Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Ethics, IRB, and Study Design
This guide directs UGA faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students to resources that support the systematic investigation of teaching and learning in their classrooms. Created by Jennifer Eimers.
Because SoTL studies involve research on human subjects, it is necessary to take precautions that will protect the participants in your study (i.e., students) from potential harm. These precautions are outlined and overseen by UGA's Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Human Research Protection Program. Those conducting SoTL studies will need to complete Human Subjects training, available online. After designing your study and before collecting data, you will submit your study for approval from UGA's Institutional Review Board.
For discussion about the importance of conducting SoTL studies ethically, please see these articles:
Chick, N. (2019). Strategies for ethical SoTL practice. The National Teaching & Learning Forum, 28(6), 7-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/ntlf.30216
Guides users through quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methods in a variety of disciplines. It can help you and your students learn about new research methods, design research projects, conduct literature reviews, analyze your data, and more. Contains reference works, an interactive methods map, a project planner, videos, podcasts, case studies, and sample data sets.
Sage Research Methods is the ultimate methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher.
Illustrates the different entry points offered by SoTL and provides inspiring narratives, practical advice, and aspirational proposals for the different aspects of being a SoTL scholar. Edited by Janice Miller-Young and Nancy Chick.
Combining real examples with a roadmap of how to construct studies, analyze results, and share work, this book serves as a primary research methodology text for the field of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
Going beyond definitions, how-to, theory, and debates about methods and standards, the contributors offer a SoTL primer documenting how practitioners have intentionally thought through key moments in their work. These procedural vignettes present powerful examples of what doing SoTL looks like when done well. The authors represent a range of disciplines.
UGA Umbrella IRB for Active Learning
If your study relates to the question “Has active learning improved students’ academic success?,” you may be able to submit your proposal under the Center for Teaching and Learning’s active learning umbrella IRB. This service is intended to make it easier and more efficient for you to navigate the IRB process. More information is available on our Umbrella IRB form.
The Human Subjects Office is a group of dedicated professionals who provide UGA faculty, staff, and students support in meeting the highest ethical and safety standards when conducting research with human subjects. See their website for information on required training and submission procedures to the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
