Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Practicum

Directed Study Experiences available in 2023-2024
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Contact: Dr. Colleen McLinn,futurefaculty@cornell.edu

We invite Teaching Assistants for discussion or lab sections, graduate instructors for First-Year Writing Seminars, and interested postdoctoral scholars with an idea for a small-scale classroom research project to apply for this professional development experience. Applicants can be in any discipline as long as they have permission from the faculty course leader and an idea for a research project on teaching and learning. Both individuals and pairs/small teams may apply for this program.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Practitioners will receive training and support needed to conduct a small-scale Teaching as Research project and present the results in a presentation to the campus community. Our colleague Dr. Kimberly Williams has written a how-to text that will be provided to participants for reference during project design. Participants will have the opportunity to develop a manuscript and will receive a project stipend of $500 to support project-related training and defray expenses incurred in carrying out or presenting the research. They will also become part of a larger cohort of early-career scholars who are leaders in integrating disciplinary research with advancement of teaching.

Workshops to Support Project Implementation

The program will require participation in four two-hour training meetings during the year of participation and additional individual consultations with the program’s instructor, as well as public presentation of preliminary design and findings in a campus-wide or cross-campus symposium in spring. Exact dates, times, and locations for these meetings are to be determined based on participants’ schedules.

Topic 1: What is Teaching as Research?

How might I think about my Teaching as Research project? What are some methodological possibilities? What do I need to do as far as the Institutional Review Board is concerned? What sources and databases can I use to investigate research that has already been done in this area?

Topic 2: Qualitative Methodology

What qualitative research methods make sense to use in Teaching as Research? What qualitative research methods might be relevant to my interests and how would I use them?

Topic 3: Quantitative Methodology, Survey Design, and Teaching as Research Project Design

What are some quantitative strategies I might use? How might I conceive of my project? How do I design simple yet meaningful classroom research surveys for use in Qualtrics? How do I analyze my qualitative and quantitative data?

Topic 4: Data Analysis, Writing Up Results, and Developing Presentations

How do I present my results as a compelling presentation (poster or oral) for the conference?

Spring: Connecting Research and Teaching Conference

Share your research with the Cornell University community and visiting scholars in presentation (poster or oral) at some point during an annual symposium.

Full participation in the program including presenting preliminary results to the campus community meets requirements for the CIRTL Practitioner certificate.

View SoTL Practitioners and project titles

SoTL Publication Residency

Take your research further!

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Publication Residency is ideal for graduate student and postdoc participants who have already completed a Teaching as Research (TAR) project, and would like to write up a formal journal article or other manuscript for publication. The program involves one-on-one mentoring and opportunities for group support and peer feedback. Assistance throughout the writing and editing process will be available, as will help responding to reviewers’ comments and feedback. Participants also present their work at the Connecting Research and Teaching Conference with others also presenting education research findings and evidence-based best practices. We also can help you identify travel funding to present your work at professional or teaching-focused conferences, and apply to participate in a CIRTL Network Exchange visit.

Presentation of results beyond Cornell or publication in a peer-reviewed journal or in Cornell’s working paper series meets the requirements for the CIRTL Scholar certificate, the most rigorous level of CIRTL engagement.