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Have you ever wondered why some students engage deeply with a concept while others struggle? Or why a strategy that worked wonders in one class doesn’t seem to resonate with another? If so, you’re already on the path to engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). At its core, SoTL is about embracing the tinkerer's mindset—approaching your teaching with curiosity, a willingness to experiment, and the drive to make a difference in student learning.
SoTL transforms the everyday tweaks we make as educators into intentional, research-based inquiries. It’s a way to take the questions you already have about your classroom and turn them into powerful insights that can enhance your teaching and your students’ success.
What Is SoTL?
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is a research-based approach to improving education. But it’s not just about conducting studies—it’s about actively engaging with your students’ learning processes to make data-informed decisions. SoTL is guided by five key principles:

Inquiry and Curiosity: Start with a question about your teaching or your students’ learning.
Systematic Investigation: Use evidence-based methods to explore that question.
Reflection: Analyze your findings to identify what’s working—and why.
Iterative Improvement: Keep refining your strategies based on what you learn.
Transparency and Sharing: Share your insights with others to contribute to the larger teaching community.

Think of it as bringing the mindset of a scientist into the classroom: What if? Why not? How can I do this better?
Your SoTL Journey in 5 Steps
Engaging in SoTL is a manageable, step-by-step process:

Identify the Research Question- Start with a specific challenge or curiosity. For example, “How does active learning influence student participation in large lecture courses?”
Design the Study- Plan your approach. Will you use surveys? Observations? Focus groups? Ensure your study aligns with your goals and ethical guidelines.
Collect Data- Gather evidence systematically. This could include student reflections, test scores, or LMS analytics.
Analyze the Data and Draw Conclusions- Look for patterns or trends. What do the results tell you about your teaching and your students’ learning?
Disseminate Results- Share your findings with colleagues, present at conferences, or publish in a SoTL journal. Your insights could inspire other educators to try new approaches in their classrooms.

How CTLI Supports Your SoTL Work
You don’t have to go it alone—MSU’s Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI) is here to support you at every step of your SoTL journey. Here’s how:

Brainstorm and Design: Not sure where to start? Our consultations can help you refine your research question, choose methods, and plan your study.
Tools and Data: We’ll show you how to leverage psychometric methods and LMS data through tools like D2L Insights or integrate other technologies into your research.
Funding Opportunities: Apply for Catalyst Innovation Funding to bring your project to life.
Workshops and Training: Attend our sessions to build your skills in qualitative and quantitative research methods, ethical considerations, and more.
Share Your Work: Present your findings at CTLI’s Spring TALKS Conference or get advice on submitting to SoTL journals.

Whatever stage you’re at, CTLI is your partner in turning teaching questions into actionable, evidence-based answers.
Small Steps, Big Impact
You don’t need to overhaul your entire course to get started with SoTL. Begin with a single question, a small change, or a simple data collection strategy. Each step you take adds to your understanding of what works in your classroom—and why. Over time, these small steps can lead to big impacts on your teaching, your students, and your professional growth.
So, dare to tinker. Your curiosity could be the spark that transforms not only your classroom but the larger community of educators. Ready to take that first step? CTLI is here to support you every step of the way. Let’s turn your ideas into action!
Upcoming SoTL Workshops:
Introduction to SoTL (Part 1)SoTL Qualitative Methods (Part 2a)SoTL Quantitative Methods (Part 2b)SoTL Advanced Methods (Part 3)Course Analytics & D2L Insights
Register for CTLI Workshops

Resources:
1. CTLI-Specific Resources

Past Workshop Slides: SoTL Introduction (CTLI), SoTL (EDLI)
CTLI Workshops and Training: Events Calendar, Request a Workshop
Catalyst Innovation Funding: Details on how to apply.
Spring TALKS Conference: Call for Proposals coming soon. Check website.
CTLI Consultation Services

2. SoTL Guides and Handbooks

Books:

Engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A Guide to the Process, and How to Develop a Project from Start to Finish by Bishop-Clark and Dietz-Uhler.
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Reconsidered: Institutional Integration and Impact by Hutchings, Huber, and Ciccone.

