The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) is a systemic inquiry into teaching and\/or student learning that culminates in dissemination of your results to the broader community. SoTL differs from scholarly teaching, which is the practice of grounding your teaching practice in evidence-based strategies from the educational literature. While SoTL research is informed by relevant research on teaching and learning, it seeks to add to the relevant literature rather than merely apply it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SoTL projects address a variety of question types (Hutchings, 2000; Huang & Looker, 2013) including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- \u201cIs it working?\u201d \u2013 evaluating the effectiveness of different teaching approaches.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u201cWhat does it look like?\u201d \u2013 describing a framework for thinking about teaching and learning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u201cWhat would it look like?\u201d \u2013 envisioning goals for teaching and learning that have yet to be met or are new to the investigator.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u201cWhat works where?\u201d \u2013 evaluating the effectiveness of different teaching approaches in various contexts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"colleagues](\"https:\/\/www.uwsp.edu\/center-for-inclusive-teaching-and-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2026\/03\/SoTL-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nResources for Getting started in Sotl<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The best place to start is by getting familiar with the principles of SoTL. The paper \u201cPrinciples of Good Practices in SoTL<\/a>\u201d may be helpful for a brief overview. The \u201cSoTL Guide<\/a>\u201d provides a more in-depth introduction to what SoTL is and how to do it. The UWSP library also has a variety of books that can help get you started with SoTL including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Doing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Measuring Systemic changes to Teaching and Improvements in Learning<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- SoTL in Action: Illuminating Critical Moments of Practice<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Depending on how familiar you are with the SoTL literature, you may find these articles helpful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- “Searching the Literature on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): An Academic Literacies Perspective Part 1<\/a>“<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- “Reviewing the Literature on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): An Academic Literacies Perspective Part 2<\/a>“<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
If you are unfamiliar with social science research and are looking for guidance on how to develop a good research idea and collect data, the Research Methods Knowledge Base<\/a> might be helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re interested in an interactive tool that can help you design a SoTL project, the Hopscotch Model<\/a> may be useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\nSoTL and The Institutional Review Board<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Conducting SoTL research raises ethical considerations, and all projects should seek approval from the Institutional Review Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before beginning your SoTL project you should<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Complete IRB training<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Familiarize yourself with the IRB Process<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Submit all relevant IRB Forms<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.uwsp.edu\/center-for-inclusive-teaching-and-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2026\/05\/technology-SoTL-1024x512.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nProfessional Development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
UWSP faculty and instructors who are interested in SoTL research are encouraged to apply for the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars<\/a> program or to reach out to CITL with questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additional SoTL resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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- Familiarize yourself with the IRB Process<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- “Reviewing the Literature on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): An Academic Literacies Perspective Part 2<\/a>“<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- SoTL in Action: Illuminating Critical Moments of Practice<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Doing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Measuring Systemic changes to Teaching and Improvements in Learning<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n