scholarship of teaching and learning

Definition

The systematic study of teaching and learning processes in higher education, where professors research their own teaching with the same rigor they'd apply to their discipline. Meta-academia at its finest.

Example Usage

My scholarship of teaching and learning project examines whether students actually read the syllabus—spoiler alert: they don't.

Origin

Popularized by Ernest Boyer's 1990 report 'Scholarship Reconsidered' which expanded definitions of scholarly work

Fun Fact

SoTL has its own journals, conferences, and academic feuds, proving that even the study of teaching isn't immune to academic tribalism.

Source: Higher education pedagogy literature

Related Terms

Beginner

capstone project

A culminating assignment in a student's final year that supposedly demonstrates everything they've learned, though it often just demonstrates their ability to procrastinate until the last minute. Think of it as academia's swan song before graduation.

🎓 Education / Academia

Intermediate

lead instructor

The faculty member coordinating a multi-section course taught by various instructors, responsible for standardizing content while pretending everyone will follow the common syllabus. It's herding cats, but the cats have PhDs and opinions.

🎓 Education / Academia

Advanced

brown envelope research

Academic research covertly funded by industry or special interests who have a stake in particular outcomes, often disguised to appear independent. The findings mysteriously align with the sponsor's commercial interests while maintaining a veneer of scholarly objectivity.

🎓 Education / Academia

Beginner

GPA

Grade Point Average -- a single number that supposedly represents four years of intellectual growth but mostly reflects your ability to choose easy professors and drop classes before the deadline. It ranges from 0.0 to 4.0, with your self-worth mysteriously following the same scale.

🎓 Education / Academia

Advanced

universal design for learning

An educational framework providing multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression to accommodate diverse learners. It's accessibility as pedagogy, benefiting everyone by removing barriers before they're encountered.

🎓 Education / Academia

Intermediate

Reviewer 2

A semi-mythical antagonist in academic publishing who provides the most hostile, pedantic, or unreasonable peer review comments, often demanding impossible revisions or missing the paper's point entirely. Every author has a Reviewer 2 horror story.

🎓 Education / Academia

Translate This Term

See “scholarship of teaching and learning” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

spokesperson

The professionally polished human shield designated to deliver carefully scripted messages while journalists try to make...