SoTL Symposium 2009:SoTL exchanges

Purposes of this workshop

1. To remind you of one way to think about SoTL

2. To introduce you to the potential benefits to cooperating/collaborating on SoTL projects

3. To explore the different roles that people can play within collaborative projects

4. To give you the opportunity to identify your talents with regard to SoTL

5. To encourage you to identify how collaborator(s) could help you to engage in and advance your SoTL

Glassick et al’s SoTL framework

Clear goals - clearly identified objectives and purposes. Adequate preparation - appropriate engagement with relevant, current literature in the field. Appropriate methods - the use and application of methods that relate to the stated goals so e.g. different aspects of methodology and procedure from ‘the logic of the syllabus to pedagogical procedures to evaluation’ (Glassick et al., 1997, p4). Significant results - results that relate to the stated goals and the impact of results on the learning of your students and/or other practitioners in the field Effective communication – SoTL requires the dissemination of ideas and findings to the wider academic community. Reflective critique - ‘the scholar thinks about his or her work, seeks the opinion of others, and develops his or her learning over time’ (Glassick et al., 1997, p 5). 

On your own …..

What’s the biggest thing that gets in the way of you starting/getting on with/completing SoTL work?

Barriers/challenges of doing SoTL

Time?

Maintaining enthusiasm?

Coming up with ideas?

Getting started?

Procrastination?

Not knowing the best methods of evaluation/ getting student feedback

Writing for public consumption

Finishing off?

Collaboration in Higher Education is getting more common…..

“Collaborative working is an increasingly vital part of Higher Education working life. Traditionally, university culture supported individual research and scholarship. Today, the focus has shifted from the individual to the group or team.” (Walsh and Kahn, 2009)

“between 1981 and 2001, the average number of co-authors on a paper for [a particular science journal] rose from 3.9 to 8.4” (Borner et al., 2004)

Cooperation versus collaboration

“The roots of each word offer hints.

Cooperation requires only 'operation', which we can take as something which requires no change in momentum (of will, effort or any other inertial entity).

Collaboration requires 'labor', implying exertion or application of force. While each is intended to lead to an end whose sum is greater than its parts, it is only cooperation that can be achieved through simple facilitation. Collaboration equals cooperation plus new effort.”

(Rob Carver, 2009 – Anecdote.com.au)

Potential benefits of collaboration

Break through Organisational Barriers and Silos

Enhanced interdisciplinary

Making SoTL fun?

Increased creativity/productivity

Having said all that, collaboration is not without its challenges…

Model for collaborative working in HE

Social Vehicles

Professional dialogues

Context

Practice

Engagement

What ‘social’ opportunities are there that might foster

collaboration?

Do you need to seek out or create new opportunities?

Is collaboration common or valued in your discipline/

department?

Have you had previous

experience of collaboration?

Are there opportunities for

working on common

problems/interests with others?

Are you able to bring enthusiasm

and commitment to a collaboration?

Are you ‘free’ to collaborate?

Where are the opportunities for dialogue in your

discipline/ department?

What about opportunities for dialogue across

disciplines/depts?

Adapted from Walsh and Kahn, 2009

What kind of collaborator are you?

people

thinkingstructure

action

“It’s neither smart to plan nor to take action before you think carefully and come up with a

studied and well-conceived idea.”

“The first goal must be to harmonize the relationships

among people in the group or the project won’t get off the ground.”

“The project will get done if the group just gets moving.  Too

much planning and talking will just bog things down.”

“We need to make a plan and a timeline, apportion the work, and

organize things before we do anything else.”

Many thanks to Lesley Ortquist-Ahrens, Otterbein College for this activity

What kind of collaborator are you?

people

thinkingstructure

action

Many thanks to Lesley Ortquist-Ahrens, Otterbein College for this activity

In your corners, discuss:1)  why have you picked the corner you have?

2)  when you’ve worked in teams in the past which other corner have you experienced most conflict with and why? 

3)  be ready to convince the other 3 groups why you believe it’s important to go at group or collaborative work from your corner’s perspective.  

What makes a successful collaboration

Common goals

Flexibility – different ways to achieve a goal

Communication and cooperation

Ability to disagree and still work together

Social element – getting to know each other

Joint decision-making

Defining roles and tasks but remaining flexible

Glassick et al’s SoTL framework

Clear goals - clearly identified objectives and purposes. Adequate preparation - appropriate engagement with relevant, current literature in the field. Appropriate methods - the use and application of methods that relate to the stated goals so e.g. different aspects of methodology and procedure from ‘the logic of the syllabus to pedagogical procedures to evaluation’ (Glassick et al., 1997, p4). Significant results - results that relate to the stated goals and the impact of results on the learning of your students and/or other practitioners in the field Effective communication – SoTL requires the dissemination of ideas and findings to the wider academic community. Reflective critique - ‘the scholar thinks about his or her work, seeks the opinion of others, and develops his or her learning over time’ (Glassick et al., 1997, p 5). 

What can you bring to a SoTL project?

Think of as many talents, skills, traits or attributes that you have (or could develop) that could allow you to contribute to a SoTL project.

I enjoy reviewing the

literature

I really like planning a

group’s activitiesI seem to be

quite good at motivating other

people

Enthusiasm

I can do some basic statistics

I’m quite good at designing

questionnaires

I’m good at editing written

work

What could a potential collaborator do to help?

What would help you get started/move forward with your SoTL work?

Try to be as specific as possible e.g.

“I want to do a comparison of how first year arts students and science students approach their exam provision – I need someone in the sciences who will be able to access first year science students.”

“I’ve never applied for ethical approval before and would like advice from someone who has.”

“I have written the first draft of a paper/report but I’m not sure if it’s any good, I want a ‘critical friend’/editor”

Personal Ads time…..

1. Top half - write a brief description of you – subject area, SoTL interests and expertise you might be able to offer

2. Bottom half – write a brief description of what you’re looking for in a collaborator

3. Place in the ‘Newsagent window’

For instance….

Good at coming up with new SoTL ideas/Struggle with maintaining momentum and finishing off.

Interested in staff and student experiences of HE - some experience of qualitative methods of data gathering and analysis

Not bad at editing/commenting on drafts (for other people).

Desperately seeking collaborators who will encourage me to keep going in our project/work with me to get going with writing up

Interested in any project that attempts to enhance and explore the student experience.

Must have patience and GSOH

And finally

1.Take a look at the newsagent window

2. Write your name/email address on 1 or more postits

3. Attach these to the cards that interest you

4. Take your own card away with you

5. Wait expectantly for your potential collaborator to get in touch