Working Collaboratively and Finding our Focus
Together, we designed a mixed-methods project to investigate how ISSOTL members “found” ISSOTL with attention to the factors that inspired individuals to become involved in ISSOTL as well as the factors that may have acted as barriers to inclusion. We sought to investigate:
- What are the professional experiences that motivated individuals to join ISSOTL, including disciplinary background, engagement with teaching and learning, and institutional support?
- What are the personal experiences that have either encouraged or challenged individuals’ interest in, or ability to pursue, SoTL work and membership in ISSOTL?
- To what extent does the metaphor of the “big tent” capture ISSOTL’s diversity, inclusion, and members’ experiences of belonging?
Our overall goal was to identify the factors that have fostered belonging for ISSOTL members in the past and determine ways of improving belonging within ISSOTL in the future.
We then designed our project, submitted for ethics approval, and began our study in the lead up to the ISSOTL Conference in October 2024.
