SoTL Research Foundations: Setting your SoTL Study up for Success

Welcome to our new SoTL Research Foundations Program, designed to empower you in your Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) endeavors. This initiative aims to provide a structured and supportive environment, facilitating your journey from initial research ideas to successful publication.

Program Rationale:

In response to the growing interest and evolving needs of our academic community, we have developed a series of asynchronous tutorials. These resources are designed to offer comprehensive guidance and support, helping you align your research questions, variables, and theoretical frameworks with accessible data and measurable outcomes.

Tutorials Overview:

Our asynchronous tutorials cover the following key SoTL areas:

• Developing the Research Question: Learn how to formulate research questions that are clear, focused, and researchable.
• Finding a Need for the Research: Identify gaps in existing literature and justify the significance of your study.
• Choosing Variables: Understand how to select appropriate variables that align with your research objectives.
• Instrumentation and Data Sources: Explore various tools and data sources for collecting reliable and valid data.
• Collecting Data: Gain insights into effective data collection methods and best practices.

Formats Available:

We recognize that different researchers have different needs and preferences. Therefore, each topic in our tutorials is available in several formats to help you create your own research proposal:

• Checklist: A guide in list form to help you move step by step through the research process.
• Application: Instructions in paragraph form that provide detailed guidance for each step.
• AI Assist: Prompts that guide you through working with AI to enhance your research process.
• Worksheet: A combination of traditional and AI-assisted prompts to help you fill in your research proposal.

Additional Resources:

If you need more support, please explore our "Related Resources" section or contact CIRT at [email protected]. We also offer individualized support through electronic review of your progress or as part of a research consultation.

Next Steps:

We encourage you to take a look at these tutorials and determine which format works best for you. These resources are designed to be flexible and accessible, allowing you to engage with them at your own pace and convenience.

We believe that every faculty member has the potential to contribute significantly to the advancement of teaching and learning through SoTL research. The SoTL Research Support Program is here to help you unlock that potential, providing the tools and confidence needed to achieve your research goals.

For further information or any inquiries, feel free to contact [email protected]

Join us in this exciting opportunity to enhance your research capabilities and make a lasting impact on our academic community.

CIRT would like to extend a huge thanks to Dr. Alex Casteel (CDS), for his development of the content in this program