Connections in a Liminal Space
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29173/isotl799Keywords:
liminal space, identity, transformation, connectionAbstract
This reflective paper is both a partial response to Dr. Julie Rattray’s opening keynote presentation, Travels in a Liminal Space: The Need for Guardians and Guides in SoTL, at the 2023 symposium, and an account of my journey to connection and revitalization through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). After burning out mid-career, I found myself struggling with my identity, not only as an academic but also outside of work. I was at a crossroads heading into the last decade or so of my career. In this reflection, I will explore SoTL identity, threshold concepts, and liminal spaces from my perspective as an instructor and educational developer in the college and polytechnic sector.
Downloads
References
REFERENCES
Bennett, R., Hobson, J., Jones, A., Martin-Lynch, P., Scutt, C., Strehlow, K., & Veitch, S. (2015). Being chimaera: A monstrous identity for SoTL academics. Higher Education Research & Development, 35(2), 217–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2015.1087473
Campbell, J. (2008). The hero with a thousand faces (3rd ed.). New World Library.
Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University. (2019, June 14). Threshold concepts and liminality [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU3HCD9ee_8
Chick, N. L. (2014). ‘Methodologically sound’ under the ‘big tent’: An ongoing conversation. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2014.080201
Cruz, L., & Grodziak, E. (2021). SoTL under stress: Rethinking teaching and learning scholarship during a global pandemic. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 9(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.1.2
Danielson, M. A. (2012). SoTL as generative heuristic methodology for building learning communities. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2012.060204
Felten, P., & Geertsema, J. (2023). Recovering the heart of SoTL: Inquiring into teaching and learning ‘as if the world mattered.’ Innovative Higher Education, 48(6), 1095–1112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-023-09675-4
Hamilton, M., & Simmons, N. (2021). How educational developers can re-engage mid-career faculty using SoTL. Imagining SoTL, 1, 58–76. https://doi.org/10.29173/isotl523
Hawkins, B., & Edwards, G. (2015). Managing the monsters of doubt: Liminality, threshold concepts and leadership learning. Management Learning, 46(1), 24–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507613501736
Kelly, N., Nesbit, S., & Oliver, C. (2012). A difficult journey: Transitioning from STEM to SoTL. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2012.060118
Kensington-Miller, B., Renc-Roe, J., & Morón-García, S. (2015). The chameleon on a tartan rug: Adaptations of three academic developers’ professional identities. International Journal for Academic Development, 20(3), 279–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2015.104737
Kensington-Miller, B., Webb, A., Gansemer-Topf, A., Lewis, H., Luu, J., Maheux-Pelletier, G., & Hofmann, A. (2021). Brokering boundary crossings through the SoTL landscape of practice. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 9(1), 365–379. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.1.24
Land, R., Rattray, J., & Vivian, P. (2014). Learning in the liminal space: A semiotic approach to threshold concepts. Higher Education, 67(2), 199–217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9705-x
McDermott, M., Simmons, M., Lock, J., & Kenny, N. (2020). A world café discussion on well-being: Considerations for life in the university. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 11(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2020.2.8337
Meyer, J. H. F., & Land, R. (2005). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (2): Epistemological considerations and a conceptual framework for teaching and learning. Higher Education, 49(3), 373–388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-004-6779-5
O’Brien, M. (2008). Navigating the SoTL landscape: A compass, map, and some tools for getting started. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2008.020215
Rattray, J. (2016). Affective dimensions of liminality. In R. Land, J. H. F. Meyer, & M. T. Flanagan (Eds.), Threshold concepts in practice (pp. 67–76). Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-512-8_6
Rattray, J. (2023, November 23–25). Travels in a liminal space: The need for guardians and guides in SoTL [Keynote address]. Symposium for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Canmore, AB, Canada.
Simmons, N., Abrahamson, E., Deshler, J. M., Kensington-Miller, B., Manarin, K., Morón-García, S., Oliver, C., & Renc-Roe, J. (2013). Conflicts and configurations in a liminal space: SoTL scholars’ identity development. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 1(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.2979/teachlearninqu.1.2.9
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Leanne Dawn Vig
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
