The Advocacy Committee promotes an active membership that’s engaged in relevant advocacy within and beyond the Society. This advocacy implements the mission’s charge to “support, review, recognition, and appropriate uses of SoTL,” including but not limited to elevating the role, value, and contributions of SoTL at educational institutions and in the public; championing the international nature of the Society; ensuring student involvement in SoTL; and supporting SoTL as part of a career trajectory.
The Convenings Committee oversees the process for selecting future conference hosts and sites, prioritizing an appropriate mix of locations that reflects both the distribution of members and the international scope of the Society. With support from the Executive Director and liaising with the local hosts, the Convenings Committee also ensures that the annual conference includes signature ISSOTL components. These regular features include meetings for the Board, standing committees, Interest Groups, International Collaborative Writing Groups, and general membership; welcome gatherings for newcomers and students; a buddy system for interested newcomers; regular sessions for Teaching & Learning Inquiry and the ISSOTL Fellows; the Conference Commons and book exhibit; and announcements of awards.
With support from the Executive Director and web developer, the Publications Committee facilitates contributions to and curates the ISSOTL blog. The Publications Committee also supports the operations of Teaching & Learning Inquiry (the Society’s peer-reviewed journal), including managing its open access platform, tracking usage and publication data, ensuring the indexing of the journal, recruiting and selecting new members of the editorial team, and promoting it in appropriate venues. The Publications Committee also shepherds (i.e., calls for, selects, and orients co-leaders; serves as consultants to co-leaders as needed) the Academic Writing model of the International Collaborative Writing Groups, which ultimately produce articles to be submitted to TLI. The Publications Committee also strategizes other relevant ways of going public (e.g., podcasts, video interviews, webinars).
With support from the Executive Director and web developer, the Recognition Committee regularly evaluates, communicates, and, when possible, enhances member benefits, including opportunities for participation within the Society. The committee motivates the ISSOTL Interest Groups and encourages their connections and contributions to the Society. The committee also recruits from ISSOTL membership a pool of reviewers for relevant Society activities (e.g., submissions for the annual conference and Teaching & Learning Inquiry, nominations for relevant awards, applications for the ISSOTL Fellows). Finally, in consultation with relevant committees, the Recognition Committee oversees and coordinates the processes for Board elections and adjudication of Society awards and other distinctions.