Online Guides:

ISSOTL’s (International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning)
University of Georgia: Getting started with SoTLVanderbilt: Doing SoTL
Notre Dame: SoTL Overview
University of Minnesota: A Guide to theScholarship of Teaching & Learning


3. SoTL Communities and Networks

Professional Organizations:

International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL).

This summer MSU is launching the new Student Perceptions of Learning Survey (SPLS) to replace the Student Instructional Rating System (SIRS) and Students’ Opinion of Courses and Teaching (SOCT) surveys. SPLS will offer a better user experience for instructional staff and students by providing more consistency in the survey process while also offering more autonomy at the college and academic program levels.
Over the years, many stakeholder groups and committees have been involved in bringing us to where we are today. With a focus on feedback from the MSU community, as well as a national review of the literature and instructional rating systems, we have been able to create a policy and survey instrument that better represents our university’s needs and aligns with best practices.
SPLS will function similarly to SIRS, with a few key differences:

There will be eight universal questions that are pre-populated and un-editable
Each college and/or department will have the opportunity to add up to 12 additional questions if they so choose; guiding principles and a provisional question bank have been provided to units in support of their question development
There will be greater clarity and improved protections around access to data
Professional development support and guidance about the use and application of data is established
Each instructor who is listed in SIS, including graduate teaching assistants, will receive their individual SPLS results

This reform of SIRS will help transform the way MSU considers instruction and its assessment. It aims to advance a culture that supports professional development and values high-quality teaching and learning.
More information regarding this project with be shared with the broader university community in the coming weeks. To learn more, attend the virtual session on May 11 at the Teaching and Learning Conference.  If you have any questions, please email Marilyn Amey at amey@msu.edu.

Leadership Fellows

2018-2019: David Hernandez Escobar & Olivia Chesniak
2019-2020: Hamid Karimi
2020-2022: Chelsie Boodoo

David Hernandez Escobar (2018-2019)As one of the first College of Engineering Leadership Fellows, David worked with Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Services, Dr. Katy Colbry, to develop a needs assessment survey to identify the concerns of graduate students in the College of Engineering. The assessment collected over 100 responses, included open-answer personal reflections from graduate students and ideas on effective actions that could be taken to strengthen the graduate student community within the College of Engineering. Jacob also focused on his own leadership development by collaborating with other Fellows as a strong, cross-disciplinary team who attended professional development sessions together and discussed program communication, building buy-in, and a variety of other topics.
Olivia Chesniak (2018-2019)Olivia’s Fellowship focused on bringing together graduate student organizations focused on women in STEM with the goal of sharing resources, networking, and providing peer mentorship. Olivia’s relationship-building efforts reinforced a cosponsored event among her connections in the College of Natural Science, the College of Engineering, and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. During the Spring semester, Olivia worked with Lydia Weiss to develop, advertise, and facilitate discussion sessions for graduate students following the Academic Womens Forum, known as the gradAWF. The Academic Womens Forum has been a valuable and unique space for women in the university to connect with fellow faculty, staff, and administrators. However, the lack of space for graduate students was reflected in unsteady attendance. Olivia was able to work across the university to create a space for graduate student women and ensure its promotion within her College.
Hamid Karimi (2019-2020)Hamid worked with Assistant Dean Dr. Katy Colbry and engaged with stakeholders across the College to identify the need for professional development sessions regarding graduate students' knowledge of and preparedness for the job market following the completion of their degrees. Hamid also explored how to build DEI awareness within the lab setting and promote the benefits of diverse teams in STEM.
Chelsie Boodoo (2020-2022)Chelsie organized the MSU SciComm Conveyance Conference, a virtual science communications conference that brought experts and students from various disciplines together to discuss scicomm practices and the role of science in today’s society. The conference offered an incredible twenty-two sessions including workshops, lectures, networking opportunities, and social events. Sessions included Science, Equity, and Advocacy in the Nuclear Weapons Field, Science vs. Journalistic Writing, Podcast Kickstarter, Creating Effective Data Visualizations, and Building Trust in Scientists, among others. Through her program, students were able to gather valuable information on the science communication field and experts were given the opportunity to connect with peers and provide advice to the next generation. Chelsie led a team through the difficulties of hosting a virtual conference and the process of learning skills related to event planning, public relations, marketing, grant-writing, and innovative-technology use. In her second year as a Fellow, Chelsie worked on developing a Science Art Tool Kit to help graduate students in the science field to communicate about their research using the arts. Her goal was to equip scientists to utilize physical and digital art to more effectively convey data and information. Her tool kit has a wide array of practical examples and resources.

