The scholarship of teaching and learning: Understanding the concept and its application in academic programs and emergency management

Abstract

For years, education has gone through transformation and incorporated innovation to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning. The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) is one such activity that transforms and innovates education to engineer effectiveness. SoTL is internationally accepted and applied in Education, Psychology, Management Science, Chemistry, History, English, Sociology, Communication Studies, Mathematics, Engineering, Medicine, and Interdisciplinary Programs with a growing interest in Emergency Management and Homeland Security (EMHS). In relation to the EMHS programs, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) SoTL Special Interest Group members have participated in the American Educational Research Association annual meetings and then shared the relevance of the SoTL concept with the EM scholars, researchers, and practitioners at the FEMA Higher Education programs.^1-4 Thus, the concept of SoTL cuts across academic barriers with methodological pluralism in educational practice. In addition, the success of SoTL has been driven with the publication of two edited volumes of Carnegie Scholars' works: (1) Opening Lines: Approaches to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning5 and (2) Disciplinary Styles in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Exploring Common Ground.6 However, even with these advances, there are some concerns about SoTL critiques. One such critique comes from Boshier who asserts that SoTL is a difficult academic concept to be accepted by the academic community.7 Criticisms -notwithstanding, there are many benefits due to SoTL. Its future is bright and encouraging as nations benefit from SoTL's educational transformative and innovative power.