Inquire: Certificate in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The Inquire: Certificate in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning program is designed for University of Guelph, Guelph-Humber, and Ridgetown faculty, instructors and staff who are interested in conducting research on teaching and learning.

The underlying philosophy of the program is to develop teacher scholars (Boyer, 1990) using a framework of inquiry-based learning. Over three consecutive modules taken in a 16-month time frame, program participants will learn about the history and philosophy of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), design a methodologically sound and ethical research project, apply for research ethics approval, collect and analyze data, and publicly share the results of the investigation.

Program Structure

Program participants will conduct a SoTL research project throughout the program. Participants can work individually or as a research team.

Activities to support the completion of the research project include:

• Attendance at an in-person three-day kick-off institute
• Participation in monthly meetings with cohort members including Action Learning Sets and workshops on topics including:
  • survey and interview design
  • ethics in the scholarship of teaching and learning
  • quantitative and qualitative data analysis dissemination of SoTL research
• Consultation with facilitators
• Presentation at the Teaching & Learning Innovations (TLI) Conference
• Submission of a paper to a peer-reviewed journal, or dissemination of research results through another avenue

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Inquire program, Inquire participants will be able to:

• Develop and implement a research project on teaching and learning in higher education by writing a research plan which includes a research question with aligned methodologies, a critical review of current literature, a plan for implementation, and ethics approval through the University's Research Ethics Board.
• Contribute to the scholarly discourse of research and knowledge related to teaching and learning in higher education within the University of Guelph community.
• Disseminate the SoTL project in an appropriate forum outside the University of Guelph community (e.g., via publication in a peer-reviewed journal).
• Collaborate with colleagues to enhance your own SoTL research project and support others with their endeavours by participating in structured Action Learning Sets and consultations.
• Critically reflect on the research process and results to continuously enhance professional development and practice as both researcher and instructor.

Program participants will receive a University of Guelph Certificate (awarded by the Senate Committee on Non-Degree Studies).

Inquire Research Topics

Current and former Inquire participants have conducted empirical investigations of several topics related to teaching and learning including:

• Item Response Theory and exam fairness
• Effects of teaching approach on student engagement and satisfaction in an undergraduate Business course
• Sleep and academic performance in first-year undergraduate students
• Experiences of language-based discrimination for additional language speakers
• Instructor perceptions of student mental health in the classroom
• Graduate students’ perceptions on the effectiveness of Individual Development Plans

Inquire participants have used quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods to investigate SoTL research questions. Inquire facilitators are experienced in SoTL research and can support participants to conduct research using a variety of methods.