SoTL’s Watershed Moment: A Critical Turning Point for SoTL at Ryerson University

Ryerson University has undergone major restructuring in a short period of time. Since 1993, Ryerson has become a degree-granting institution and expanded its post- graduate degree programs as a means to further its commitment to high-quality education. Ryerson’s change in status and enhanced focus on scholarship provides a watershed moment for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at the University. This paper introduces our working definition of SoTL, explains the circumstances leading to the watershed moment at Ryerson, and outlines the necessary steps to entrench SoTL at Ryerson. The paper concludes with a reflection upon the lessons learned from other universities attempting a similar task. Our efforts to advance the importance of SoTL may be misdirected until other researchers and teachers understand the role of SoTL in higher education environments. SoTL is sometimes viewed as an illegitimate form of scholarly activity because it does not always end with a peer-reviewed journal paper. This misrepresentation of SoTL needs to be corrected in order to further advance the scholarship and learning and educational opportunities SoTL provides to students.