Dr. James DeVita, AVP, Academic Partnerships and High-Impact Experiences, to Co-Present at AAC&U’s ISSOTL Conference

Dr. James DeVita, assistant vice president for academic partnerships and high-impact experiences, will co-present at the American Association of Colleges and Universities'  International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Inc. (ISSOTL) annual conference in Christchurch, New Zealand this November in partnership with the University of Canterbury. Dr. DeVita will co-present "Large-Scale Assessment as SoTL: An Emerging Structure that Supports Data-Driven Practices in Higher Education" with Dr. Megan Bolden, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and Dr. Kristi Wiley, Lenoir Community College.

During their session, they will "explore how the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has evolved from reflective practice to a systematic, research-based approach to improving student learning. We argue that more emphasis should be placed on applying SoTL principles to large-scale assessment initiatives across institutions. Drawing from examples like the National Survey of Student Leaders and Queen's University Assessment Redesign Project, we showcase how SoTL frameworks can drive institutional change. We will present large-scale assessments that have led to meaningful reforms in undergraduate social work programs, multi-institutional research initiatives, and campus-wide career-readiness outcome mapping."

ISSOTL serves faculty members, staff, and students who care about teaching and learning as serious intellectual work. Through building intellectual and collaborative infrastructure, the Society supports the associational life that fosters scholarly work about teaching and learning. The Society provides this support by:

• recognizing and encouraging scholarly work on teaching and learning in each discipline, within scholarly societies and across educational levels,

• promoting cross-disciplinary conversations to create synergy and prompt new lines of inquiry,

• facilitating the collaboration of scholars in different countries and the flow of new findings and applications across national boundaries,

• encouraging the integration of discovery, learning, and public engagement, and

• advocating for support, review, recognition, and appropriate uses of the scholarship of teaching and learning.