Dr. Richards presentation was organized into two parts, each designed to help participants recognize 1) that as medical educators, we can engage in forms of scholarship other than research and 2) that to do so most effectively, we should collaborate within "communities of scholars."

Part 1 began with a description of key elements of the process of scholarship typically followed by basic science researchers: conduct experiment, prepare results for presentation, submit for peer review, publish (which adds to public platform for other researchers to "build upon"), plan follow-up experiment, and repeat the cycle. By contributing to a shared body of knowledge within a "community," researchers demonstrate value and/or potential value in helping the institution achieve its research mission. The institution acknowledges the researcher's value through its promotions decisions. These elements conform to a set of nationally recognized criteria for scholarship put forth by Glassick, et al. (clear goals, adequate preparation, effective methods, meaningful results, effective presentation of results, and reflective critique).

Part 1 concluded with a sequence of arguments generalizing these core elements of research, including the Glassick criteria, to other potential forms of scholarship in education. The emphasis here was on the importance of submitting and discussion the results of one's activities (such as the methods, outcomes, and/or lessons learned regarding an innovative teaching method) with one's peers so that they become part of a body of shared understandings. Through this process of innovation, evaluation, presentation, discussion, and reflection for further innovation, educators form communities of collaboration and build platforms of knowledge of mutual benefit.

Part 2 of the presentation illustrates how a group of educators from multiple institutions are forming a community focused on the dissemination and evaluation of an innovative teaching method known as team learning or team-based learning. Team learning allows a single instructor in a single classroom to foster application of course content through small group problem-solving in intra- and inter-group discussions of key concepts (URL).

After describing the growth of the Team Learning Collaborative over the past four years, which was aided by funding from the Fund for Improvement of Post Secondary Education, I illustrated how the members of the loosely formed community are engaging in educational scholarship consistent with Glassick's criteria. I described the products they have produced to date as part of their public "platform of shared understandings." These products include a variety of instruments to measure outcomes of team learning interventions (i.e., surveys, scales), presentations at professional meetings, training techniques, publications, workshops, and case materials. I also shared the "stories" of a handful of individuals within the collaborative. These stories describe the nature and benefit of the person's involvement in the "community" of team learning scholars on their academic work, both in terms of its impact on their performance as educators as well as on their being valued by their institution for their contributions to the educational mission.

I concluded the talk with a call for all us to become advocates for broadened views of scholarship within our institutions and to practice what we preach.

"The scholarship of teaching invites faculty to bring their habits, skills, values, and methods and work together to build a greater collective intelligence about the best ways to promote learning in the many varied and unpredictable circumstances of teaching today" (Pat Hutchings, Carnegie Foundation, 2004).

View Slides from this Presentation