Scholarship of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership (SoTL/SoEL)

Join a professional development opportunity to learn how to conduct research and examine evidence-based practice for curricula, teaching, and learning initiatives.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is about educational practices. It is research-informed, evidence-based, methodologically rigorous, and disseminated for peer review investigation into educational practice. Scholarship of Educational Leadership (SoEL) is a distinctive form of scholarship with an explicit strategic and transformational agenda that is directed at academic leaders within and across the disciplines in higher education settings.

SoEL focuses on engaging networked improvement communities that are grounded in systematic rigorous educational inquiry and dissemination in peer-reviewed fora.

Webb, Hubball, Clarke, & Ellis, 2020

HBCTL Curriculum and Pedagogy Training Program

The HBCTL Curriculum and Pedagogy Training Program prepares faculty and academic leaders to develop expertise in the scholarship of teaching, learning, and educational leadership (SoTL/SoEL) practices within and across diverse disciplinary settings.

Through technology-enabled professional learning experiences, this flexible program is developed around a customized cohort model and is adapted to address the strategic institutional needs and circumstances of different university contexts.

Emphasis is placed on the following:

  • Highlighting important research and ethical considerations to improve educational leadership, curriculum, and teaching methods.
  • Building communities that improve through practical research and collaboration.
  • Discussing different ways of understanding knowledge and how this affects research design, methods, and improving education based on evidence.
  • Sharing new educational ideas and improvements in academic settings through peer-reviewed publications.

A key outcome will be the dissemination of research-informed institutional or program-level educational innovations in peer-reviewed academic fora.

A Scholarship of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership presentation in the Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning office.
NYU Dentistry Participants in the SoTL program pose for a photo in front of the #MYNYUAD sign in Sexton Square.
Participants in the SoTL program pose for a photo in front of the Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning office.

2024 Program Overview

The Scholarship of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership Program is a four-month hybrid training program designed to develop your knowledge of educational research methodologies, and support you in the development of a research project related to global liberal arts education.

CORE Program Themes include:

  1. SoEL Contexts in Higher Education 
  2. SoEL Research Methodology 
  3. Pedagogical Leadership: SoEL Implications Theories 
  4. Curriculum Leadership

During the program, participants will prepare a research proposal for a study related to teaching and learning in higher education. The HBCTL will support the completion of the research project over the following year and anticipates that works will be published in peer-reviewed journals, public blogs, and relevant media outlets related to higher education.

Led by: Harry Hubball, Professor Emeritus, National Teaching Fellow, Canada. Ph.D. (Interdisciplinary Studies), MA. (Human Kinetics), BSc. (Sports Science), Founding Chair (1998-2022): Int. Program for the Scholarship of Educational Leadership. Founding Chair (2006-2022): Int. Masters 5-a-side/Futsal/WF World Cup Tournament

Format: Online and face-to-face instruction. External review takes place in January of the following year.

Duration of Commitment: September 2024 - January 2025

Expected Time Commitment:
1) Reviewing of asynchronous reading and video
2) Participation in three-hour online or face-to-face sessions on Monday evenings
3) 1:1 meeting with Professor Hubball
4) Independent or collaborative research and writing

Project Outcome: An IRB-application-ready research project

Eligibility: Standing Faculty Status at NYU Abu Dhabi. 

Apply Now

Please complete the brief application form confirming your commitment and providing your motivation for joining the program. Registration closes on May 1, 2024. Enrollment to be confirmed by June 1, 2024.

  • There are limited slots for participation.
  • If submitting interest from New York, we will be in contact with you after you submit this form. 
  • Please note, that applications are only open to faculty.

For further questions, please reach out to Nancy Gleason (ng73@nyu.edu)

    • Develop knowledge of methodologies for educational research
    • Analyze the implementation of effective, research-informed, and evidence-based curricula and pedagogical practices
    • Discuss institutional innovation and challenges for deeper learning in our context
    • Produce scholarships on higher education in the UAE and across the region

Hearing from Past Participants

The Scholarship for Education and Learning stands as an invaluable resource for institutions like NYUAD. Engaging in this community has not only laid a robust foundation for my research but has also fostered my personal development in gaining a deeper understanding of the university. I firmly believe that this program is crucial, relevant, and timely. As our institution progresses, such programs not only play a role in establishing best practice for our students but it also aids us, both as individuals and as a community, in taking responsibility for excellence in educational leadership.

