International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Volume 3, Number 2, July 2009

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Personal Reflection

Excerpt

Lessons from My Students and Other Reflections on SoTL

As I sit here in my office ‘chair,’ both literally and figuratively, I am reflecting on my relationship with the scholarship of teaching and learning. My thoughts wander to influences on my career in SoTL, the impact SoTL has had on my professional life, the dilemmas in the field that I continue to ponder, ways we advocate for and support SoTL work, and my hopes for the future of SoTL. As I write this, it occurs to me that I have been directly involved in SoTL for 25 years—a quarter of a century! This fact makes me feel both a little bit ‘old’ and very joyful. I confess that, initially, I stumbled into SoTL rather than having made a conscious, well-thought-out decision or choice to engage in SoTL; these would come later.
I entered the field of SoTL through my discipline and local institution; making national-international and cross-inter-disciplinary connections would also come later.

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Bio

Kathleen McKinney
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois, USA
kmckinne@ilstu.edu

I received my Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, I am Professor of Sociology and the Cross Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Illinois State University. My publications include books and articles on personal relationships and college teaching. A recent book is Enhancing Learning through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. I am currently editing a volume on SoTL across the disciplines. I have two ongoing projects: a local, longitudinal study of sociology majors and a multi-institutional study of the sociology capstone course. I am a past editor of Teaching Sociology, a Carnegie Scholar, and have received institutional and national teaching awards. I am also involved in SoTL via the CASTL program and the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Website: http://www.sotl.ilstu.edu

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International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning is a publication of the Center for Excellence in Teaching at Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, USA.