The 4M framework as analytic lens for SoTL’s impact: A study of seven scholars
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.8.1.6Keywords:
SoTL, micro-meso-macro-mega, motivation, impact, 4MAbstract
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) encompasses research on postsecondary teaching and learning across all disciplines. Why do scholars engage in the study of teaching and learning? What supports and challenges do they encounter? What is the impact of SoTL? Using a micro-meso-macro-mega (4M) framework, I explore these questions in interviews with seven SoTL scholars from various disciplines in one institution. Primarily, this article provides a case study illustration of the use of the micro-meso-macro-mega framework to explore SoTL. In addition to exploring participants’ reflections vis-à-vis the four levels, I reflect on possible connections to motivation theory as a lens for themes arising from the participants’ accounts of supports and barriers and the impact of their SoTL work.
Metrics
References
Becher, T., & Trowler, P. R. (2001). Academic tribes and territories: Intellectual inquiry and the culture of disciplines (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.
Brookfield, S. D. (2006). The skillful teacher: On trust, technique and responsiveness in the classroom (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Flaherty, J. (2014). An approach to rejuvenating our teaching—and ourselves. Transformative Dialogues, 7(1). Retrieved from https://www.kpu.ca/sites/default/files/Transformative%20Dialogues/TD.7.1.5_Flaherty_Rejuvenating_our_teaching.pdf
Friberg, J. (2016, July 11). Might the 4M framework support SoTL advocacy? [blog post]. The SoTL Advocate [blog]. https://illinoisstateuniversitysotl.wordpress.com/2016/07/11/might-the-4m-framework-support-sotl-advocacy/#comments
Hopson, B., & Adams, J. (1976). Towards an understanding of transition: Defining some boundaries of transition dynamics. In J. Adams, J. Hayes, & B. Hopson (Eds.), Transition: Understanding and managing personal change (pp. 3-35). London: Martin Robertson.
Huber, M. T. (2004). Balancing acts: The scholarship of teaching and learning in academic careers. Washington, DC: AAHE.
Kelly, N., Nesbit, S., & Oliver, C. (2012). A difficult journey: Transitioning from STEM to SoTL. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6(1), Article 18. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2012.060118
Kember, D. (1997). A reconceptualisation of the research into university academics’ conceptions of teaching. Learning and Instruction, 7(3), 255-285. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4752(96)00028-X
Kensington-Miller, B., Renc-Roe, J., & Morón-Garcia, S. (2015). The chameleon on a tartan rug: adaptations of three academic developers’ professional identities. International Journal for Academic Development, 20(3), 279-290. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2015.1047373
Knorr, K. (2015). Postsecondary teaching and learning development needs: Motivators and barriers associated with participation in educational development (Unpublished master’s thesis). Brock University, St. Catharines, ON. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/62648198.pdf
McKinney, K., & Jarvis, P. (2009). Beyond lines on the cv: Faculty applications of their scholarship of teaching and learning research. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 3(1), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2009.030107
Miller-Young, J. E., Anderson, A., Kiceniuk, D., Mooney, J., Riddell, J., Schmidt Hanbidge, A., Ward, V., Wideman, M. A., & Chick, N. (2017). Leading up in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2017.2.4
Myers, C. B. (2008). College faculty and the scholarship of teaching: Gender differences across four key activities. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(2), 38-51. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/josotl/article/view/1700/1698
Neuman, W. L. (1997). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York: Riverhead Books.
Poole, G. (2009, May). The promise of the scholarship of teaching and learning: Fulfilled or unfulfilled? Keynote presentation at the Opportunities and New Directions conference, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON.
Poole, G., & Chick, N. (2018). An ode to change. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 6(2), 1-2. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.6.2.1
Poole, G., & Simmons, N. (2013). Contributions of the scholarship of teaching and learning to quality enhancement in Canada. In R. Land & G. Gordon (Eds.), Enhancing Quality in higher education: International perspectives (pp. 118-128). London: Routledge.
Roxå, T., & Mårtensson, K. (2009). Significant conversations and significant networks—exploring the backstage of the teaching arena. Studies in Higher Education, 34(5), 547-559. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802597200
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020
Seligman, M. E., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
Shulman, L. S. (1993). Forum: Teaching as community property. Putting an end to pedagogical solitude. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 25(6), 6-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.1993.9938465
Simmons, N. (2008, October). Navigating institutional SoTL cultures: Faculty developers as conversation catalysts. Presented at the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning conference, Edmonton, AB.
Simmons, N. (2009). Playing for SoTL impact: A personal reflection. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 3(2), Article 30. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ij-sotl/vol3/iss2/30/
Simmons, N. (2016). Synthesizing SoTL institutional initiatives toward national impact. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 146(1), 95-102. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20192
Simmons, N., Abrahamson, E., Deschler, J. M., Kensington-Miller, B., Manarin, K., Morón-García, S., . . . Renc-Roe, J. (2013). Conflicts and configurations in a liminal space: SoTL scholars’ identity development. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 1(2), 9-21. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.1.2.9
Tsang, A. (2010). Pitfalls to avoid in establishing a SoTL academic pathway: An early career perspective. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 4(2), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2010.040219
Verwoord, R., & Poole, G. (2016). The role of small significant networks and leadership in the institutional embedding of SoTL. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 146(1), 79-86. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20190
Weston, C., Matsushita, K., Berthiaume, D., & Timmermans, J. (2008, October). A faculty development framework to capture the impact of our work. Presentation at the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning annual conference. Edmonton, AB.
Wuetherick, B., Yu, S., & Greer, J. (2016). Exploring the SoTL landscape at the University of Saskatchewan. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 146(1), 63-70. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20188
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Nicola Simmons
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.