In a grant-funded professional development series, educators designed research projects into how students learn, with an eye toward improving outcomes.
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) organized and hosted a professional development opportunity focused on gaining new understanding into how students learn and how educators can best foster that learning. A virtual series on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), called SoTL Reimagined, gave 50 faculty and student-facing staff from all 14 ACM colleges the knowledge and tools to design and complete research projects about effective teaching.
SoTL is a growing practice that uses scholarly research methods to analyze approaches in higher education that lead to student success. SoTL scholars then share the results of their research with colleagues through presentations or publications, aiming to improve outcomes for undergraduates everywhere.
ACM asked Nancy Chick, a nationally recognized SoTL scholar and the director of the Endeavor Foundation Center for Faculty Development at Rollins College in Florida, to lead SoTL Reimagined. Chick predicted the 50 participants will become “wonderful models” of evidence-based teaching on their respective campuses.
“I hope participants in SoTL Reimagined realized that, regardless of discipline, rank, or position, they have a place in the scholarship of teaching and learning and can do meaningful SoTL projects,” Chick said following the conclusion of the program. “These faculty and staff—now SoTL scholars—exemplify the dedicated, caring, and scholarly educators at the heart of small campuses like those in the ACM.”
Each participant in the ACM program chose their own topic for a SoTL research project that would help them gain new insights into student learning. Over the course of four months ending in early 2025, the faculty and staff attended virtual meetings and completed a series of readings and assignments to support their SoTL projects. They could also meet one-on-one with Chick for additional support with designing their project or disseminating their findings.
“I’ve learned that SoTL projects can ask questions about how students and faculty experience learning, not just the outcomes of learning,” said SoTL Reimagined participant Stephanie Fretham, an associate professor of biology and director of the neuroscience program at Luther College. “This has shifted my perspective a lot and shaped the reflective questions I ask students and myself.”
“I was thrilled to discover that my teaching research is supported by a vibrant community and a well-established framework,” said Cornell College associate professor of finance Huan Cai, another participant in the ACM professional development program.
SoTL Reimagined served as the culminating activity of ACM’s “Collaboration to Institutionalize High-Impact Practices in the Liberal Arts,” a $297,500 grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Launched in 2020, the initiative sought to identify and disseminate best practices to maximize student learning. The award covered the full cost of the programming, enabling ACM to provide the one-time professional development opportunity at no cost to participants.
“Every time I visit an ACM campus, I am more and more impressed by faculty and staff’s level of dedication to student success,” said ACM President Lisa Jasinski. “I am confident that this program will equip more than 50 ACM educators to bring their innovative and effective teaching strategies to a national stage to have a significant impact on their disciplines.”
Participants in the program also received small stipends and a copy of the book SoTL in Action: Illuminating Critical Moments of Practice.
