What Students Want You to Know About Conducting SoTL Research
A video of this fantastic keynote at last year’s SoTL Symposium is now online – thank you to Ana Sepulveda, Ranee Drader and Margy MacMillan for sharing their experiences and perspectives about how students can contribute to SoTL work, what they learn, and how faculty can help make it as positive an experience as possible!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILNOIq4ycGg&feature=youtu.be
Abstract:
These two scholarship of teaching and learning undergraduate student co-investigators talk about why they got involved in SoTL research, describe the projects they’ve worked on and what they’ve learned, and share their perspectives on how faculty and students can work together toward improving student learning. Some key themes from their talk include how they now have a better understanding of what research is and what universities do, how much they were inspired and excited by doing the research and gained confidence by being able to add value to a research project, and also how it taught them life skills such as developing time management skills, learning that setbacks are okay, and balancing work/life/school. However, they also discussed some of the challenges of being in a dual role of a research assistant working for their own professors. Their advice for faculty: be patient and remember that undergraduate students are just learning about research; make students feel comfortable bringing up new ideas yet provide constructive criticism; be flexible and realize that your students still have a life outside of school; realize that the relationship you develop will be different than a professor/student relationship; and remember the importance of place – having a dedicated space and community on campus for doing their work is important for them not only to focus but also to feel supported rather than isolated.
MRU students win 2nd place at the CSC
grants to support student attendance at ISSoTL conference
From the issotl listserv:
The International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
(ISSOTL) is pleased to announce a special grant program to support
undergraduate, graduate student, and post-doc participation in the 2013
ISSOTL conference, October 2-5, in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
http://www.issotl13.com
Individuals will be awarded grants to cover all but $50 of the cost to
register for the conference, including pre-conference workshop fees, and to
join ISSOTL. Individual travel, hotel and other costs will *not* be covered
by this grant. Awardees will be expected to attend the Thursday, October 3,
poster session and reception, where they will be recognized. Awardees must
be enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students at the time of the
conference, or hold a current post-doc appointment.
Grant applications will be evaluated by members of the ISSOTL 2013
conference planning committee. Award decisions will be based on the
applicant’s commitment to the study of teaching and learning, and the
relevance of the conference/ISSOTL membership to the applicant’s career
plans. The committee also seeks to make awards to students/post-docs from a
diverse set of higher education institutions. We anticipate awarding
approximately 35 grants.
Applicants must submit the material listed below via email to Heidi Irhig,
ISSOTL13@elon.edu, by Friday, August 30, 2013. Award winners will be
notified by Thursday, September 12, 2013.
Applicants must submit:
1. An email (less than 400 words) explaining your interest in ISSOTL and
the conference, and reflecting on how the grant connects to your career
goals. Be sure to include your name, degree status (i.e., undergraduate,
Ph.D. candidate, etc.), institution, and contact information.
2. Your Curriculum Vitae, attached to the email as a PDF or Word
document. If you are scheduled to present at the ISSOTL conference, please
highlight that on your CV.
3. Optional: You also may attach one brief recommendation from an ISSOTL
member that endorses your application.
For details about and to register for the conference, please visit:
http://www.issotl13.com
If you have questions about this grant program, please contact Peter Felten,
conference co-chair (pfelten@elon.edu).
——
ISSOTL 2013: Critical Transitions in Teaching and Learning – October 2-5,
2013 – Raleigh, North Carolina, US – http://www.issotl13.com
Convened in a city known for its beautiful public parks and thriving
cultural life, the conference will feature workshops facilitated by leading
scholars in the field, distinguished international plenary speakers
(including Lee Shulman, President Emeritus of the Carnegie Foundation for
the Advancement of Teaching, and also an international trio of TED-like
talks), panel presentations, individual paper and poster presentations, and
ISSOTL¹s signature Conference Commons for informal idea-sharing and
networking. Please join us!
In addition to the energizing sessions in Raleigh, join us for ISSOTL Online
2013, a free online seminar scheduled for the weeks leading up to the
conference. ISSOTL Online 2013 begins September 9, 2013, and continues
through September 28, 2013. To register for ISSOTL Online, visit the
conference web site and click on “programs.”