In May, the Coulter Faculty Commons hosted the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Design Institute at the Waynesville Inn & Golf Club, bringing together faculty from across disciplines to explore how classroom questions can become publishable research.

Led by SoTL expert Dr. Laura Cruz (Penn State) and supported by Western Carolina faculty panelists Susan Braithwaite (Health Sciences), Chip Ferguson (Engineering and Technology), and Katharine Mershon (Philosophy and Religion), the Institute offered sessions on framing meaningful research questions, research design, and Institutional Review Board (IRB) considerations, all in service to excellence in teaching and learning. The agenda focused on helping participants align their curiosity with methods that transform everyday classroom practice into evidence-based inquiry.

Many left energized by the realization that any teaching curiosity could become a SoTL project. “It is fantastic to know that there are experts in the CFC who can help with design,” one attendee noted. 

Faculty are already planning classroom changes, emphasizing metacognition, involving students in research, and using SoTL to guide innovation. The Institute planted seeds that will grow into engaged classrooms and impactful scholarship. Participants will be supported by the CFC throughout the summer with personalized coaching sessions and into the fall through a Write and Learn Collaborative, designed to help them implement classroom innovations, share progress, and support one another through dedicated collaboration and focused writing time. For more information about SoTL, please contact April Tallant atallant@wcu.edu.