Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) publications are critical, reflective and evaluative of teaching practices and innovations, and advance ideas on how a subject should be taught. Primarily, SoTL work is disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, although there are a range of different ways to share teaching and learning outputs.
Find some of the latest SoTL publications written by ASPIRE Network members below
Latest ASPIRESoTL publications
Hyflex and hybrid teaching and learning in higher education: Evolving discussions in the post-Pandemic era
European Political Science
Dale Mineshima-Lowe, Alexandra Mihai, Madeleine Le Bourdon, Louise Pears, Patrick Bijsmans, Paul Hadjipieris & Simon Lightfoot (2023)
This collaborative piece provides our collective thoughts and experiences on teaching related to Hyflex and Hybrid environments within higher education (HE) institutions across countries. The piece is the evolution of discussions which started at the ECPR’s TLP Conference in Bratislava (and online) in June 2022 on this topic of hyflex and hybrid learning, and the changing HE environment we are all seeing and experiencing. We offer our thoughts and experiences, but also ask colleagues within our discipline to consider the questions and implications of many of the choices being made for ourselves as teachers, and for our students in the evolving learning environment in this period coming out of the pandemic.
# GlobalJustice?: Social Media, Pedagogy, and Activism
International Studies Perspectives
Madeleine Le Bourdon (2024)
This article addresses the evolvement of pedagogical content on global social injustices across social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. With increasing constraints on how we teach about injustices within formal educational settings, young people are increasingly turning to social media to obtain information on global challenges. Scholars have sought to evaluate particular political knowledge gained through social media and/or debate its effectiveness in mobilizing collective action. This research shifts our focus from such top-down evaluations of political knowledge and activism online to understand how those most active across social media engage with pedagogical content on social injustices. Drawing on focus groups with students aged 13–16 from four schools across the United Kingdom, the article will argue four key points: First, young people are extremely cautious about trusting information on social media; second, they are more likely to trust content from those they feel personally connected to; third, exposure to lived experience through social media creates affective learning and reflexive opportunities; and fourth, social media can provide a catalyst for further learning and activism.
What is The Employability Value of a Degree in Politics and International Relations?
Journal of Political Science Education
Jeremy F. G. Moulton (2024)
Students entering contemporary higher education have the question of employability at the forefront of their minds, both when deciding which institution to study at and which subject to study. However, the notion of the “employability agenda” is not often welcomed by academics. Focusing on teaching and learning in the UK, this article draws on Daubney’s (Citation2022) concept of “extracted employability” to ask what students of Politics and International Relations can expect in terms of employability outcomes from their degree and how that employability value can best be communicated. Highlighting resistance from academics and students to integrating employability into a demanding curriculum, this article, referencing the 2023 QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Politics and International Relations, offers a subject-specific employability proposal. This suggestion could enhance Politics and International Relations degrees and be incorporated into institution-wide curricula and student recruitment activities. The Subject Benchmark Statement is utilized as a common understanding of the nature and standards of study in a subject area; one that can be applied in the delivery and promotion of degrees to help answer the call for those delivering Politics and International Relations teaching and learning to be more confident in their articulation of the employability value of a degree in the field.
Developing a Critical Understanding of Environmental Activism through Active Learning
PS: Political Science & Politics
Jeremy F. G. Moulton (2024)
This article presents a short simulation active-learning exercise that can be used in political science undergraduate and postgraduate environmental politics courses to introduce and teach the subject of environmental activism. The exercise, which asks students to role play as determined environmental activists, draws on an analytical framework from Diani and Donati (1999) that provides a typology of nonpartisan political organizations. This “learning through typology” allows students to prioritize critical analysis while engaging with the subject matter in a creative and enjoyable way. The article provides the full process of the exercise, from the grounding in the framework and provision of contextual examples, to the running of the simulation, and finally to the presentation of students’ work and a group debriefing session. This exercise therefore adds to the growing use of simulations and active learning in the increasingly prominent field of environmental politics.