The theme of the 2025 Symposium is Opening Borders: Cultivating an Inclusive and Sustainable SoTL. As the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning progresses, SoTL scholars have the opportunity to co-create a forward looking field that intentionally welcomes a breadth of perspectives and positionalities. Opening Borders invites us to examine and expand the boundaries of SoTL at a time of complexity, opportunity, and rapid change. Our intent is to encompass pathways that promote multiple viewpoints and positionalities, enacting principles of justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility through engagement with SoTL.
Proposals are encouraged from students, faculty, administrators, or community members committed to the systematic scholarly inquiry into aspects of teaching and learning in higher education. We invite proposals that demonstrate collaborative approaches with students and/or across disciplines and contexts. We welcome all submissions but preference is given to proposals that align with this year’s theme.
We are offering four different formats for engaging in discussions:
I) oral presentation,
II) roundtable discussion,
III) poster presentation,
and IV) pre-conference workshop
Oral Presentation (40 mins): If you are ready to disseminate your research, or parts thereof, consider an oral presentation. Whether a single presenter or a research team, you will have access to a mid-sized room with row seating for attendees, and a visual projection system. (maximum 30 mins presentation + 10 mins for discussion).
Roundtable discussions (3 x 20 min): In this popular roundtable discussion format, presenters will be seated at a table to have conversations and share their projects in an informal, low-tech format. This is especially suitable for work-in-progress, calls for collaboration, or those newer to SoTL. Multiple roundtables will run simultaneously in a larger room, and you’ll have the opportunity to engage with three small audiences during the session.
Posters Session The poster session is a long-standing and popular tradition of the Symposium. Presenters are invited to go public with their ideas during an evening event with refreshments and hors d'oeuvres. What do you want to share? And how do you wish to engage with attendees at the event? Interactive and creative posters are encouraged but not required (think: stickies, QR codes, opening flaps). Most important is that you have ideas to share and you’re looking for direct feedback through conversation.
Pre-conference Workshop There are a limited number of pre-conference workshops offered. Submit a proposal if you are interested in offering one of these 3-hour sessions. Pre-conference workshop proposals should be active in design.
We invite proposals that match one of the Conference tracks (see below) from individuals or teams of scholars.
Scholarship is at the center of all successful proposals. We do not accept faculty development workshops at this symposium. Rather, we follow Peter Felten’s (2013) Principles of Good SoTL Practice in seeking abstracts that demonstrate the following elements:
The following is required for all submission formats:
At least three experienced SoTL practitioners will anonymously review all proposals for relevance, fit to conference track, quality, and (when appropriate) audience engagement. While they review the session description, they will consider the following questions and criteria:
Felten, P. (2013). Principles of good practice in SoTL. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 1(1), 121–125. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.1.1.121