Lecturers’ burning questions
“What is really happening in your teaching?” That question marked the start of the first SoTL session (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning), led by education researchers Jan Willem Grijpma and Maiza Campos Ponce. No pitches or quick fixes, but the lecturers’ own burning questions as a starting point. What challenges do they encounter in their teaching? And what do those questions reveal about their ambitions for student development? Together, participants explored what lies behind their educational questions. Not only: what do I want to change? But also: why? What underlying need or belief is reflected in that question?
The focus then shifted to possible educational innovations. What outcomes do lecturers hope to achieve? Does the innovation truly align with their original question? And through which mechanisms might it make a difference? By critically examining goals, assumptions and intended impact together, greater focus emerged. A first step towards thoughtful and meaningful educational research. In this way, the VU Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) provides a solid framework for carefully designing, implementing and evaluating educational innovations.
Working in a community
Exchange is central to these SoTL sessions. Lecturers discuss their research design, doubts and dilemmas. “That openness makes SoTL more than an individual project. It truly becomes a growing community of lecturers who support each other in their role as educational researchers,” says Jan Willem.
Student employee Noah Rookmaaker also shared insights from her thesis on the impact of SoTL participation. Her finding: “Engaging in educational research can increase lecturers’ self-confidence and that has a positive effect on the quality of education at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.”
No grant required for your educational research
New this year is that the SoTL sessions are open to all colleagues interested in educational research. “You don’t need to be a grant recipient to join. In this way, SoTL is growing into a shared practice within VU Amsterdam: taking an inquiry-based approach to your own teaching, together with others,” Jan Willem adds.
Would you like to join one of the sessions? Email the VU Centre for Teaching and Learning at ctl@vu.nl for an overview of the dates and possibilities.
