Cultivating the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning across USM is a workshop-based event designed to support USM faculty in exploring or advancing their engagement in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Organized by the USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, the event will consist of simultaneous, hands-on workshops -- 101: Beginning Your SoTL Project and 301: Advancing Your SoTL Project -- followed by lunch and the opportunity to continue workshop conversations and explore special topics in SoTL.
Note: This is a limited enrollment event, with workshops capped at 45 participants each. Please visit the Regstration tab for more details.
Location
Towson University, West Village Commons
Date
Friday, October 24, 2025, from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm ET
Cost
Free
Schedule Items:
Schedule Item Time:
8:00-8:45 amSchedule Item Title:
Event check-in with light breakfastSchedule Item Time:
8:45-9:00 amSchedule Item Title:
Welcome and overview of the daySchedule Item Time:
9:00 am-12:00 pmSchedule Item Title:
Concurrent Workshops (Beginning and Advancing Your SoTL Project)Schedule Item Time:
12:00-1:30 pm Schedule Item Title:
Lunch and table discussionsThere will be two concurrent workshops:
101: Beginning Your SoTL Project
Have you ever wondered about the impact of a new teaching strategy? Are you curious about how to systematically investigate student learning in your own classroom? The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) provides a framework for turning these everyday teaching questions into rigorous, shareable scholarly projects.
This introductory workshop is designed for faculty from all disciplines who are new to SoTL. We will demystify the process, exploring core definitions, ethical considerations, and practical first steps. Participants will review examples of successful SoTL projects from a variety of fields and learn how to transform classroom curiosity into focused, manageable research questions.
Join us to build a foundation for your own SoTL journey. You will leave with a clearer understanding of what SoTL is (and isn't), a draft of your own research question(s), and a list of resources to support you as you begin.
Kelly Elkins, Senior Fellow for SoTL, USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation and Professor, Department of Chemistry & Forensic Science and FACET Scholarship Fellow, Towson University, with Courtney Thomas, 2023-2024 Elkins SoTL Fellow and Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry & Forensic Science, and Shannon Stitzel, Assistant Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry & Forensic Science, Towson University
301: Advancing Your SoTL Project
Are you in the midst of a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) project and wondering how to best share your findings? This interactive workshop is designed to guide you through the crucial steps of translating your research inquiry into a compelling written piece. Through a structured series of silent reflections, small-group conversations, and whole-group discussions, you will have the dedicated time and space to:
- Revisit the core motivations and questions driving your study.
- Uncover new insights and track the evolution of your research questions.
- Strategically identify the ideal audience for your work, whether within your discipline or across the broader academic community.
- Explore various scholarly genres—from empirical articles to case studies and reflective essays—to determine the most effective format, style, and voice for your message.
Participants will leave this workshop with a clearer sense of purpose, a defined plan for your writing, and concrete next steps for joining the scholarly conversation about teaching and learning.
Alison Cook-Sather, Mary Katharine Woodworth Professor of Education, Bryn Mawr College and Director, Teaching and Learning Institute, Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges
Register
This event is organized using a pre-registration process.
Participants must receive a confirmation in order to attend. This is a limited enrollment event, with workshops capped at 45 participants each. Insterested USM faculty should complete this pre-registration form using their institutional email addresses. In that form, you'll be asked to identify your workshop of interest.
Then starting October 2nd and continuing on a rolling basis pending avaialble seats, pre-registrants will be notified whether they are confirmed to attend the workshop or placed on a short wait list for that workshop. Registration will close when workshops are filled or on October 14, 2025, whichever comes first.
Question:
Can individuals outside of the University System of Maryland attend this event?
Answer:
This event is intended for University System of Maryland faculty.
Question:
Who can I contact about my pre-registration?
Answer:
Please reach out to Kirwan Center staff at cai@usmd.edu.
Questions?
Contact Kirwan Center staff at cai@usmd.edu
