Build your Scholarship Practice

Build your Scholarship Practice is a structured development programme enabling staff to conceive and realise their own pedagogic research agenda informed by Curriculum Redefined.  

Building on your disciplinary expertise and passion, the programme will help you to ask questions of your teaching, devise methods for investigation, and identify opportunities to share your research with others. The programme will also address personal and institutional barriers to pedagogic research and connect you with a university-wide cross-disciplinary community of pedagogic researchers. 

The 2022/23 programme runs between November 2022 and July 2023 and is divided into the following four themed blocks. You have the option to attend the full programme or choose the parts of the programme which match your needs and interests. The programme is available for all staff and PGRs who teach.

The University of Leeds has set out a bold agenda to transform university teaching and learning, creating exceptional and inclusive research-based learning experiences. At the heart of this endeavour is a commitment to evidence-based teaching and to research that links our deep disciplinary expertise to pedagogic enquiry through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). 

As the University moves forward with the delivery of Curriculum Redefined, we have a tremendous opportunity to build strong, disciplinary-focused pedagogies for the future. Build Your Scholarship Practice is a great way to get involved in this exciting project.  

Laying the foundations…

The first block of events of our 2022/23 programme ran from November-January 2022.

The events consisted of three themed introductory conversations which helped to lay the foundations for scholarship practice at Leeds.

Sessions provided the opportunity to meet Student Education leaders and colleagues with experience of developing scholarship projects and networks together with grounded insights into key supporting practices, such as ethics approval.  In addition to the events within this block, OD&PL produced a guide introducing SoTL at Leeds (PDF).  The three sessions that took place were:

• Launch event - A two-hour on-campus launch event and panel discussion featuring Student Education leaders, such as Jeff Grabill, and experienced SoTL researchers
• Session two – Ethics and working with students as partners
• Session three - Engaging colleagues with SoTL: exploring the work of SoTL communities

Building forward...

Organised in three four-week blocks, these interactive sessions offer the opportunity to learn as a community of practitioners from published and work-in-progress scholarship projects aligned with three broad themes: pedagogies, methods and engagement. We’ll hear from colleagues working across the disciplinary and professional spectrum at the University and at different stages of their career as SoTL researchers.   

Participants will have access to a Microsoft Teams space for Build your Scholarship Practice where readings and/or resources for each session will be made available in advance. For each of the following blocks (pedagogies, methods and engagement), we recommend attending all four sessions, but sessions can be booked individually.

Pedagogies (completed)

The first of our themes was ‘Pedagogies’. These four sessions lay the foundation for a discipline-informed scholarship practice by offering examples of approaches to describing disciplinary pedagogies and their intersections with key pedagogic themes of Curriculum Redefined such as disciplinary strength and identity, employability and student futures, active learning, critical thinking and assessment and feedback.  Sessions ran between February and March 2023 and covered the following themes: Arts and Humanities Pedagogies, STEM Pedagogies, Legal Pedagogies and Application and Integration.  

Methods 

The second of our themes is ‘Methods’. Centred around examples of qualitative methodologies, these four sessions provide an introduction to approaches to choosing a topic of inquiry, formulating a research question and an aligned SoTL methodology. Sessions will draw on published articles and work-in-progress scholarship projects using a range of qualitative methodologies including integrative review, creative reflexive practices, collaborative research practices and writing and listening rooms.

Session 1: Introduction to SoTL Methods - Thursday 9 March, 3-4 pm (online via Teams)

Led by Dr Emma Peasland and Dr Eva Sansavior, this session will introduce the main types of SoTL inquiry questions and methodologies and offer the opportunity to explore practical approaches to planning a research question.

Book your place on session 1

Session 2: Using the integrative review to capture student learning through engagement with digital technologies - Thursday 16 March, 3-4 pm (online via Teams)

Drawing on a completed SoTL article co-written by Professor Edward Venn, this session will explore the use of the integrative review as a methodology for clarifying our understanding of the impact of learning technologies for undergraduates’ emotional and cognitive engagement with their learning.

Book your place on session 2

Session 3: Creative, Collaborative and Reflexive Practices - Thursday 23 March, 3-4 pm (online via Teams)

Dr Jill Dickinson and Professor Paul Taylor will share their experiences of developing SoTL publications which make use of creative, reflexive and collaborative methodologies. Both speakers will reflect on the role of collaborative practice in their respective publications.

Book your place on session 3

Session 4: Using listening rooms with under-represented students - Thursday 30 March, 3-4 pm (online via Teams)

Dr Rachael O’Connor will explore the role of listening rooms in her ongoing co-created research with under-represented students as part of her LITE Fellowship.

Book your place on session 4

Engagement  

Featuring a mix of presentations of professional practice, lived experience and published articles, ‘Engagement’ will explore themes such as working with students as partners, social justice, open access and working with communities. Sessions commence after the Easter break and will run between April and May. 

Moving into writing... 

This writing retreat will support you to dedicate focused time to a defined SoTL writing project. You will benefit from the support of experienced tutors and a community of peers engaged on a shared writing journey.  

This block consists of a writing retreat between April and May 2023. You will be able to sign up for this block later in the 2022/23 academic year. In the meantime, if you would like to be notified when the sign-up form is available, please register your interest.

Engaging and connecting...

Featuring a mix of invited speakers and UoL colleagues, this series of workshops will allow you to explore a range of approaches to engaging stakeholders, disseminating and delivering impact through your SoTL projects. This block consists of 4 weekly sessions during July 2023.  

You will be able to sign up for this block later in the 2022/23 academic year. In the meantime, if you would like to be notified when the sign-up form is available, please register your interest.

Contact: Dr Eva Sansavior e.sansavior@leeds.ac.uk – Academic Development Consultant – Curriculum Redefined

Our SOTL at Leeds webpage has more information about what SoTL is, the activities of SoTL and the additional support and resources available to colleagues.