The Role of Academic Development Practitioners towards Institutionalizing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A Case Study

Abstract

In this paper the authors who are Academic Developers discuss their efforts on the institutionalization of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) at a South African Higher Education Institution. The 2013 annual colloquium referred to as the Teaching and Learning week is used as one example of many platforms for the dissemination of scholarly teaching and learning. Academic Developers at this institution use this form of dissemination as a means to institutionalize SoTL. Focusing on this specific platform as a single case study provides an opportunity to emphasise the importance of the SoTL in the strengthening university teacher’s pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning. This paper is based on the efforts of promoting academics engagement in SoTL and the explication of academic developers’ roles in the institutionalization of SoTL. A critical analysis of the 2013 Teaching and Learning Week provides insight into the importance of the enhancement of academics approaches to teaching and the facilitation of learning. The paper attempts to debunk the incorrect perception of viewing teaching as a common sense activity. Scholarly teaching is explored as an intellectual activity intended to bring about documented developments in student learning, and those developments are shared publicly. The Teaching and Learning Week creates a physical and intellectual space for discussions on scholarly teaching to take place. From this point SoTL is producing knowledge which is available for public critique and use. In turn this legitimizes the actions and work of the presenting university teachers. As professional educators, they have an obligation to participate in pedagogical research and the sharing thereof.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n11p11