Engaging Students as Partners in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) refers to a set of activities which investigate how aspects of teaching and learning can be improved for the benefit of students.

Within The Open University, this is coordinated by Centres for Scholarship and Innovation which are based in each of the four Faculties. These Centres support projects and activities that aim, for example, to

There are three main ways in which these Centres involve students in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning:

(A) As participants in scholarship projects via the completion of surveys, or participating in interviews or focus groups.

(B) As participants in workshops, events and conferences organised by the Centres for Scholarship and Innovation.

(C) Helping to set priorities for scholarship activities and projects (within Faculty Centres and also as part of the university-wide Scholarship Steering Group).

eSTEeM, the STEM Faculty’s Scholarship and Innovation Centre, are currently also piloting some initiatives that give students the opportunity to be involved in scholarship as researchers, members of project teams or of a Student Reference Panel. In the first instance, students can register their interest in being involved with an eSTEeM project, the Centre will then be in touch when a suitable opportunity arises. For more details about their work, and how to get involved, please visit their website and the community facing website eSTEeM & Co. You will need to sign in using your OU credentials to access the site.

The four Centres work collaboratively and are each developing their own initiatives to engage students as partners, further details will be announced in due course.

Keep yourself up to date and follow your faculty's Scholarship and Innovation Centre on Twitter: