Brokering Boundary Crossings through the SoTL Landscape of Practice

Barbara Kensington-Miller; Andrea Webb; Ann Gansemer-Topf; Heather Lewis; Julie Luu; Geneviève Maheux-Pelletier; Analise Hofmann

doi:10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.1.24

Authors

Barbara Kensington-Miller University of Auckland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9231-4052
Andrea Webb https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3963-5057
Ann Gansemer-Topf https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1074-1534
Heather Lewis https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4336-1194
Julie Luu
Geneviève Maheux-Pelletier https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9550-6930
Analise Hofmann https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7252-2885

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.1.24

Keywords:

SoTL, Landscape of practice, boundary crossing, collaboration, brokering

Abstract

This study examines the lived experiences of seven internationally diverse scholars from Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia to answer the question: how do we make meaning of our collective boundary crossing experiences across disciplines and positions within SoTL? Our positions range from graduate student, faculty, and academic developers, to department chair and centre director. We conducted a phenomenological study, based on narratives of experience, and drew on Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner’s (2015) theoretical framework that explores the features of a landscape of practice. Guided by this framework, we analyze our boundary crossings and brokering across the “diverse, political and flat” features of the SoTL landscape. Our collective findings highlight the critical role brokers play in facilitating boundary crossings. Brokering is precarious, bringing people together, building trusting relationships, and developing legitimacy while negotiating deadlocks, bureaucracy, authorities, and a multitude of challenges. Brokers, we found, require strength and resilience to mobilise, influence, and drive change in the landscape to transform existing practices or create new ones. We suggest that our analytical process can be used as a tool of analysis for future research about how brokers influence the SoTL landscape of practice and how brokering enhances SoTL development, support, and leadership.

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Author Biographies

Barbara Kensington-Miller, University of Auckland

Barbara Kensington-Miller is an Associate Professor of Higher Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at The University of Auckland (NZL).

Andrea Webb

Andrea S. Webb is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in Social Studies Education at the University of British Columbia (CAN).

Ann Gansemer-Topf

Ann Gansemer-Topf is an Associate Professor of Higher Education in the School of Education at Iowa State University (USA).

Heather Lewis

Heather Lewis is a Professor of Art and Design Education at Pratt Institute (USA). She led a three-year, cross-disciplinary SoTL initiative at Pratt Institute grounded in faculty learning communities.

Julie Luu

Julie Luu is an Educational Designer in the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University (AUS).

Geneviève Maheux-Pelletier

Geneviève Maheux-Pelletier is an educational developer, educator, and scholar of teaching and learning currently serving as the director of the Teaching Commons at York University (CAN).

Analise Hofmann

Analise K. Hofmann is a PhD candidate in Genome Science & Technology at the University of British Columbia (CAN).

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