Welcome from the President and the ISSOTL Board
On behalf of the ISSOTL Board, a warm welcome to all of our delegates from around the world to the 12th annual
conference of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. We are very grateful to the
RMIT/Monash University team for their efforts in putting together a rich program, diverse in content and format,
that promises to engage all of us in interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and international dialogues on the scholarship of teaching and learning.
The theme of this year’s conference, Leading Learning and the Scholarship of Change, invites all of us to examine critically the concept of leadership in higher education. In typical SoTL fashion, we do this first by asking the “what is” question: what does leadership look like? What new forms has it begun to take in the current challenging environment for higher education? How are we bringing these new forms to bear on important teaching and learning issues? Secondly, we ask the “what works” question: What have we learned about leadership that makes a serious impact on teaching and learning? And finally, we reflect on what we have learned, imagine new possibilities and, in so doing, produce a scholarship of leading that provides a framework for individual, disciplinary, and institutional change. Each of us has a role to play in this process and we look forward to sharing the diverse perspectives all of us bring to this conversation.
With your help, the Society continues to improve services to our members. Each region is now represented by two VPs and this change has fostered stronger international collaboration and regional activities. We encourage you to seek out your regional representative (Canada and Europe have scheduled meetings) and join these efforts. Visit www.issotl.com to experience new opportunities to communicate and collaborate, and to learn about exciting changes to our journal, Teaching and Learning Inquiry. Attend the Society’s business meeting on Thursday and consider joining one of our special interest groups. Find a student and engage him or her in a conversation about student learning. If you have recently joined ISSOTL, plan on attending the “new to ISSOTL” session immediately preceding the opening session on Tuesday. And finally,do approach any of us on the Board to learn more about how you can become actively involved in shaping the Society.
ISSOTL is very pleased to return to Australia and to experience the intellectual and cultural vibrancy of Melbourne for the first time. We look forward to seeing you next year in Los Angeles, California.
Download a PDF of the Conference Program and Book of Abstracts.