Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Researcher Guide
While most elements are University of Virginia-specific (e.g., the process), others (e.g., ethical considerations) transcend institution. Many institutions have their own SoTL IRB website equivalent - be sure to check!
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is the systematic study of teaching and learning made public, such as through publication in an education research journal or at a conference. This page is intended for instructors who have a SoTL project in mind and are ready to get started on putting together their IRB. Because SoTL typically meets criteria for human subjects research, it—with rare exceptions—requires IRB review.
If you are simply gathering information from students for internal evaluation and personal instructional improvement, then this activity is not generalizable knowledge and does not qualify as SoTL. Personal review activities for quality improvement do not require IRB review. For example, conducting an anonymous survey at the end of a semester to gather information about your students’ perceptions of your course so that you can improve it next semester does not require IRB-SBS review. However, if you plan to present this data at a teaching conference to demonstrate the effectiveness of your teaching techniques, you will need to undergo IRB review.
All human subjects research is required to undergo IRB-SBS review. IRB review and approval of human subject research should be obtained before the project begins. It is your responsibility as a researcher to know whether you are conducting human subjects research. If you have questions about whether you are doing so, please send a summary of your project to the IRB-SBS Director: irbsbshelp@virginia.edu. The IRB will review your email and determine if your planned project is human subject research and needs IRB-SBS review.