Ckass 2 determining a research question

Getting Started with the Scholarship of

Teaching and Learning

ADLT 673, Spring 2017Class Session 2 – February 2, 2017

Continuum of Growth Toward SoTLDevelop personal

knowledge about one’s own teaching and student

learning

Weston & McAlpine (2001)



learning

Reflect on teaching

Intentionally evaluate teaching to make improvements

Read and learn about underlying principles of teaching and learning

Engage in teaching development activities

Can demonstrate validity of teaching/learning knowledge through assessment by students, peers, etc.




learning

Develop and exchange knowledge about

teaching/learning with colleagues

Reflect on teaching Engage colleagues in conversation that make explicit pedagogical content knowledge

Intentionally evaluate teaching to make improvements

Mentor other teachers


Provide leadership in teaching such as organizing events for faculty development


Engage in disciplinary and multidisciplinary teaching associations


Grow in the understanding of the complexity of teaching/learning




learning


teaching/learning with colleagues


teaching/learning that has significance and impact

Reflect on teaching Engage colleagues in conversation that make explicit pedagogical content knowledge

Draw on existing literature to inform conceptual and hypothesis-driven research

Intentionally evaluate own teaching to make improvements

Mentor other teachers Obtain funding for research on teaching


Provide leadership in teaching such as organizing events for faculty development

Carry out research on teaching using an approach consistent with its goals


Engage in disciplinary and multidisciplinary teaching associations

Publish and make presentations about teaching/learning


Grow in the understanding of the complexity of teaching/learning

Develop comprehensive knowledge of the research and literature on teaching and learning


SoTL involves systematic, literature-based inquiry into processes and outcomes involved with teaching and learning

SoTL may follow the standards and practices delineated by the scientific method:

a) systematic observations, b) well-developed operations, c) accurate data analyses, d) evidence-based conclusions

Glassick et al. 1997; McKinney 2004; Shulman 1999

SoTL generates a product that is peer-reviewed on the basis of whether that product contributes new knowledge to the field and/or invites conceptual replication

SoTL products /activities are presented publically for others to build upon

Engagement in SoTL provides an opportunity for personal/professional reflection on teaching and learning

Glassick et al. 1997; McKinney 2004; Shulman,1999

1. Is the following is a SoTL activity? An analysis of student test scores is provided to course faculty to demonstrate material that needs to be emphasized during an upcoming interactive case study.

A. YesB. No C. Maybe

2. Is the following is a SoTL activity? A residency program director gives a lecture to the interns on improving quality and safety in patient care. In the weeks following the lecture, the program director tracks the number of documented medical errors and “near misses” on the service.

Her goal is to submit a proposal to an upcoming conference.


3. Is the following is a SoTL activity?

An article published in the Journal of Dental Education, describes the outcomes of a qualitative analysis involving 1,382 student responses over a 4-year period. Repeated student surveys and focus groups were used to collect student perceptions of recent curricular changes at one US dental school.

Journal of Dental Education is a peer-reviewed monthly journal.


How do you get started designing scholarship in teaching and learning?

Quantitative methods• Does? Is (are)? Can? Should?

Qualitative methods• What?• Why?• How?

Mixed methods• How?

“Rule of Thumb” for SoTL Methods and Questions: Let your question lead the way!

Post-course designs

Before and after studies

Controlled before and after

studies

Randomized controlled trials

(RCTs)

Longitudinal studies that test

specific variables over

time

Quantitative Designs

Qualitative DesignsEthnography

Phenomenology

Grounded Theory

Case Studies

Action Research

Qualitative Research & Evidence Based PracticeCan help bridge the gap between scientific evidence and clinical practice

Findings provide rigorous accounts of treatment regimens in everyday contexts

Can help us understand the barriers to using evidence based medicine, and its limitations in informing decisions about treatment

Recognizing the limits of evidence based medicine does not imply a rejection of research evidence but awareness that different research questions require different kinds of research

Green & Britten, 1998, p. 1230

Rigor and Quality in ResearchQuantitative Qualitative• Internal Validity

• External Validity

• Reliability

• Objectivity

• Credibility (truth value)

• Transferability (applicability)

• Dependability (consistency)

• Confirmability (neutrality)

What is the Quantitative – Qualitative Debate?