Accessible Presentations Guide
This article series provides an overview of pathways for delivering presentations, workshops, etc. for some of digital composition accessibility requirements. This is meant to serve as a starting place, rather than an end-all-be-all to access. Accessibility should be considered throughout all parts of the presentation design process, and designing accessible compositions benefits all people, not just those with disabilities. This article is the second of three in its series: 

Choosing a Physical Space
Planning for Accessible Presentations
Delivering Accessible Presentations

Template Slides
I have created template slides for educators to use and adapt for their contexts. These template slides guide the user through accessibility considerations and were designed to be accessible.
Planning for Accessible Presentations
In addition to the template, there are additional considerations for access with presentations. 
Access Copies and HandoutsAccess copies, also known as scripts, are a way for your participants to follow along. It is also helpful for Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) captioners or sign language interpreters. There are many ways to create access copies, such as providing a transcript of the talk, providing an outline of the talk per slide, and/or providing a list of important terminology (e.g., quotations, proper names, acronyms, jargon). In addition, access copies can be circulated electronically or in print. For print copies, it is generally recommended to bring a third of the prints compared to your total audience attendance. About 30% of these prints should also be in large print of 20-point font. CaptioningHave a plan for captioning the presentation and plan ahead for any CART captioners in attendance to sit near the presenter. Recorded presentations and any videos/audio within them should have captions. To caption real-time presentations, there are many options: 

Captioning with PowerPoint
Captioning with Google Slides
Captioning with Zoom

Content WarningsCertain topics of discussion or multimedia depictions can trigger trauma reactions. For these, consider if they are necessary to the presentation, and if they are, give content warnings for the information. Inclusive LanguageThere are many considerations for presentation delivery: 

The work should avoid jargon and idioms that are not understandable for a wide audience. 
Acronyms should not be used without first defining them.
Avoid using language that excludes and/or harms participants, such as ableist language or genderist language (e.g., “ladies and gentlemen,” assuming the gender of a participant). 

PracticeIn the practice for the presentation, you should be thinking about a final accessibility check. This includes making sure your speaking speed is conversational as well as practicing verbal multimedia descriptions and aural indicators. Multimedia descriptions are the alternative text that is integrated into the presentation aloud. Aural indicators are to announce a new name when switching speakers (e.g., “Bethany here”).
Gratitudes and Resources for Accessible Presentations
The first iteration of this series came from the work of Raven Baugh and Bethany Meadows for the East Center Writing Center Association’s 2022 conference, sponsored by the Writing Center at Michigan State University.

Ada Hubrig’s 2021 "Conference on Community Writing Presentation Accessibility Guide"
Conference on College Composition and Communication’s 2024 "Conference Accessibility Guide"
Composing Access’ “Preparing Your Presentation”

Continue to the next article in this series, Delivering Accessible Presentations.This article, Accessible Presentations Guide: Planning for Accessible Presentations © 2024 by Bethany Meadows, is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. The cover photo for this article, "Planning Key" by Mike Lawrence, is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

MSU Spring TALKS
Teaching And Learning Knowledge Sharing
The Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation hopes you'll join us for the MSU Spring TALKS in 2025.A brand-new name, the same great teaching and learning conference hosted by MSU’s Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation. Formally known simply as the Spring Teaching and Learning Conference, the new name MSU Spring TALKS (Teaching And Learning Knowledge Sharing) is intended to reflect the core purpose of the event.
Save the Dates:
Virtual, Synchronous: May 7, 2025
Location: Online
 
In-Person, Kellogg Center: May 8, 2025
Location: Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
This conference aims to bring together MSU educators and students to share approaches, tools, and techniques that enhance teaching and learning. The conference planning committee is currently finalizing plans for conference tracks and presentation types and will be announcing those soon. We are excited to see you share your success stories and ideas with fellow educators.Look for the call for proposals in December!The Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation supports MSU’s educators and their practices through collaboration and consultation.

