What Do SoTL Practitioners Need to Know about Learning?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.1.7

Keywords:

science of teaching and learning, scholarship of teaching and learning, cognitive psychology, educational research, translational research

Abstract

What does someone embarking on a scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) project need to know about how students learn? And how can the SoTL novice reconcile their goals to improve teaching and learning with the vastness of the literature on the science of learning? In this article, we consider the complexity of this literature and its intersection with SoTL. We also review several popular books and websites that might be used by the SoTL novice as entry points for grounding their SoTL studies, informing the questions they ask and narrowing the literature they read. In these brief reviews, we offer practical tips and advice on how to use these resources effectively so that one does not have to become an expert in the science of learning to perform outstanding SoTL research.

Author Biographies

Hillary H. Steiner, Kennesaw State University

Hillary H. Steiner serves as Associate Director for SoTL in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and Associate Professor of Psychological Science at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia (USA).

Christopher M. Hakala, Springfield College

Christopher M. Hakala is currently the Director for the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, as well as Professor of Psychology at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts (USA). 

References

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Published

2021-03-07

How to Cite

Steiner, Hillary H., and Christopher M. Hakala. 2021. “What Do SoTL Practitioners Need to Know about Learning? ”. Teaching and Learning Inquiry 9 (1):79-85. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.1.7.

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2021): Teaching and Learning Inquiry

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2021 Hillary H. Steiner, Christopher M. Hakala

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.