The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning @ CSM
By Jean Mach, professor of English & SoTL Center coordinator

The opening of our new Center for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Building 12, Room 170 gives the college a dedicated space to encourage and support scholarly and invigorating approaches to our profession.

But what is this all about?  I quote from a few a few experts at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching:

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning . . .

  • involves examining “teaching and learning issues  . . . in order to
    • foster significant, long-lasting learning for all students
    • advance the practice and profession of teaching
    • bring to teaching the recognition afforded to other forms of scholarly work”
      (Lee S. Shulman, Teaching as Community Property)

  • “has four core practices
    • framing questions
    • gathering and exploring evidence
    • trying out and refining new insights in the classroom
    • going public  . . . in ways that others can learn from”
      (Mary Taylor Huber and Pat Hutchings, The Advancement of Learning)

    but . . .

•  “there is no single best method or approach for conducting the scholarship of teaching and learning.”
    (Pat Hutchings, Opening Lines)

In that spirit, since our SoTL Center opened for business in May, 2007, it has hosted an array of activities, including podcasting workshops, a two-day learning communities institute, “Create, Celebrate @ CSM,” a two-day ePortfolio workshop, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society orientations, committee meetings, and division meetings.  “Talking About Teaching” Forums will begin on Friday, September 21, 2-3:30 p.m., with  “Alchemy @ CSM: Alchemy: Turning a Basic Skills Initiative into Institutional Student Learning Outcomes Assessment through WAC and ePortfolios.”  Please come!

Everyone is welcome to become involved in SoTL @ CSM.  Contact me (mach@smccd.edu ; x6353) if you want to schedule an activity in the Center. The Center also has a small but growing library, and you are welcome to browse and check out books.

Finally, I will be submitting regular updates on SoTL @ CSM to the President’s eNews. If you’d like to go “public  . . . in ways that others can learn from,” contact me.  I’d like to feature reports of all the wonderful scholarship going on here!

Learning Communities Summer Institute Podcasting Workshop
Learning Communities Summer Institute
May 2007                 		 Podcasting Workshop
June 2007