CUT | Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

The Central University of Technology launched the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in 2014 through the University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG). SOTL is a research-led form of professional learning aimed at contributing to unearthing and contributing to the knowledge base of teaching and learning.

The mission of the SoTL at CUT since its inception has been to:

improve the quality of teaching and learning through systematic inquiry of research;
encourage academics to reflect on their practices through research;
for academic staff to actively contribute to the ongoing conversation about teaching and learning in the disciplines;
contribute to increasing research outputs for the Institution; and,
create groups of Communities of Practices (COPs) to work on specific domains of learning and teaching.

Various projects run as part of SoTL each year.

SoTL impact

The impact of SoTL on teaching and learning has been phenomenal. This is seen from the number of participants in workshops, colloquia, conferences, and research outputs as discussed in full under SoTL in the sections below. The UCDG made it possible for national and international conference attendances by academics. This resulted in:

Good Teaching (Teaching that promotes student learning and other related student outcomes;
Scholarly Teaching (Teaching that is supported by a body of research to increase effectiveness); and,
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) (Combination of reflection and knowledge which yields questions about teaching for study).

The aim of SoTL

CUT SoTL is located within the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT).

The aim of the project is:

To promote the scholarship of teaching and learning and to improve teaching and learning by encouraging academic staff to research and reflect their teaching and learning practices.
To promote scholarly teaching by sharing good practices with national and international peers through conferences.
To create a platform for staff development to promote quality learning and teaching through colloquia, workshops and seminars.
To increase research outputs for the institution and mentor staff on writing for publications.
To enhance the quality of teaching and learning in line with the CHE QEP project.