What keeps you going? What motivates you? We’ve provided a list that describes potential benefits to help motivate you to become more engaged in SoTL activities, the WIIFM value! Reflect upon the things that make you love teaching and complete the following activity.

  • Improved outcomes and assessment scores.
  • Useful data for assessments, program reviews, retention strategies, and accreditation processes.
  • Faculty development opportunities.
  • Increased reflection on teaching and learning among colleagues.
  • Stronger institutional values on teaching and learning.
  • Promotion of new networks among members at institutions.
  • Scholarship opportunities in the form of presentations and publications.
  • Opportunity for outside funding to support program innovation.
  • Renewed excitement about teaching and learning, and greater self-awareness.

To Do:

  1. From the list of potential benefits above, pick the top three statements that would motivate you to become more engaged in SoTL activities. You might also consider benefits not included on the list.
  2. Return to the shared document where you added your Three Keys for SoTL (for Three Keys activity). Below your entry (from 3 Keys of SoTL) include the top three motivations you chose from this list.
  3. Review and add comments to the motivations contributed by other participants.
  4. In your response for this activity:
    • List the 3 motivations.
    • Upload a screenshot of your contribution as evidence for your response to this activity.
    • Optional: Include any additional motivators.
  5. After you make your submission, save the web address to your response (found in the green confirmation box) so you can use it later for your badge submission form.

This activity is part of the What is the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)? section of the Scholar Module.

Complete This Activity

After you complete this activity please share a link to it and a description so it can be added to the responses below. You can add it directly to this site.

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Resources for this Activity

Have you created a helpful guide or do you know one that might help others complete this activity? You can share a resource if it is available at a public URL. .

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109 Responses for this Activity

  • Engage with SoTL
    by Victoria Jackson (@victoriaj)

    Please see attached

  • Engage with SOTL
    by Susan (@Susan Wilks)

    I had included motivators in my previous submission, but have changed one for this activity.

  • My Three Motivations
    by Stephanie Ferguson (@stpark)

    Three Motivations Renewed excitement about teaching and learning, and greater self-awareness. Stronger institutional values on teaching and learning. Faculty and student feedback.

  • Motivations
    by Mary Chaktsiris (@mchaktsi)

    Motivations: More inclusive curricula and learning experiences Renewed excitement about teaching and learning, and greater self-awareness Useful data for assessments, program reviews, retention strategies, and accreditation processes Opportunity for outside funding to support program and teaching innovation.

  • Motivations to Engage in SoTL
    by Brandon Sabourin (@bsabou01)

    Here is my response as posted in the Google Doc: 3 Keys to SoTL As mentioned by the first three or four speakers, SoTL is a systematic inquiry into teaching and learning Gary Poole’s idea about who is doing the work. With SoTL, the group involved grows. This can increase the impact of the work. more… »

  • SoTL motivations
    by Adam Langridge (@alangridge)

    Hi everyone, A screenshot of the three motivations I chose is attached. Please note that I included the three keys in the short; the motivations are below the keys. Thanks, Adam

  • Motivations for SoTL
    by Mark Shannelly (@mshannelly)

    Screenshot attached!   Thank you.

  • Main Motivations
    by Miranda Mckenzie (@mx_mckenzie)

    Attached is a screenshot of both the key characteristics of SoTL as well as my main motivations. Below is a screenshot of a comment made to a colleague about one of their motivations.  

  • Motivation
    by Ramandeep Kaur (@Raman)

    Here is my response to the activity.

  • What’s my motivation?
    by Jen Booth (@jen.booth)

    Attached are my three keys, with my added motivations. Student “ah ha!” moments are what really motivate me.

    3 Resources for this Activity

    • 3 Motivations
      shared by Jenn Harren (@j_harren)

      3 Motivations: Increased reflection on teaching and learning among colleagues. I love the opportunity to learn from my peers and when we are virtual these days, it’s not happening as much (and even when we were face to face sometimes this doesn’t happen organically). I see this as a way to cultivate new relationships with more… »

    • Engage with SoTL
      shared by Lori Strauss (@lstrauss)

      3 Motivators Renewed excitement about teaching and learning, and greater self-awareness. Nothing is more motivating to me than student success. If making improvements can lead to success on the part of students there is no end to the enjoyment of teaching. Improved outcomes and assessment scores. To have control over the improvement of the students’ more… »

    • Motivations for Engaging in Personal Inquiry
      shared by Christopher Rowe (@ChristopherRowe)

      I happen to be in the process of pursuing a graduate degree in learning and technology, which aligns extremely well with the value represented in this exercise. As a result, the motivations listed here really resonate with me.

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