Title: Turning Your Teaching & Administration Work into Research and Publication ProjectsPresenter: Laura Smith (AAHD); Joyce Meier (Department of Writing, Reading, and American Cultures);Alexis Black (Department of Theatre); Tina Newhauser (Department of Theatre)Format: WorkshopDescription:The labor of teaching and administration are often invisible beyond their documentation in departmental annual reviews. How do we share the knowledge and expertise we acquire with colleagues and other professionals? How can we generate peer recognition for our achievements? We are proposing a sixty-minute roundtable discussion by four instructors who have converted their teaching into research and publication projects. They will discuss the outcomes, process, and the issues or challenges they faced. Black and Newhauser will discuss how their teaching collaboration grew to conference presentations and online workshops in 2020-21, then into a 266 pg book publication titled “Supporting Staged Intimacy; A Practical Guide for Theatre Creatives, Managers, and crew” published by Routledge on November 22, 2022. Their journey will provide insight into what is possible when faculty connect with other colleagues with a focus on similar interests. Smith will discuss how a couple of her art history lessons became published on an open-access website. The lessons, which she also presented at conferences, were published in 2021 on that site, as well as in MSU’s DH Commons. This discussion may prove useful to teachers who seek public recognition for their work. Meier will share three examples of how she turned teaching into scholarly publications: a two-year CIEG-supported project where a group of teachers collaboratively re-invented the curriculum for a basic writing course; our program’s twice-yearly student conference celebrating the work of our first-year writing students; and finally, her own integration of a community activity into a FYW course consisting of mostly multilingual, international students. She will then conclude with a list of practices I have found helpful to this process.Click here to view on MediaSpace

Mark W. Hodginshodgins@msu.eduInstructional Technology and Development TeamResponsible for the instructional development of both video and computer-aided instruction. Joint coordination with other staff members within ITS and the Innovation HUB as well as other technical support people on campus. Technical consultant to the faculty, students and staff on the design/development/delivery of all forms of mediated instruction and administrative information systems.  Technical knowledge in the configuration and use of Learning Management Systems (i.e. Angel, Blackboard, and D2L) as well as Cloud services like Microsoft Office 365, Google Apps, Apple iCloud. Apple University and Kultura MediaSpace. Extensive experience in relational database system design and development.
 
Education:

Master of Arts in Educational Systems Development - Instructional Computing

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI


Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI


Associates of Applied Science (Digital Electronics)

Lansing Community College, Lansing, MI



Experience: 

Instructional System Designer - Michigan State University, IT Services | Instructional Technology and Development. Responsible for the instructional development of both video and computer-aided instruction. Joint coordination with other staff members within ITS and the Innovation HUB as well as other technical support people on campus. Technical consultant to the faculty, students and staff on the design/development/delivery of all forms of mediated instruction and administrative information systems.  2017 – Present
Training Program Developer III - Michigan State University, Health Information Technology. Responsible for the instructional development of both video and computer-aided instruction. Joint coordination with other staff members within HIT as well as other technical support people on campus. Technical consultant to the faculty, students and staff on the design/development/delivery of all forms of mediated instruction and administrative information systems.  2003 – 2017
Training Program Developer II - Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine.  Responsible for the development of video and computer-aided instructional programs. Joint-coordination with other staff members of the Learning Resource Center and Interactive Computer Lab. Technical consultant to the faculty, students and staff of COM on the design/development/delivery of all forms of mediated instruction and administrative information systems. 1991 – 2003
Television Production Engineer - Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine. Responsible for the operation of the college’s media production facility. Co-supervisor of Media Services and Learning Resource Center and in charge of Technical Services. Involved in the design and production of instructional video programs for the college's faculty. 1981-1991
Technical Production Assistant - Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine. Assisted staff engineer on television studio operations.  Involved in A/V system designs and installations. Assisted program director with the production of educational videotape programs. 1978-1980

