et al.: Sparking SoTL: Triggers and Stories from One Institution Educational research generally originates in a teaching challenge within a disciplinespecific classroom where faculty tackle their own investigation, often without support or collaboration (Felten, 2013). If we assume that most educators are interested in improving their

FAQs

What data sources does the paper use to understand SoTL interest at one institution?

It uses survey data from 289 respondents and three semi-structured group interviews with a total of 8 participants.

What does the study examine besides whether participants are interested in SoTL?

It examines events and experiences that triggered interest and participants’ perceptions of SoTL’s importance for teaching, student learning, their department, and the institution as a whole.

What framework does the paper propose based on the two datasets?

It proposes four lenses defined by SoTL triggers, named a Scholarship Window, and ends with recommendations to build capacity at the institutional level.

Oct 15, 2026

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