Overview

• Scholarship of teaching and learning encompasses both the continuation of knowledge of current developments in the discipline, and communication and diffusion of this knowledge.
• The Boyer Model of Scholarship (Boyer, 1990, cited in Collins, 2016) provides a useful framework to apply to scholarship in Higher Education institutions.
• The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) requires Higher Education Providers enact practices and processes that demonstrate support for scholarship.

On this page

What is scholarship?

Scholarship encompasses a range of activities centring on “gaining new or improved understanding, appreciation and insights into a field of knowledge, and engaging with and keeping up to date with advances in the field” (TEQSA, 2021, p.1).

Boyer (cited in Collins, 2016) argued for a broader definition of scholarship, that went beyond research and publication. Boyer’s framework is founded on four elements, or ‘functions’ of scholarship:

• discovery – the generation of new knowledge through original, peer-reviewed research and publication
• integration – connecting knowledge across disciplines; integrating discoveries into the larger body of existing knowledge
• application – using knowledge to solve problems and connecting scholarship with practice
• teaching – development of well-informed and knowledgeable teachers founded on engaging in pedagogic research, ongoing reflective evaluation and knowledge of the field.

Rice (cited in TEQSA 2014) expanded Boyer’s framework to include the perspective of learning:

• learning – focusing on the student’s learning experience by examining how teaching impacts learning and developing understanding of how students make meaning.

TEQSA and scholarship in practice

Central to the definitions above is the importance of integrating knowledge into teaching in practice. Scholarship of teaching and learning is founded on scholarly teaching which lies at the core of higher education, encompassing the continuation of knowledge of current developments in the discipline, and communication and diffusion of this knowledge.

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) requires Higher Education Providers enact practices and processes that demonstrate support for “a systematic approach to organising scholarship” (TEQSA, 2021, p.1). ACU supports academic staff to undertake scholarly activities that are relevant to their professional aims and support the identity and mission of the University.

SoTL modules

The HERDSA SoTL modules aim to introduce you to the nature, purpose and process of scholarship of teaching and learning, and act as a capacity building resource to assist you to develop and refine your SoTL knowledge and skills.

SoTL Modules