Series: Research in the Classroom

Here at The Novice Professor, you may have noticed that we regularly review research on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). This enables us to stay connected to relevant research findings, and learn new, effective methods for teaching. If you are following TNP, you most likely share our passion for teaching. Many of us are constantly adapting our courses to improve learning outcomes, encourage student engagement, and, occasionally, make our lives as instructors a little easier. But how do we know if our course changes are having an impact?

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That’s where SoTL research comes in. It gives us the opportunity to look at our teaching methods, course changes, and assessment strategies with a critical eye. Rather than relying on our intuitions or anecdotal evidence from student evaluations, approaching our classes from a SoTL perspective helps us think of concrete and objective ways to assess classroom improvement.
 
In our next series, contributors at TNP will be reflecting on their own SoTL projects. We hope that by discussing our projects, we spark ideas for how you can view your classroom as a research setting.

Click here to read about projects by Jen and Ciara!

​How have you conducted research in your classrooms? Do you have an idea for a SoTL project? Are you interested in conducting SoTL research, but looking for collaborators? Let us know! Comment below or send us an email. ​​