Scholarship of Teaching and learning - Developing teaching and learning together

SoTL in Sweden is characterised by individual development, collaboration and institutional support. SoTL in Sweden can also be called “Academic teachership”. This is described as "an approach by which higher education teachers continuously and systematically reflect on, explore and develop their own pedagogical practice and its influence on student learning" (page 29, Bolander-Laksov & Scheja, 2020). In addition to the individual perspective, a collegial perspective is included; how we can deepen our knowledge in dialogue with colleagues and then, the organisational perspective, the structures and frameworks that exist that support the continuous development of teaching (Bolander-Laksov & Scheja, 2020).

Individual perspective

The individual perspective of SoTL at KI involves developing your teaching skills through scientifically based methods, as well as reflecting on your own position in relation to different pedagogical theories.

You can develop your individual teaching skills, for example, by:

1. Documenting your teaching experiences and reflecting on what worked well and why.
2. Using student feedback to identify areas for improvement.
3. Participating in pedagogical courses, workshops and conferences to deepen your pedagogical knowledge and skills and at the same time have the opportunity to exchange experiences with others.
4. Using research-based methods to systematically analyse and improve your teaching.
5. Running or participating in pedagogical development projects that aim to improve the quality of education and strengthen your role as a teacher.
6. Create a plan for your pedagogical development that you update continuously and document in a pedagogical portfolio (link to Your pedagogical portfolio | Employees).

Collegial perspective

The Collegial perspective of SoTL at KI entails supporting each other, developing together and jointly strengthening the quality of courses and programs. Learning is taken to a deeper level if you share it with others with similar assignments (Bolander-Laksov & Scheja, 2020). Supporting each other and developing together strengthens the quality of courses and programs.

You can develop at a collegial level, for example, by:

1. Sharing ideas and experiences in pedagogical networks, work teams or conferences, and sharing contact channels and networks.
2. Participate in offers from the Teaching and Learning unit for collegial dialogue on current pedagogical issues, for example: Bites of Learning, teacher days or MedEd Studio.
3. Using auscultations where you observe, discuss and develop each other's teaching.
4. Have a designated colleague as a pedagogical mentor and/or be a mentor to newer colleagues.
5. Gather colleagues for pedagogical discussions and analyse the group's strengths and challenges and discuss how you can develop together.

Organisational perspective

A part of SoTL at KI is the formal competency requirements that we place on teachers and supervisors. This includes their opportunity for career development and how we within the organisation value and use individuals' competencies (Fanghanel et al., 2016). By developing structures, conditions and supportive cultures, pedagogical development and innovation are enabled.

You can contribute to institutional development, for example, by:

1. Participating in the development of educational programs.
2. Striving to become an excellent teacher (link to Your pedagogical portfolio | Employees).
3. At a leadership level, supporting both your own and teachers' pedagogical development.
4. Creating conditions for sustainability for pedagogical development initiatives.
5. Creating collegiums and pedagogical meeting places for discussions about educational quality, development and innovation.
6. Sharing development results at internal, national and international conferences.
7. Developing how we share and collaborate on pedagogy at KI, for example by arranging conferences and inviting people with pedagogical interest to discussions.

Here you can read more

Bolander Laksov, K. & Scheja, M. (2020). Academic teachership (SULF:S Publications XLII). Sveriges universitetslärare och forskare (SULF). New publication: Academic teachership – SULF

Bolander Laksov, K. & Scheja, M. (2023). Dimensioner av akademiskt lärarskap—Pedagogisk skicklighet är mer än undervisningsskicklighet (2023:4; Rapporter om undervisning och lärande i högre utbildning). Centrum för universitetslärarutbildning, Stockholms universitet. https://www.su.se/centrum-for-universitetslararutbildning/akademiskt-l%C3%A4rarskap/undervisning-och-karri%C3%A4r/%C3%A5tta-dimensioner-av-akademiskt-l%C3%A4rarskap-1.671490 

Fanghanel, J., McGowan, S., Parker, P., McConnell, C., Potter, J., Locke, W., & Healey, M. (2016). Literature Review. Defining and supporting the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): a sector-wide study. Higher Education Academy.

SUHF. (2016). REK 2016:1 - Rekommendationer om mål för behörighetsgivande högskolepedagogisk utbildning samt ömsesidigt erkännande. REK-2016-1-Om-behörighetsgivande-högskolepedagogisk-utbildning_Dnr-024-16.pdf

SUHF. (2023). REK 2023:3 - SUHF:s rekommendation för högskolepedagogisk utveckling. https://suhf.se/app/uploads/2023/04/SUHF-REK-2023-3-Rekommendation-for-hogskolepedagogisk-utveckling.pdf