SoTL Mentorship Program

The competitive Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Mentorship Program, is sponsored by the Faculty Center and is designed to foster faculty engagement and leadership in SoTL at Georgia Southern University. The intent of this mentorship program is to support faculty as they begin to explore and conduct SoTL research. Up to two faculty members will be selected each year to support their advancement and completion of quality, innovative SoTL research projects that aim to improve the understanding of teaching and learning. The SoTL Mentorship Program is a one academic-year commitment. Recipients will be assigned a mentor from the SoTL Advisory Board, who will provide feedback based on their own significant experience in SoTL research.

Eligibility

All current full-time members of the teaching faculty and teaching academic staff at Georgia Southern University may apply. Recipients must be employed by Georgia Southern University for the duration of their mentorship to receive the benefits associated with the program. For collaborative SoTL projects, only one application may be submitted and funded (usually for the primary investigator of a project). Previous recipients are not eligible to apply for four years after receiving the award. 

Expectations

• The recipients will organize two mentoring meetings per semester with their mentor; ideally at least one of these meetings each semester will be in person. Mentor meetings are designed to support faculty in their SoTL work.
• The recipients will present a workshop on implementing insights from their SoTL research to Georgia Southern faculty and graduate student instructors in the following Fall semester. Faculty Center staff will provide support in developing the workshop.
• The recipient will be required to submit a presentation proposal based upon their work to the SoTL Commons Conference. 
• The recipients must submit a report or an advanced article draft of the SoTL project research findings, plans for publication of research findings, and a 1-2 paragraph reflection on the mentorship experience no later than April 15 of the academic year in which they were recipients of the program. The recipients will relinquish the stipend if the final report is not completed or if the expectations outlined in this document are not fulfilled.

Benefits

The scholar will receive $500 in professional development funds from the Faculty Center upon fulfillment of their expectations.

The scholar will receive free registration to the SoTL Commons Conference, if their presentation based upon this work is accepted.

Required Documentation

Nomination portfolios are limited to 6-8 pages (1” margins, minimum 12-point font, spacing: 1.5 or double spaced). All materials need to be combined into a single PDF file. Portfolios that exceed 8 pages or do not meet formatting requirements will not be accepted. 

Each portfolio submission must include the following components:

• Project proposal narrative. Projects may address, but are not limited to the study of the implementation and impact of one or more of the following: Innovative instructional strategies; Creative approaches for assessing learning; New teaching and learning technologies; Different formats of instruction (face-to-face, hybrid, online);
• Introduction of the research question;
• Overview of proposed research methodology;
• Initial literature review with emphasis on how the proposed project builds on/ responds to previous scholarship.
• Description of how the results are expected to improve student learning and how this project will impact the teaching of one or more courses at Georgia Southern
• Timeline for the development and completion of the SoTL project.

Supporting Documents

• Condensed curriculum vitae that highlights presentations, articles, publications and/or professional development in teaching and learning and/or SoTL. (2-3 pages)
• A brief letter of support from the unit head. (1 page)

Review of Applications

The review committee is composed of the SoTL Advisory Board and Faculty Center staff. The director of the Faculty Center, or a delegated member of the Faculty Center staff, will work with the Advisory Board to facilitate the review and selection process. Once the committee has reviewed all portfolios, up to two recipients will be selected.

Criteria

The review committee will look for persuasive evidence that the applicant:

• Proposes an innovative and relevant SoTL research question anchored in the research literature
• Proposes a well-designed, methodologically sound course of study
• Clearly explains the expected impact of the SoTL project (in particular its concrete impact at Georgia Southern, but wider applications should also be noted)
• Is likely able to complete the project within the proposed timeline.

Mentorship Program Timeline

• Spring semester 1 (May) – Recipients announced and paired with a mentor.

• Summer – project planning complete (i.e. develop project and obtain IRB approval, etc.) with the support of the mentor

• Fall semester – data collection and submission of proposal to SoTL Commons Conference.

• Spring semester 2 – Presentation at SoTL Commons Conference hosted by Georgia Southern University and final report due.

Deadline

Applications will open during the spring semester. The deadline to submit the portfolio is April 26, 2024. The recipients will be announced May 10, 2024. 
To submit an application, complete this 2024/25 GS SoTL Mentorship Program Application form.

Last updated: 4/3/2024