Resources to support Duke faculty in pursuing educational research and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) related to their Duke courses.
- How do I investigate whether a new approach to teaching is working?
- How do I use student course evaluations to improve my teaching?
- Where can I find data for my educational research project?
How do I investigate whether a new approach to teaching is working?
- The Office of Assessment consults with individual faculty as well as departmental leadership to design strategies for understanding student learning and effective teaching practice. The Office of Assessment has access to student-level data that can inform our understanding of student learning. The Office of Assessment also coordinates presentations and workshops every semester on best practices in learning assessment and the design of projects that advance Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the academic disciplines. Contact assessment@duke.edu to be added to a listserv for announcements.
- Duke Learning Innovation can support faculty who would like to conduct SOTL research through 1:1 consultations at any stage of the research process, assistance with the IRB approval process, data anonymization, and potentially more depending on project needs.
- Language, Arts & Media Program (LAMP) consultants are available to Trinity College faculty to raise awareness of SOTL and how to access it, as well as to consult regarding formative assessment during the teaching semester.
- The course PSY 603S: Teachers as Scientists: Research in the Classroom allows undergraduate and graduate students to develop skills as both critical consumers and producers of empirical research on teaching and learning. Students will develop original, testable hypotheses in the domain of teaching and learning and design ethical studies to test those hypotheses.
How do I use student course evaluations to improve my teaching?
- The Office of Assessment coordinates course evaluations for undergraduate education. There is substantial information about and guidance for course instructors on their website. The Office of Assessment supports faculty, program officers, staff, and students alike. The institution’s course evaluation platform supports mid-term and end-of-term evaluations, and it is available for use by all Duke Schools; faculty with primary appointments in the Graduate and Professional Schools should connect with their respective Deans’ offices for guidance.
Where can I find data for my educational research project?
- Duke Learning Innovation can assist with thinking through possible existing data sources related to educational research questions, or help instructors create their own data collection plan.
- In many cases, the Office of Assessment can query relevant data and make those data available for select projects in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Data dissemination policy and data request forms are available online.
- The Office of the University Registrar also provides data for faculty, program officers, and staff upon request. The data request form is available online.
