Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is defined in numerous ways within the educational literature. To be as inclusive of these variations as possible, here we describe SoTL as being the systematic study of teaching and learning practices, resulting in products that are shared publicly for critique and use by a wider community.

For an activity to be designated as SoTL it must meet three criteria:

1. Be a systematic inquiry that is focused on students’ learning outcomes or experiences.

2. Use established or validated investigative methodologies.

3. Publicly disseminate the results (at a local or wider scale) for critical evaluation and use by others.

What does SoTL look like?

SoTL inquiries can cover a very broad range of scholarly activities that meet the criteria above. Some examples of SoTL include:

Critically reflecting on your teaching practice (drawing on evidence from the literature and from your students) to develop and improve your teaching.

Implementing research informed teaching strategies in your classroom and evaluating the impact on learners.

Undertaking a project to investigate and/or innovate in learning and teaching, for example through the university’s Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP). The blog of the Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching (BILT) showcases projects related to learning and teaching that have previously received funding.

Contributing to curriculum development activities informed by literature or learner feedback.

Contributing to and/or leading professional development activities, for example workshops or education conference presentations within and outside the university.

Other scholarly activities to develop learning and teaching include:

Externally funded projects, for example through the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE), Advance HE or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Wider research into learning and educational practice, including publishing in relevant journals. These include Studies in Higher Education, Higher Education, or discipline-focused pedagogic journals.

Contributing to educational initiatives within and outside the university. At the university, you can become a mentor or assessor for the CREATE Fellowship Scheme, or a digital champion, while outside of the university you can become a member of disciplinary or professional associations.

Progressing sustainability or decolonization initiatives.

Contributing to educational publications, for example as an editor or a peer reviewer.

How do I disseminate the results of my SoTL?

You can share your SoTL findings locally within your school or department, as well as sharing your practice more widely via a case study (BILT’s website contains case study examples), blog (you can write a blog article about your project for BILT's blog), conference paper or presentation (BILT also has an annual conference where you can present), or journal article, etc.

What are the benefits of SoTL? 

Ultimately, the benefit of SoTL is improved teaching and learning, and an improved experience for students. Engaging with SoTL in the ways described above will also enable you to advance your career.

Pedagogic Research (PedR): What is it and where do I start?

One way of demonstrating SoTL is via Pedagogic Research (PedR). PedR involves undertaking a systematic study into aspects of teaching and learning within your own classroom or department, and placing the results in the context of the broader literature so that you add to the body of knowledge.

You do not need to have a ‘big’ question(s) that you want to answer. PedR activities can be guided by what you are curious about within your own teaching context. For example:

Have you taught something that has gone well or not so well, and you want to understand why?

Have you implemented a change in your classroom with a particular goal in mind and you want to evaluate the impact?

Have you noticed a problem in your classroom, and you want to try methods to improve it?

How do I get support with SoTL and PedR?

We have created a list of SoTL groups available at the university, as well as funding sources, journals, and conferences that are relevant to SoTL and PedR.

If you would like to learn more about SoTL and PedR, you can look at the interactive course and/or participate in the workshop we have developed in conjunction with BILT.

Pedagogic Research at UoB

Take a look at some of the pedagogic research projects BILT has funded over the last few years.