Viewpoint
Some Canadian universities are ahead of us in recognizing it, Arshad Ahmad says.
A growing movement is attracting worldwide attention. It’s known as the scholarship of teaching and learning, or SOTL for short.
Concordia faculty members have always understood teaching as the university’s central purpose. Over 350 Concordia professors participated in a comprehensive North American study in 1996 on the relative importance of research and teaching (Grey, Diamond & Adam at Syracuse).
The perception among faculty at that time was that the institution was tilting heavily towards research despite the fact that they considered teaching just as important. Reality does not always match the rhetoric.
New faculty members are pulled in many directions and pressured to do it all. Expected to establish themselves quickly by publishing, they often teach large first-year classes and must sit in on time-consuming committees.
When faced with difficult choices, they find that disciplinary research trumps other forms of scholarship, even if the latter is more meaningful and fulfilling. The institution falls into the same trap, diverting resources and rewards to encourage a narrow definition of research.
I can tell you that many Canadian universities are going in a different direction. They are striving to build an institutional culture that redresses the meaning of scholarship and strives for some balance.
This involves merit and promotion exercises that value the scholarship of teaching and learning. It also involves visible action from university leaders.
Take the University of British Columbia, which has co-founded the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Queen’s and Mount Allison Universities recently announced teaching chairs that draw attention to educational agendas.
The University of Toronto has just announced a new Teaching Academy to celebrate faculty who have earned the President’s Teaching Award. The recipients receive a $10,000 professional development allowance annually for five years.
The federal government is also participating in the movement. Industry Canada, the Office of Learning Technologies, and more recently, SSHRC, are allocating funds to study pedagogical issues and improve standards.
Connecting SOTL to challenges facing Concordia, be it high student attrition, academic integrity issues or online learning, provides opportunities for research under the umbrella of SOTL. Faculty are on the front lines. Imagine the possibilities.
I’d like to see Concordia recognize and reward excellent teachers in curriculum development, teaching and pedagogical leadership. Concordia’s Centre for Teaching and Learning Services, one of the oldest such centres in Canada, could lead and support SOTL efforts.
Reconnecting with our students under the rubric of SOTL could breathe new life into the entire Concordia community.
Arshad Ahmad is an associate professor in the John Molson School of Business. A finance professor who earned his doctorate in education, he is also a 3M Teaching Fellow. For the sixth year, he is the coordinator of a national awards program that recognizes teaching and leadership.
Readers are invited to contact Barbara Black with ideas for future Viewpoints. Contact her by email at barblak@alcor.concordia.ca