Gathering SoTL Evidence

This guide provides support for the question, “How will you collect evidence of relevant student thinking and learning (i.e., data) that will answer your specific question(s)?” She teases apart direct versus indirect evidence with examples and distinguishes qualitative from quantitative data.

This resource contains a table with an overview of a variety of SoTL data collection methods, from surveys to student reflections.

This worksheet, developed for the University of Virginia’s SoTL Scholars program, walks you through designing your data collection plan. You will operationalize your variables, decide on instrumentation, and review alignment across the key components of your SoTL study.

This guide from Megan Sanders, Katharine Walsh, and Lindsay Wheeler defines survey research, provides considerations for whether and how to use a survey for research, and how to get started with your own survey.

This downloadable e‑book presents a comprehensive compendium of scales for SoTL research. Section 1 covers choosing, using, developing, and validating scales, and Section 2 presents scales covering a variety of topics, from self-efficacy to student engagement and wellbeing.