The annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Scholar Award of $1,000 honors a faculty member (solo or part of a team) who engage in exemplary scholarship that focuses on teaching and student learning and then applies the results of that scholarship so that students experience significant, enduring learning. These results must include empirical evidence of student learning outcomes from the implementation of the SoTL project.
The annual SoTL Scholar Award may be awarded to: 1) one campus-wide recipient; or 2) joint recipients, in the event that the co-instructors of a course implement a SoTL project in a given course, or instructors of different courses collaborate in a SoTL project and implement it in more than one course.
Who can be nominated?
Any full-time faculty member who has taught at Western Carolina University for at
least one year may be nominated by a faculty member, department head, dean or by self-nomination. Nominations
for the award are processed through WCU's integrated awards system.
How much is the award?
One award of $1,000.
How does one accept nomination?
By submitting to the Award Committe facilitator Lee Crayton (alcrayton@wcu.edu) the required materials as listed on the award guidelines.
What's the Deadline?
Materials Submitted by March 4, 2013 - 5:00 PM
Materials Provided by Nominees
Nominees accept the nomination by submitting the following items in a three-ring folder
or ½” binder. The responses to all the questions below should not exceed 4 total
pages with no single question taking more than 2 pages.
- A description of the goals of the SoTL project, the title and number of course or courses, size of enrollment(s), semester course(s) is/are offered. Indicate whether the course(s) is/are offered primarily in the classroom, online, or in hybrid form.
- A summary description of the method(s) by which evidence of student learning outcomes is collected (student survey, analysis of student journal entries, review of student exams, focus group interviews with students, etc.) and a summary of the analysis of the results. This analysis must include empirical evidence of student learning outcomes (quantitative—provided in a table and/or chart, qualitative, or a combination of quantitative and qualitative). Include a sentence explaining how the SoTL project either has been or will be published, presented, or disseminated in some way.
- A summary description of how your above SoTL work has been used, is being used now, or will be used to improve the design of a course or courses.
- A summary description of your future research agenda.
- (Optional) A list of additional materials or data that the committee may request
Note: It is not recommended that Collegial Review Documents be included in this portfolio.
Procedures for Review of Nominees
The selection committee shall conduct a thorough review of all the materials provided
by the nominees. Additional materials or data may be requested from any nominee. All
materials shall be reviewed by all committee members.
Selecting the SoTL Award Recipient
After all materials from all nominees have been reviewed by all committee members,
the committee members (convened by the committee's chair) shall meet and/or communicate
electronically to determine the recipient of the award.
- The members of the committee should develop a rubric based on their understanding of the nature and goals of SoTL and upon a way of assessing the empirical evidence of student learning outcomes from the implementation of the nominees' SoTL projects. After the recipient(s) of the SoTL Award has/have been determined, the committee chair will provide a written statement about the recipient(s) that can be used to announce person(s) at the annual awards convocation. The chair should remind all members of the committee that the decision is to be kept confidential until it is announced at the convocation.
- Priority will be given to projects that have been completed within the last three years.
- The Provost reserves the right to accept or reject the committee’s recommendation. Therefore, it would be premature to divulge the committee's decision before the Provost has publicly confirmed it.