Chinasa Ezugha, Assistant Arts Professor of Live Art | Art as Social Practice, Arts and Humanities Division, New York University Abu Dhabi

The opportunity to participate in this in-depth professional development program in collaboration with the NYU Abu Dhabi Hillary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning (HBCTL) was truly transformative for me. The curriculum afforded me guidance in the development of a project from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning perspective. However, the program was so much more than that. It provided a very structured and rigorous course with weekly lectures and access to a very rich and thorough library of information on different themes in the SoTL discipline. It was essentially a crash course on SoTL and the Scholarship of Educational Leadership (SoEL). The course leader, Dr. Harry Hubball, provided tremendous support and insight and guided my research question development. In addition to writing a research proposal and creating a presentation of said proposal, we also wrote reflection pieces on the didactic materials and even had an opportunity to create an educational dossier. All of these materials have received formative and summative reviews with detailed feedback and will receive an upcoming external review by individuals outside of this course.  This experience exceeded my imagination in its depth and quality. I’m forever grateful for this opportunity and cherish the memories of my experience at NYUAD.

Marjan Moghadam, Clinical Associate Professor Director, Predoctoral Prosthodontic Education, New York University, College of Dentistry

When I reflect on the SoEL program, the very essence of differentiating between the three phrases: Scholarly approaches to teaching and learning, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), and Scholarship of Educational Leadership (SoEL), was the first fascinating enlightenment. Being an experimentalist, an engineer and a scientist, most of the methods of inquiry we follow in our disciplines are very different from what I learnt in the SoEL Inquiry, Methodology, and Methods. While the research design, analysis and dissemination are quite common to various fields within academia, the methodology and methods are very different. Starting with the two jargons, ontology and epistemology – I then went on to understand the different paradigms such as the postpositivist, constructivist, critical theorist, and pragmatic paradigm. While it was a little difficult at first, I started to reflect deeply on these paradigms. The theme on pedagogical leadership was very practical and when considered in diverse university contexts, it was deeply thought provoking. Overall, this program benefited me greatly in opening my eyes to pedagogical research. I am eager to explore how I can implement the knowledge I gained into the STEM curriculum, education and leadership in the coming years.

Vijayavenkataraman Sanjairaj, PhD (Vijay), Global Network Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Division, New York University Abu Dhabi

Past Projects

  • Faculty and Student Perspectives of Critical Pedagogies of Care in the Core Curriculum at NYUAD
  • Student Perspectives on Post-Graduation Applications of Learning Following a 4-Year Liberal Arts Engineering Degree From an Arabian Gulf Research University
  • Integration of Generative AI in Undergraduate Social Science Programs at a Research-Intensive Liberal Arts University in the Gulf
  • Strategic Development of Culturally Responsive Curricula for Undergraduate Theatre Students in a Liberal Arts Arabian Gulf Research University Context
  • Ungrading: Piloting An Effective Transition to Alternate Grading Practices in a First Year Writing Program at a Liberal Arts Research Intensive University in the Arabian Gulf
  • Integration of Responsible Management Education (RME) Practices in the Undergraduate Business Courses at a Liberal Arts Arabian Gulf Research Intensive University (RIU)
  • Pedagogical Integration in a Team-Taught Anatomy Course For First-Year Dental Students at a US R1 Institution
  • Transitioning From Analog to Digital Model Design in Dental Education at a US Dental School
  • Impact of Case-Study Assignments to Enhancement Student- Engagement in a First-Year Chemistry Course at a Liberal Arts Arabian Gulf Research University
  • Emergent Academics: Impact of a 1st-Year Writing Seminar On Perceived Student Academic Identity at a Liberal Arts RIU in the Arabian Gulf

Contact Us

For further questions, please reach out to Nancy Gleason (ng73@nyu.edu)