SoTL Faculty Learning Community

College of Health Sciences + Center for the Enhancement of Learning & Teaching

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications due: June 2, 2023

The faculty learning community (FLC) will explore the possibilities and procedures of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), particularly for faculty participants who have been trained in and practice health sciences research methods. Envisioned as a two-part, two-year program, the FLC will meet once a month for 60-90 minutes. The first semester (Fall 2023) will focus on SoTL design, methods, examples, and dissemination from both interdisciplinary and health sciences perspectives, after which participants may choose to continue for the remaining three semesters (Spring 2024 – Spring 2025) in designing, implementing, analyzing results from, and writing up a SoTL project either as individuals or in teams. Guest speakers may be brought in to the FLC meetings through the duration of the FLC.

The FLC is a collaboration between the College of Health Sciences (CHS) and the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT). Participants who choose to conduct scholarly projects after the first semester of the FLC will work collaboratively with CELT staff as partners to design, conduct, analyze, and write up scholarly projects. Full-time CHS faculty/staff participants may consider submitting a grant application to the pilot project program offered through the CHS Office of Research and Scholarship to support projects developed through the FLC.

The Fall 2023 FLC will be the second SoTL cohort in CHS. After completing the fall seminar series, the Fall 2022 cohort is currently working with CELT staff to bring their projects to fruition. Examples of SoTL projects the Fall 2022 cohort is currently working on:

• Development, implementation, and evaluation of an emotional intelligence workshop
• Analysis of survey responses from college students about anxiety
• Intentional improvement of group dynamics within problem-based learning pedagogy
• Assessment of a telehealth evaluation tool for allied health professionals and educators
• Exploring students' use of GroupMe chats in course-based contexts
• Assessing the effectiveness of an innovative breakout room activity in medical laboratory science

Faculty in all title series, staff, and doctoral students in CHS are eligible to apply. CHS faculty accepted into the FLC may be eligible to dedicate 3% distribution of effort in professional development for the 2023-224 DOE period.

Monthly meeting topics include:

• Introduction to SoTL
• Connecting SoTL projects to challenges and opportunities for teaching and learning
• Research design and data collection for SoTL
• Qualitative data collection and analysis
• Software and other tools for qualitative data analysis
• Challenges, limitations, opportunities, and interventions for SoTL work
• Topics related to participants’ projects

To apply, please respond to the following application questions and submit the application (pdf) below to the Office of Research and Scholarship (betsy.northrup@uky.edu) by June 2, 2023.

Application Questions

1. Brief statement (750 words or less) describing:
   1. Your goals of participating in the SoTL faculty learning community. What do you hope to gain from the experience, and how is it connected with your development as a teacher-scholar?
   2. Your sense of current issues in teaching and learning in your discipline and/or courses that you teach. What challenges, barriers, or opportunities for your teaching and/or your students’ learning do you anticipate you might address through the FLC and SoTL work
2. Brief statement (250 words or less) describing any previous experience with the scholarship of teaching and learning. Experience can include but is not limited to reading about scholarly teaching, implementing evidence-based teaching pedagogy, participating in scholarly or evidence-based instructional development programs, and conducting scholarship in teaching and learning.
3. Please describe your teaching role(s) within the College of Health Sciences. Teaching can include both classroom and clinical teaching, as well as other responsibilities.
4. Please indicate your availability for monthly meetings during the fall 2023 semester.  We are looking for general availability, so listing times such as M/W/F mornings or T/R/F noon hour, will be very helpful.  

If you have any questions about the SoTL FLC, please contact Janine Schmedding-Bartley (Janine.l.s.bartley@uky.edu) or Leslie Woltenberg (Leslie.woltenberg@uky.edu).

To apply, please respond to the following application questions and submit a PDF or Word document below:

Application Questions

1. Brief statement (250 words or less) describing your goals of participating in the SoTL faculty learning community. What do you hope to gain from the experience, and how is it connected with your development as a teacher-scholar?
2. Brief statement (500 words or less) on your sense of current issues in teaching and learning in your discipline and/or courses that you teach. What challenges, barriers, or opportunities for your teaching and/or your students’ learning do you anticipate you might address through the FLC and SoTL work?
3. Brief statement (250 words or less) describing any previous experience with the scholarship of teaching and learning. Experience can include but is not limited to reading about scholarly teaching, implementing evidence-based teaching pedagogy, participating in scholarly or evidence-based instructional development programs, and conducting scholarship in teaching and learning.
4. Please describe your teaching role(s) within the College of Health Sciences. Teaching can include both classroom and clinical teaching, as well as other responsibilities.
5. Please indicate your availability for monthly meetings during the fall 2022 semester.  We are looking for general availability, so listing times such as M/W/F mornings or T/R/F noon hour, will be very helpful.