Attended Conferences 

Interactive HealthCare Conference & Exposition - Washington, D.C. 
Information Technology in the Health Sciences - Memphis, TN, Houston, TX, New Orleans, LA. 
Society of Applied Learning and Technology (SALT) -Orlando, FL 
Slice of Life Conference - Salt Lake City, UT, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, Portland, OR, Munich, Germany 
Campus Technology Syllabus Conference -San Jose, CA, Boston, MA.
Apple World Wide Developers Conference – San Francisco, CA

Published Research 

Lovell K, Haf J, Hodgins M. Development of neuropathology interactive videodisk instructional units. Teaching and Learning in Medicine 1991;3:156-8. 
Bean P, Lovell K, Hodgins M, Parkhurst P, Sprafka S. Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation of Interactive Videodisk Instructional Modules in Preclinical Neuropathology Education Teaching and Learning in Medicine 1993;5:3-9.
Oommen J Z, Hodgins M, Hinojosa R, et al. (June 21, 2021) Accuracy of Weight Estimation Using the Broselow Tape in a Peruvian Pediatric Population. Cureus 13(6): e15807. doi:10.7759/cureus.15807

Current Projects

Part of MSU's Institute for Global Health team working on curriculum revisions for the Armed Forces College of Medicine in Cairo Egypt.
Serving as an Instructional Technology Advisor for MSU's Global Health Studies Program.
Remediation of Medical Administrative Systems to integrate with MSU's new Student Information System.

International Travel

Travele extensively around the world to attend Instructional Technology conferences, conduct project site visits, as well as  pleasure trips to visit family.
Destinations include British Columbia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Egypt, France, Germany, England, and Ireland.

Accessible Presentations Guide
This article series provides an overview of pathways for delivering presentations, workshops, etc. for some of digital composition accessibility requirements. This is meant to serve as a starting place, rather than an end-all-be-all to access. Accessibility should be considered throughout all parts of the presentation design process, and designing accessible compositions benefits all people, not just those with disabilities. This article is the final of three in its series: 

Choosing a Physical Space
Planning for Accessible Presentations
Delivering Accessible Presentations

Delivering Accessible Presentations
Multimedia includes any design that pairs text, visuals, and/or sound, such as videos, audio recordings, and graphics. 

Access Throughout:There are two main ways of doing access throughout the presentation. The first is a holistic overview at the beginning, usually through an access statement (sometimes also called an invitation or invocation). The second are ongoing access checks. This includes asking the audience about adjustments to sounds, visuals, the space, etc. (e.g., “How’s the microphone volume? Anything we need to adjust about things right now?”).    
Audio: Always use the microphone whenever it’s available, even if you have a loud voice. For participants who may not have a microphone, repeat their question or comment into the microphone before moving on. As discussed in the previous article in this series, you will also want to have a conversational speaking speed, inclusive speech, and aural indicators.
Introductions: At the beginning of the presentation, it is best practice to introduce yourself and give a brief visual description of yourself. For example, I usually say, “Hi, I’m Bethany Meadows, and I use she/they pronouns in tandem to refer to me. Visually, I am a white femme person with glasses and dark hair, and I’m wearing [specific outfit].” That said, there can be many embodied implications and consequences for certain disclosures of identity, and your safety is also important so only share what you feel comfortable doing.
Pathways for Engagement: Consider access before requiring certain forms of engagement from participants. This includes reflection before asking them to stand up, look at visuals/listen, walk around, talk with others, etc. These pathways may be exclusionary from some who don’t have the ability to move or be in a place to communicate with others. In general, it’s recommended to have alternative pathways for engagement that will not exclude participants.

Gratitudes and Resources for Accessible Presentations
The first iteration of this series came from the work of Raven Baugh and Bethany Meadows for the East Center Writing Center Association’s 2022 conference, sponsored by the Writing Center at Michigan State University.

Ada Hubrig’s 2021 "Conference on Community Writing Presentation Accessibility Guide"
Conference on College Composition and Communication’s 2024 "Conference Accessibility Guide"
Composing Access’ “Preparing Your Presentation”

This article, Accessible Presentations Guide: Delivering Accessible Presentations © 2024 by Bethany Meadows, is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. The cover photo for this article, "Photo of a Woman Doing a Speech with a Microphone" by Mikhail Nilov is licensed for use by Pexels.