Structure of Module Two

The module is structured around the premise that communication, talking with colleagues, sharing ideas and experiences about teaching, lies at the heart of the scholarship of teaching.

Communication about teaching and student learning occurs at different levels, can be for different purposes and will involve different audiences.

Scholarly Discourse.

• to establish a culture of scholarly teaching
• as orientation to the discourse of scholarship in teaching
• as collaboration to improve teaching

This unit provides guidelines for the introduction, development and maintenance of regular meetings of departmental or faculty staff to work together over a semester or two to address questions and concerns about the particulars of teaching and student learning in their specific discipline or course. Suggested topics for developing the discourse and a program example for groups wishing to take an action learning approach.

Scholarly Peer Review as collaboration to improve student learning in a specific course or discipline

This unit provides a series of strategies and guidelines to enable colleagues (in pairs, small groups or at departmental level) to examine, inquire and reflect on their teaching and their student's learning in a systematic and purposeful manner. Examples of these activities are; reciprocal classroom visits, protocols for interviewing each other's students, examining student work, curriculum materials, etc. The activities and the ensuing discussion are designed to provide insight into new and improved pedagogical ideas.

Communication to gain resources for the further development of scholarly teaching

This unit provides guidelines for the development of grant submissions applying the elements of scholarship, applying these approaches to a specific task; commencing with the analysis of the granting organization and its agenda as expressed in past grants as well as in published guidelines to applicants. The unit covers:

• establishing the context
• describing the hypothesis
• developing a strategy
• marshaling the evidence
• making the case, etc.

Communicating to contribute to the scholarship of teaching

This unit provides guidelines and advice for the development of specific artifacts for the presentation of individual scholarship in teaching. Points to consider when:

• making a presentation to departmental colleagues
• preparing a paper to deliver at a conference (including the submission of the initial abstract)
• writing for publication, preparing material for submission to a refereed journal.(including the consideration and deconstruction of a range of established scholarly journals notes to contributors)

Demonstrating the scholarship of teaching through a scholarly Teaching Portfolio

This unit provides a range of activities to develop materials for inclusion in a scholarly teaching portfolio. The practice of scholarly teaching provides the basis for the materials that follow:

• documenting scholarship in teaching
• constructing an argument to demonstrate the scholarly nature of practice
• presenting the argument in the form of a portfolio or dossier
• assembling the evidence to support the argument
• documenting scholarship in teaching
• constructing an argument to demonstrate the scholarly nature of practice
• presenting the argument in the form of a portfolio or dossier
• assembling the evidence to support the argument
• presenting this evidence as a teaching portfolio

The unit will also consider a range of institutional practices in the use of teaching portfolios for promotion and other forms of performance appraisal.

This module on communication will make explicit what is valued in the scholarship of teaching through processes of reflection, collaboration and documentation. Each unit is designed to stand alone or different combinations can be undertaken as part of an accredited program.

 

Communicating	Activity	Outcome
- to develop scholarly teaching	Teaching Circles Peer review	Adding to the knowledge of teaching and learning in HE and in specific discipline areas
- gain support for development of scholarly teaching	Grant application Fellowship application	Seeking assistance for the development and testing hypothesis for teaching innovation and sharing outcome
- to contribute to the scholarship of teaching	Conference presentation Writing for publication	Sharing product of research and investigation, adding to knowledge of teaching and learning in discipline and in HE
- to demonstrate the scholarship of teaching	Teaching Portfolio	Evaluating and documenting of individual scholarship; demonstrating teaching, research, reflection and communication.