Does this debate continue today in medical education?

Why do you think it is (or is not) fruitful?

What type of research have you traditionally considered more rigorous?

How, if at all, do you think quantitative research contributes to qualitative research?

How, if at all do you think qualitative research contributes to quantitative research?

Are there examples of research topics that might be better suited for one approach or another?

Contributions of Qualitative Research to Mixed Methods Studies

Determining variables for a quantitative study

Giving voice to under-represented or under-researched individuals

Providing context to a sample

Taking account how people feel and construct their experiences and why these matter

Formulating interventions

Contributing to community engagement and social change

Exploring surprising findings or negative results

Exploring constructs or variables that are unknown

Offering explanation to quantitative findings

• What are your expectations of research, in general?• What are your expectations of qualitative research?• What is your stance on the qualitative-quantitative

debate?• What are your personal and professional fears and

challenges regarding conducting qualitative inquiry?• How do you see qualitative research as a fit for you as

a health professions educator?

Reflect on the following (individually), then discuss your responses in a small group of 3-4 others:

Research Expectations

Top 10 Points about Qualitative Research

A journey, not a destination

Recognize underpinning

theoretical and

philosophical assumptions

Keep it simple – select a

single idea to study / single

research paradigm

Involve others! Participants,

co-researchers

Let go of your defenses

It’s not just about words /

nor is it “easier”

Quantitative research is not

the enemy

As described in your textbook, Qualitative Inquiry in Clinical and Educational Settings by DG Hays and AA Singh, 2012

Brainstorm ideas how you might design a study to answer your

question.

Revisiting Your Research

Question from a

Methodological Perspective

ReferencesBishop-Clark, C. & Dietz-Uhler, B. (2012). Engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus. Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Princeton, NJ: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Carlyle, K. E. (2014, February 17). Research paradigms in education. Presentation made to the TiME program. Glassick, C. E. (2000). Boyer’s expanded definition of scholarship, the standards for assessing scholarship, and the elusiveness of the scholarship of teaching. Academic Medicine, 75 (9).Glassick, C. E., Huber, M.T., & Maeroff, G. I. (1997). Scholarship assessed: Evaluation of the professoriate. San Francisco, Ca: Jossey-Bass. Green, J. & Britton, N.(1998). Qualitative research and evidence-based medicine. British Medical Journal, 316(7139), 1230-1232.Gurung, R. A. R, & Wilson, J. H. (2013, Winter). Advancing scholarly research on teaching and learning. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 136. San Francisco, CA: Wiley Publishing. Hays, D. G., & Singh, A.A. (2012). Qualitative inquiry in clinical and educational settings. Guilford Press.McKinney, K. (2004). What is the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in higher education? Presentation made at Illinois State University.Paulsen, M. B. (2001). The relation between research and the scholarship of teaching. In C. Kreber (Ed.), Scholarship revisited: Perspectives on the scholarship of teaching and Learning. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 86, 19-20. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Richlin, L. (2001, Summer). Scholarly Teaching and the scholarship of teaching. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 86. San Francisco, CA: Wiley Publishing.Schlesinger, J. (2013). Photos of VCU School of Medicine faculty.Shulman, L. S. (1999, July/August). Taking learning seriously. Change, 31(4), 10-17.Weston, C. B., & McAlpine, L. (2001, Summer). Making explicit the development toward the scholarship of teaching. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. San Francisco, CA: Wiley Publishing. Witman, P. D., & Richlin, L. (2007). The status of the scholarship of teaching and learning in the discipline. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 1(1), 13. available at http://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ij-sotl/vol1/iss1/14.