SoTL Methods and Ethics

SoTL research does not have one specific type of method. There are unlimited ways that instructors can observe and analyze teaching methods and student behaviour. All SoTL research should, however, have the following core components:

1. A meaningful question about student learning
2. A hypothesis based in experience and/or literature
3. Engagement and/or partnership with students
4. Sound methodology
5. Wide and public sharing of results 

The methodology you choose will define the specific methods of your study and the kinds of data and answers you get. You can start by thinking about whether you’d like to conduct qualitative or quantitative research. 

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SoTL research uses data from human subjects. When you collect research data from other people, you have a responsibility to those people to use and represent that data responsibly and accurately, and to respect their autonomy and privacy. Instructors have an additional responsibility to hold their students’ educational interests above other interests, like research (MacLean & Poole, 2010). 

The inherent power imbalances between instructors and students in SoTL research might lead to ethical issues (Fedoruk, 2017), such as consent. If methods are more appropriate for research than for teaching, SoTL projects could potentially disrupt the safety of a classroom and could negatively impact student learning. There are also privacy and confidentiality considerations – researchers should have a clear plan for protecting the data and identities of their participants. 

Dalhousie University's Research Ethics Board User Guide on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research is a useful resource that concisely outlines these key issues to be considered before undertaking SoTL research.

For more information about collecting and storing data, see the Library's Research Data Management Guide. It has pages on collecting data ethically and archiving and sharing data.

If you want to do research, you will likely need to obtain a certificate of ethical acceptability through the University Human Research Ethics Committee (UHREC) before you begin any data collection. This is so the university can ensure that researchers understand the ethical implications of their project and potential harm they can cause, and that all research is in alignment with relevant policies and regulations.

Typically it involves filling out an ethics review form, submitting your data collection tools (e.g., consent forms, lesson plans, recruitment materials, survey templates, etc.) and explaining how you will analyze your data.

You can find more details about the process and a checklist of all of components you will need to submit on this webpage for acquiring ethics approval. 

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Elgie, S. (2014). Researching teaching and student outcomes in postsecondary education: An introduction. Second edition. Toronto, ON: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.  

Fedoruk, L. (2017). Ethics in the scholarship of teaching and learning: Key principles and strategies for ethical practice. Calgary, AB: Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning Guide Series.  

MacLean, M. & Poole, G. (2010). An introduction to ethical considerations for novices to research in teaching and learning in Canada. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 1(2), 1-10. 

Miller-Young, J. & Yeo, M. (2015). Conceptualizing and communicating SoTL: A framework for the field. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 3(2), 37-53.

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