Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL)

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) at Western Carolina University (WCU) is a university-wide initiative focusing upon the mission and aspirations of the university.

The purpose of SoTL at Western is to:

• • Improve student learning
  • Renew faculty teaching and professional development
  • Deepen collegiality among all sectors of the university community
  • Feature WCU’s mission as the epitome of academic life at the university, thereby enhancing WCU’s reputation for excellence in educational enthusiasm, experience, and outcomes

SoTL Faculty Learning Community

The SoTL FLC is led by April Tallant and CFC Faculty Fellows Darby Hallyburton and Darby Harris. For Spring 2025, the FLC meets on February 7, February 14, February 21, March 21, and on one date in April (TBD). Reach out to April Tallant if you want to find out more.

SoTL Resources

Introductory Readings

• • Encouraging the Use of Collaborative Learning in Higher Education, Theodore Panitz & Patricia Panitz
  • Starting Where the Students Are, Judi Hetrick
  • The Scholarship of Teaching, Eileen Bender & Donald Gray

Publication Outlets

• • SoTL Research Database
  • Academic Exchange Quarterly
  • Academic Writing: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Communication Across the Curriculum
  • College Teaching
  • Innovative Higher Education
  • Inventio: Creative Thinking About Teaching and Learning
  • Journal of Excellence in College Teaching
  • MountainRise
  • Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice
  • Teaching in Higher Education
  • The Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL)
  • The Journal of Student Centered Learning
  • The National Teaching & Learning Forum
  • The Technology Source

Human Subjects and SoTL Research

• • Federal Regulations on Human Subject Research
  • The Belmont Report on Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research
  • Institutional Review Board Guidebook (Office for Human Research Protections)
  • Ethical and Legal Aspects of Human Subjects Research on the Internet
  • Ethics in Research