Edinburgh Napier University

  The understanding of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has raised debate amongst many academics employed in Higher Education (HE). One way of exploring the issues surrounding SoTL in academic institutions has been through the establishment of learning communities (LCs). Very popular in HE establishments within the United States of America, LCs allow a comfortable environment in which academic staff may explore ways to develop professional scholarship in relation to individual disciplines. This can be achieved through sharing of ideas and fostering a multidisciplinary approach to SoTL by establishing contact with other academics who may not otherwise have the chance to meet.
This paper examines the experience of exploring SoTL at the start of a newly formed LC that is composed of a relatively new breed of academic staff, entitled ‘University Teachers’ (UTs), at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. This LC, believed to be one of the first in existence in HE in the UK, will allow a diverse group of academics to explore SoTL in a community environment. This article explores the issues arising in the establishment of the newly formed LC, as well as raising the question of the potential impact of the LC on university policy for SoTL and UTs.