The September 8 SoCTL began to describe what is meant by the scholarship of teaching and learning, or SoTL. Simply put, it is the dissemination of knowledge, research, and insight in the area of teaching and learning to our colleagues for the betterment of those involved in the process—faculty and students alike. It is central to the learning paradigm (as apposed to an instruction paradigm) that Robert Barr and John Tagg described in 1995. This vision is of “the institution itself as learner—over time, it continuously learns how to produce more learning with each graduating class, each entering student.”

Try, for a moment, to imagine a workplace where colleagues do not share their knowledge, experience, and scholarship in the area of teaching. Try to imaging working in a vacuum, without the benefit of that knowledge. Take a look at your own repertoire of instruction. Is it devoid of external input, borrowed exercises, approaches to difficult subject matter that are adapted from someone else's prior successes?

Now imagine about your teaching might be useful to some of your 10,000 plus faculty colleagues in the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system. Perhaps you have successfully completed a grant-funded project that changed your students' learning in meaningful ways. Or maybe you have found a way to structure an online course in a way that really engages students. What story about your teaching do you really want to talk over with colleagues?

The time to think seriously about disseminating your good work and ideas is now. One great opportunity is to respond to the call for proposals for the next Realizing Student Potential/ITeach conference. It has just gone out, and the deadline for submission is November 15. Pass along to your colleagues the benefit of your experiences, and join them in presenting.

Barr, Robert B. and Tagg, John. (1995). From Teaching to Learning: A New Paradigm for Undergraduate Education. Change, November/December.