A Theoretically Grounded Framework for Integrating the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

SoTL scholars have written about the importance and utility of teaching from a guiding theoretical framework. In this paper, ecological theory and specifically Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model, is examined as a potential framework for synthesizing SoTL research findings to inform teaching and learning scholarship at the college level. A general overview of the bioecological model of human development and its application to the SoTL literature are provided. The benefit of adopting an ecologically-based framework to better understand and exploit the interdisciplinary nature of SoTL is discussed.