Designing a SoTL study requires thoughtful decisions about study design, methods, and disciplinary approaches to inquiry. This collection introduces a range of accessible resources to help you choose a study design that aligns with your research questions and scholarly goals.
These Google Slides, developed for the University of Virginia’s SoTL Scholars program, provide an overview of descriptive and quasi-experimental studies–two of the most popular SoTL study designs.
These Google Slides serve as an accessible entry point, complete with links out to additional resources and examples.
This website offers a high-level overview of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods, along with examples of SoTL studies that utilize each method.
The table provided on this website is a helpful way to break down quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches to SoTL into specific study designs (e.g., correlational study, narrative research) with concise definitions. The website’s greatest asset is the collection of examples of SoTL studies aligned with each method, along with relevant resources for those interested in employing the method.
Choosing the appropriate research method is crucial for SoTL study. Your choice of research method is usually guided by both your own research question and an exploration of the existing literature. Generally, three research methods are available for conducting a SoTL study: quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods. If you are not well-versed in the area of education or social science, these terms might seem unfamiliar. The resources on this page can help you learn more, and you can always contact us for help. At the same time, your own disciplinary research expertise will come in handy, and can be relevant to addressing SoTL research questions. For example, Methods in Arts and Humanities might be useful to those who study those fields as they attempt to answer SoTL research questions.
This table compiled by Jennifer Friberg presents a variety of different study designs, exemplar SoTL projects aligned with those designs, and qualitative and quantitative analysis options.
This table is a useful way to quickly orient to possible SoTL study designs. We appreciate how it foreshadows possible analyses, setting it apart from other resources in this collection.
This worksheet, developed for the University of Virginia’s SoTL Scholars program, walks you through designing your SoTL study. Within this worksheet, you will also find a supplemental resource on brainstorming your study design with AI.
If you are looking for structured guidance on how to design a SoTL study for the first time, this worksheet is for you! If you’re feeling stuck, the AI supplement may be a useful way to brainstorm possible ideas to react to and refine.
Before beginning this worksheet, ensure that you have identified your SoTL research question(s) and started exploring relevant literature. This worksheet will walk you through the many components needed to design your SoTL research study. If you would like to use AI to brainstorm possible study designs, see the Brainstorming Study Design with AI Supplement.
There are a variety of SoTL inquiry methods: case studies, content analyses, quasi-experiments, interviews, secondary analysis of institutional data, and more. Hear from SoTL Scholars about ways they have used Arts & Humanities inquiry methods to answer SoTL research questions.
While engaging in SoTL may introduce you to new inquiry methods (particularly ones grounded in the social sciences), you can also lean on your disciplinary research expertise to answer your SoTL questions. The video is a great example of leveraging approaches from the humanities.
Your selection of inquiry methods should be guided by your research question and the research expertise you bring to your scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) work – or the research expertise you are willing to develop. Although your SoTL research may prompt you to try inquiry methods that are new to you, your disciplinary research expertise also might be relevant to answering your SoTL question. In the video below, for instance, SoTL scholars discuss using Arts & Humanities inquiry methods to answer SoTL research questions.
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