Getting Started

SoTL Research Questions

The first step in beginning to design a SoTL project is to identify a research question. This research question will guide the design of the project and help pinpoint the data that will be collected. SoTL research questions tend to fall into four types of questions identified by Pat Hutchings (2000):

“What works” questions examine whether particular pedagogies or practices are effective in helping students learn. One example of this type of question would be: “Do students in an online section learn as much as students in an in-person section?”

“What is” questions focus more on a description of how a particular technique or strategy is implemented. For instance, one question of this sort might ask: “How do class discussions help students’ thinking evolve?”

“Visions of the possible” questions explore ideas that instructors are interested in adding to their courses. An example of this type of question is: “Would completing a reflection on each written assignment improve students’ writing throughout the semester?”

“Formulating new conceptual frameworks” questions involve building models which can help explain how learning occurs. One such question might be: “What is the role of student motivation in participation in classroom discussions?”

Watch the video below to hear Pat Hutchings talk about the four types of questions.

Four SoTL Research Questions

Literature Review

Before beginning a SoTL project, it is important to investigate what previous research has been conducted that relates to your research question. Reviewing the literature can help provide a theoretical framework to guide your research question, suggest potential interventions that you might apply to your context, or identify challenges that you might face in carrying out your SoTL project. 

If you need help getting started, check out the Purdue IMPACT lib guide which provides a list of relevant databases: https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/c.php?g=1118684&p=8158180

Consider identifying potential journals that might be a good fit for your SoTL project, such as teaching journals specific to your field. These journals can be a great place to get an idea of what SoTL looks like in your field. Kennesaw State University has an extensive list of teaching journals that can help you identify journals in your field: https://facultydevelopment.kennesaw.edu/scholarly-teaching/journals/index.php