Tenure-Seeking Faculty Perceptions of SoTL

There is no dearth of literature on the SoTL’s relationship with the tenure and promotion process. In 2006, Shapiro noted that “a fundamental shift in promotion and tenure criteria is needed for colleges and universities – and research universities in particular – to become learner-centered” (p. 41). Despite the call, nonetheless, Shapiro’s “fundamental shift” was not realized. In a 2011 study, Secret et al. ascertained a “disconnect between the perceptions of tenured and non-tenured faculty on what qualifies as SoTL and the place of scholarly works within promotion and tenure” (p. 1). Furthermore, in 2016, Marcketti and Feeman conducted a study on SoTL evidence in promotion and tenure vitas at a research university, and they concluded that while the percentage of faculty with examples of SoTL in peer-reviewed publications and publications was significant (48%), additional cultural change was necessary for broadening integration of SotTL in faculty work. Since 2016, changes in institutional and disciplinary perceptions of SoTL have changed slightly, evinced in Gansemer-Topf et al.’s 2022 study, which claims “although SoTL efforts continue to gain acceptance within the higher education milieu, institutional and disciplinary realities may be powerful determiners of SoTL participation” (p. 1).

Accordingly, this presentation situates itself in existing SoTL literature by providing reflections and perspectives of tenure-seeking faculty members’ experiences with how SoTL has facilitated their goals of tenure and promotion at a research institution. Considerations are given to aligning SoTL with research agendas, disciplinary perceptions of SoTL, and, by extension, evaluations of SoTL in pre-tenure reviews. In doing so, the presenters seek to begin formulating a framework that new tenure-track faculty can leverage to translate SoTL into success in the tenure and promotion process. Ultimately, by facilitating a think-pair-share session, the presentation seeks to equip attendees with the knowledge and resources to advocate for SoTL in the tenure and promotion process.

References

Gansemer-Topf, A. M., Marcketti, S., Hengesteg, P., & Freeman, S. A. (2022). A Decade in the Making: Examining the Evidence of SoTL through Promotion and Tenure Artifacts. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 10. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1367806.pdf

Marcketti, S. B., & Freeman, S. A. (2016). SoTL Evidence on Promotion and Tenure Vitas at a Research University. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 16(5), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.14434//josotl.v16i5.21152

Shapiro, H. N. (2006). Promotion & tenure & the scholarship of teaching & learning. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 38(2), 38-43. https://doi.org/10.3200/CHNG.38.2.38-43