How Educational Developers can Re-engage Mid-Career Faculty Using SoTL

Melanie Hamilton; Nicola Simmons

doi:10.29173/isotl523

Authors

Melanie Hamilton Lethbridge College
Nicola Simmons Brock University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/isotl523

Keywords:

SoTL, Mid-Career Faculty, 4M Framework, Educational Developers, Professional Development

Abstract

Mid-career faculty (MCF) currently make up a significant number of faculty at higher educational institutions. This group comprises key stakeholders with institutional history, diverse teaching and learning experiences, and strong relationships with colleagues. While faculty need different kinds of support and opportunities at different career stages, it has been reported that mid-career professional development is under-researched and overlooked. We contend that professional development for MCF is essential if these faculty are going to continue to grow as educators, leaders, and scholars. With the support of Educational Developers (EDs), the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is one way for faculty to focus their professional development in the middle years of their career. Drawing on the literature about challenges for MCF and using the micro-meso-macro-mega framework, we explore ways in which EDs can use SoTL to re-engage MCF on a revitalized path. Our synthesis offers reflections on our career experiences as EDs and boundary-spanning points to ponder for both EDs and MCF as they enter into SoTL engagement.

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Author Biographies

Melanie Hamilton, Lethbridge College

Melanie Hamilton, melanie.hamilton@lethbridgecollege.ca, is an Educational Development Specialist at Lethbridge College. She is the current Chair of SoTL Canada and current Canadian VP, ISSOTL. She is also a 2020 ISSOTL Fellow. Her research interests focus on SoTL, professional development for mid-career faculty, early-career SoTL researchers, and academic integrity.

Nicola Simmons, Brock University

Nicola Simmons, nsimmons@brocku.ca, is a faculty member in Educational Studies at Brock University. She is the founding Chair of SoTL Canada and a past Canadian VP, ISSOTL. Her work focuses on SoTL, online pedagogy, scholar identity and transition, and lifelong learning and meaning-making. Her teaching and research draw on arts-informed approaches.