Session

Innovative teaching and assessment methods start from research – how do learners learn? which falls under Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in most institutions. In order to successfully engage students, first we must successfully engage our faculty. To foster SoTL-related research among faculty, SoTL programs in college settings need to overcome various difficulties. These include heavy teaching responsibilities, lack of research skills, diverse research topics, and cross-disciplinary cooperation. In polytechnic education, an applied research mandate necessitates a pragmatic research approach that makes a constructive impact. Further, polytechnic faculty typically self-identify as subject matter experts but are novices with respect to Educational Research, SoTL research and public dissemination of SoTL research findings beyond the traditional academic journals. Taking learning beyond the typical classroom setting, encourages faculty to explore current and novel forms of engagement that enhance student experience. Exploring current research in learning will energize processes for individual faculty, their social networks, and system levels with resources, encouragement and recognition. Presenters will share their research to date indicating that by embracing researcher diversity; grounding research in community-based learning and dissemination; and nurturing the (often) iterative path for novices, a transformational impact can be catalyzed on the institution’s research culture which will have a direct impact on student success in the classroom.