CFD Research & Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Flashcards

A faculty developer wants to help instructors gather evidence of student learning for SoTL purposes. Which tool, developed by Angelo and Cross, provides quick, low-stakes feedback on student understanding?

Answer: Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) such as the Muddiest Point and One-Minute Paper provide instructors with immediate, formative data on student comprehension without high-stakes testing.

In qualitative SoTL research, which method involves the researcher systematically examining and coding their own teaching artifacts, reflective journals, and student work?

Answer: Content Analysis / Document Analysis

Document or content analysis involves systematically reviewing and categorizing textual artifacts—such as student papers, discussion posts, or instructor journals—to identify patterns and themes.

Which of Felten's five principles of good SoTL practice states that the work must be grounded in and contribute to the relevant literature on teaching and learning?

Answer: Methodologically Sound

Felten's principle of being 'grounded in context' includes situating the inquiry within the existing scholarship on teaching and learning in higher education.

Which concept describes the practice of faculty systematically examining their own teaching through cycles of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting?

Answer: Action Research

Action research is a cyclical, practitioner-led inquiry model—plan, act, observe, reflect—designed to improve practice from within, making it well suited to classroom-based SoTL.

A faculty developer is helping an instructor interpret mixed-methods SoTL data. Which term describes the practice of using multiple data sources to strengthen the credibility of qualitative findings?

Answer: Triangulation

Triangulation uses multiple data sources, methods, or investigators to cross-check findings, increasing the trustworthiness and credibility of qualitative SoTL research.

Which institutional body must review SoTL projects that involve collecting identifiable data from students before the research begins?

Answer: Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The IRB is federally mandated to protect human research subjects; any SoTL project collecting identifiable student data requires IRB review and approval or an exemption determination.