Monday, July 6, 2026

8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

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Details

Facilitators Dr Manisha Thakkar Assoc Prof Accamma Oommen, Dr Dhivya Rajasekaran, Torrens University & Dr Dieter Schonwetter, University of Manitoba Aim To empower academics, educational developers and education leaders to overcome systemic barriers to Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) engagement by applying evidence-based Communities of Practice (CoPs). Focus The workshop will present the Scholars for Health Innovations and Future Teaching (SHIFT) SOTL-CoP framework as a scalable response to professional isolation, time constraints, and the institutional undervaluation of SoTL, emphasizing on collaboration, mentorship, and scholarly identity. Participants will apply the SHIFT framework and develop an institutionally aligned plan to launch and sustain scholarly-teaching initiatives, translating CoP theory and best practice into innovative pedagogy. Intended audience Academics, educational developers; educators new to SoTL; SoTL researchers; program/course leaders; and administrators supporting scholarly practice. Context SoTL engagement is often hindered by the institutional prioritisation of discipline-specific research, limited resources, and time constraints, necessitating dynamic academic development models like SoTL-CoPs. CoPs provide collaborative spaces that foster reflective practice, peer mentoring and professional growth improving scholarly teaching when these supports align. This workshop is informed by the CoP–SoTL chapter (Schönwetter et al., in press: 2026), which proposes the SHIFT framework, grounded in principles such as psychological safety, distributed leadership, and scaffolded practice. Workshop plan The workshop will integrate active learning throughout. Barriers Identification. Participants will reflect on the current SoTL challenges and/or barriers at their institution?” Best Practice Analysis. Participants will analyse CoP enablers necessary for SoTL CoP success. SHIFT-CoP Application (Map local conditions → outcomes). The SHIFT-CoP framework is introduced. Focusing on its design principles, participants work in small, interdisciplinary groups to identify a teaching/learning challenge. Groups then apply SHIFT’s guidelines to design a foundational CoP structure addressing that challenge. Commit to Action: The session concludes with a commitment exercise, using the prompt: “Please share one idea, encouragement, or inspiration you gained from this session that you’re committed to applying”.