Working together: Exploring collaborative opportunities to ‘SoTL’

This virtual panel discussion will present delegates with the opportunity to gain insights into the workings of ISSOTL’s Interest Groups. The panel will begin with a short presentation to explain what Interest Groups are, provide examples, and articulate the value and benefit of membership to colleagues in furthering their SoTL practice. Then facilitated by Interest Group Chairs/Co-Chairs the main body of the session will encourage discourse, facilitate interaction, solicit feedback, and of course invite questions. The presentation will close with a series of signposts to share how and where delegates can gain more information about ISSOTL interest groups.

This virtual panel discussion will present delegates with the opportunity to gain insights into the workings of ISSOTL’s Interest Groups (IG).

Interest Groups are member-led communities, organised around shared interests and recognized with a formal relationship within ISSOTL. IG provide members with opportunities to access collegial pathways into SoTL activity and sustain their ongoing engagement with ISSOTL membership. IG members establish connections and conversations around the world and share scholarship and learning across broad networks. They support the organisation of scholarship projects, explore challenges, and take up meaningful initiatives together (Please see: https://issotl.com/groups/).
Linking to the conference theme of Sustainable Education through SoTL Practice and Culture and falling within the SoTL Leadership and Advocacy category this presentation will encourage delegates to engage in scholarly and collegial approaches to knowledge-sharing at the conference and provide the potential to continue conversations after it ends.

The panel will begin with a short presentation of what IG are, and offer an overview of ISSOTL’s current 12 groups:

• Advancing Undergraduate Research
• Arts & Humanities
• Decoding the Disciplines
• General Education
• Information Literacy
• ISSOTL in History
• National Teaching Fellows & Institutional Teaching Award Winners
• Pedagogy and Research for Online and Blending Teaching and Learning
• Problem-Based Learning
• Scholarship of Leading
• Sociology
• Student Engagement & Co-Inquiry

This introduction will explore the rationale behind and purpose of IG. Then drawing on a number of examples and experiences of IG Chairs/Co-Chairs the panel will lead an informal discussion around the value and benefit of Interest Groups as a way for members (both existing and new members) to engage in the ISSOTL community and further their SoTL practice. The primary purpose being to:

• share examples of the innovative work the IG have carried out or are currently undertaking, thus furthering the dissemination of SoTL best practice.
• raise awareness of the IG, encouraging new collaborations and potentially increasing group activity and membership.

This will be the main body of the session and will encourage conversation, facilitate interaction, solicit feedback, and of course invite questions. The presentation will close with a series of signposts to share how and where delegates can gain more information about how to join an ISSOTL IG, and the requirements around forming a new group.

Conference pedagogy: Adapting the presentation for online delivery.
This proposal embraces conference pedagogy and contributes to SoTL practice. The panel will be held synchronously, online. Using communication tools and functions within the designated conference platform (i.e.: Teams or Zoom) presenters will provide a variety of ways for delegates to engage. For example, use of the chat feature, breakout rooms (in the event of large delegate numbers) and ‘Miro Board’ to ensure interactive discussion.

Contribute to SoTL practice:
The nature of the discourse will add value, engaging delegates in meaningful cross-interest conversations around SoTL and encouraging multiple perspectives.