Who is Represented in the Teaching Commons?: SoTL Through the Lenses of the Arts and Humanities - Article 2

Oct 15, 2026

The article examines how the apparent under-representation of arts and humanities disciplines shapes expectations for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), from research design and methodology to the genre and style of SoTL outputs. It responds to concerns among humanists that SoTL work is often dominated by social-science epistemologies and methods, and explores challenges and opportunities in building an inclusive teaching commons that values arts-and-humanities scholarly traditions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

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Who is Represented in the Teaching Commons?: SoTL Through the Lenses of the Arts and Humanities

Abstract

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Volume 6
Issue 2 SoTL through the Lenses of theArts and
Humanities | Article 2 | | --- | --- | | 6-11-2015
Whois Represented in the Teaching Commons?: SoTL Through the Lenses oftheArts and Humanities
Michael K. Potter
University of Windsor, [pottermk@uwindsor.ca](pottermk@uwindsor.ca)
Brad Wuetherick
Dalhousie University, [brad.wuetherick@dal.ca](brad.wuetherick@dal.ca)
Follow this and additional works at: [http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea](http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea)
[http://dx.doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2015.2.2](http://dx.doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2015.2.2) | | Recommended Citation Potter, Michael K. and Wuetherick, Brad (2015) "Who is Represented in the Teaching Commons?: SoTL Through the Lenses of the Arts and Humanities," The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 6: Iss. 2, Article 2. DOI: [http://dx.doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2015.2.2](http://dx.doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2015.2.2) Available at: [http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea/vol6/iss2/2](http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea/vol6/iss2/2) Whois Represented in the Teaching Commons?: SoTL Through the Lenses oftheArts and Humanities Abstract As the community of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) scholars has flourished across Canada and around the world, there has been a growing sense among humanists that SoTL work has been dominated by the epistemologies, philosophies, and research methods of the social sciences. This is a view that has been supported by SoTL journal editors and resources dedicated to introducing faculty to SoTL. To quote Nancy Chick (2012) in a recent book on the current state ofSoTL in the disciplines,“while many well-known SoTL leaders come from humanities backgrounds …, the on-the-ground work largely marginalizes the practices of their disciplines”(p. 15). The question then follows: “How does the apparent under-representation of (arts and) humanities-based disciplines affect expectations for SoTL, from norms for research design and methodology to the genre and style of its products?”(McKinney & Chick, 2010, p. 10). This paper, which frames the special issue looking at “SoTL through the lenses oftheArts and Humanities,” explores the difficulties with, and opportunities provided by, creating an inclusive teaching commons where the scholarly traditions ofthe arts and humanities are recognized for the value they bring to the SoTL research imaginary. Alors que la communauté des universitaires qui oeuvrent dans le domaine de l’avancement des connaissancesen enseignement et en apprentissage (ACEA) s’est épanouie à travers le Canada et dans le monde, on constate l’éclosion d’un sentiment, parmi les humanistes, que le travail de l’ACEA a été dominé par les épistémologies, les philosophies et les méthodes de recherche des sciences sociales. C’est une opinion qui a été appuyée par les rédacteurs de revues sur l’ACEA et par les ressources consacrées à l’introduction des enseignants à l’ACEA. Pour citer Nancy Chick (2012) dans un livre récemment publié sur l’état actuel de l’ACEA dans diverses disciplines, « alors que de nombreux leaders éminents en matière d’ACEA proviennent des sciences humaines..., le travail sur le terrain marginalise grandement les pratiques de leurs disciplines » (p. 15). Ce qui nous mène à la question suivante : « Comment l’apparente sous-représentation des disciplines du domaine des (arts et des) sciences humaines affecte-t-elle les attentes pour l’ACEA, allant des normes de recherche et deméthodologie au genre et au style de ses produits? » (McKinney & Chick, 2010, p. 10). Cet article, qui encadre le numéro spécial consacré à « L’ACEA à travers le prisme des arts et des sciences humaines », explore les difficultés qui existent à créer une commune d’enseignement inclusive ainsi que les opportunités créées par cette commune, où les traditions de recherche en arts et

FAQs

What concern does the article raise about SoTL research traditions?

It argues that humanists perceive SoTL work to be dominated by social-science epistemologies, philosophies, and research methods, which can marginalize arts and humanities practices.

How does the article connect under-representation to expectations for SoTL?

It links the under-representation of arts and humanities disciplines to expectations across SoTL, including norms for research design and methodology and the genre and style of SoTL products.

What does the paper focus on regarding an inclusive teaching commons?

It explores the difficulties and opportunities involved in creating an inclusive teaching commons that recognizes and values the scholarly traditions of the arts and humanities for SoTL.

Oct 15, 2026

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