Many Are Called, But Few Show Up: Building Scholarly Communities of Teachers

Strengthening the bonds among university educators for the scholarship of teaching and learning is indeed an arduous task. The pursuit of tenure and promotion, the establishment of an international reputation for one’s research among colleagues in the same narrow specialty areas, and other features of university life present substantial challenges to building scholarly communities of faculty and staff across the complex structures and rewards systems of modern universities. This essay introduces the concept of “SoTL capital” and describes four interrelated types of capital associated with the promotion of scholarly communities devoted to inquiry regarding teaching excellence. It discusses the development and strengthening of “horizontal networks” of like-minded faculty within the context of a large and busy university, such as Ohio State.