{"id":38,"date":"2025-04-08T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.shu.ac.uk\/sotl\/?p=38"},"modified":"2025-11-27T06:31:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T06:31:53","slug":"sotl-staircase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.shu.ac.uk\/sotl\/sotl-staircase\/","title":{"rendered":"The SoTL Staircase"},"content":{"rendered":"

The SoTL Staircase<\/h1>\n
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\"SoTL<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The visual SoTL staircase (Beckingham, 2025) represents how an educator can gradually build confidence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) by engaging in different forms of dissemination. Each step not only enhances the impact of the intervention but also aims to foster professional growth and confidence in SoTL.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"A<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Figure 1: The SoTL Staircase (Beckingham. 2025)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By implementing an intervention to enhance student learning and engagement there is much to be learned. Whilst it may be hoped the intervention brings positive outcomes, it is also equally important to capture when it doesn\u2019t and to reflect on what might have been done differently. Reflecting on our practice and sharing this with peers is a valuable discussion to have and can result in useful ways to enhance student learning and engagement which can be of benefit to others as well as our own practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Felten (2013) provides five important principles of good practice in SoTL. There are: 1. inquiry focused on student learning, 2. grounded in context, 3. methodologically sound, 4. conducted in partnership with students, and 5. appropriately public. We have all likely to have considered the question \u201chow can I improve\/enhance\u201d some aspect of our teaching practice. This may have been done informally with conversations with students but not shared further. The SoTL staircase aims to capture further steps that might be taken so that not only can these insights be openly shared, but we can also involve students as partners (Healey et al, 2014; Cook-Sather et al, 2014). These SoTL outputs can then be built upon by others and have the potential to extend disciplinary contexts (Huber and Morreale, 2002)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Below are some of the key benefits of the SoTL staircase:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Sharing Outcomes Informally (Conversations with Peers)<\/mark><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n