University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs,
Wisconsin Teaching Scholar (UW-Eau Claire), 2002-03.jpg)
Bridging SoTL in Teaching, Research, and Leadership: A Personal Reflection
Higher Education was my second career. I served as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Clinical Director for almost 10 years. When I first began teaching it was directly related to preparing social work students in practice settings and later as a lecturer in clinical practice courses. It did not take long to fall in love with students and teaching in general. Students liked me because my lessons were new and innovative. I supplemented them with multiple examples from professional practice. Although I scored high on student evaluations and students were pleased, I was plagued with questions about their learning and suffered from imposter syndrome. I did not have the same preparation I received to be a skilled social worker and yet I was entrusted with the opportunity to teach without previous teaching experience or professional preparation. It was a huge responsibility.
Instinctively the profession of Social Work practice led me to engage my students’ learning with an applied approach to teaching. Back then, I focused more on student engagement and less on student learning. I was teaching students at UW Whitewater, a campus designed for students with accessibility needs, which was both exciting and more challenging. Working with adaptations encouraged me to focus on their learning more directly, with a goal to reach all my students. After teaching full time for four years, I decided to pursue my PhD in Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology with a focus on Educational Anthropology and a personal goal of becoming a full professor in higher education. My dissertation study allowed me to immerse myself for two years in an ethnographic study in an American Sign Language (ASL) Immersion school for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I videotaped, watched and interpreted the lessons frequently to capture the data and focus on the transmission of culture in a bilingual/bicultural learning environment designed to be visual and spatial. What I observed firsthand was phenomenal, revealing storytelling practices as central to learning and language embedded in Deaf culture as a key to Deaf students learning in a language environment that tapped their abilities and strengths instead of deficits. The pedagogy was applied teaching practice, animated student engagement and the use of bilingual teaching methodologies. Although fluent in ASL at the time, it was my second language, and I went home curious about the students’ learning. I wondered how much I could be missing because of language difference and sorted through questions that stayed with me from my previous concerns around student learning at UW Whitewater.
Although secondary to the primary hypothesis in my dissertation research, these questions remained relevant in my own teaching and became primary after completing the dissertation and starting my second full time teaching position at UW Eau Claire in 2001. During my first convocation week, I was introduced to book discussions on Ernest Boyer’s, Scholarship Reconsidered (1990). The discussions were led by our Dean of the College of Professional Studies. I was encouraged by a pivotal leader on campus to explore my teaching and discovered a community of faculty similarly curious about their students’ learning. I was provided faculty development and resources through our Network for Excellence in Teaching (NET). That same semester I attended a NET workshop with Dr. William (Bill) Cerbin about the assessment of student learning. During his presentation Bill shared results from his experience as a Carnegie SoTL Scholar and enticed us with a new topic on Lesson Study. I was intrigued. NET sponsored another session that semester, that introduced us to Faculty College and the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars program, delivered by Dr. Anthony (Tony) Ciccone, and Lisa Kornetsky, the Director of the Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID). The following spring, I participated in Faculty College, attended a session on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and met the members enrolled in the WTF and WTS programs. During that period of time, the programs were separate. Both Bill and Tony were presenting at Faculty College. I left there motivated, assured and convinced that there was a process I could engage in to feed my curiosity and pursue my questions and improve my teaching. The following year, I applied and was selected as a Wisconsin Teaching Scholar. All the experiences were pivotal to my career as a faculty member and later created the impetus for me to pursue leadership in higher education.
The nexus to my success was launched by the WTS program, (now WTFS) and flourished with the introduction to SoTL. As a teacher and as a scholar I thrived in the interdisciplinary SoTL community first through scholarly teaching. It was important for me to consume and apply the SoTL knowledge about teaching and learning side by side with my disciplinary knowledge. With a focus on my students’ learning, my teaching practice became informed, less random, and improved. I participated in the inaugural International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL) conference in Indiana in 2004 and began long-term professional relationships with national and international SoTL Scholars. Although intimidated by my novice experience in SoTL, I took a risk and shared my SoTL research the first year I attended. It was received with thoughtful challenging questions and invitations to collaborate and learn, although it was never successfully published. Regardless of whether you are presenting a poster, paper or conducting a workshop the culture of engagement the ISSoTL conferences create invites novice scholars to take risks and collaborate. Through ISSoTL, I was introduced to key research and exciting authors that were pivotal to the success of my SoTL research in social work education, including Threshold Concepts by Land and Meyer (2003), and Signature Pedagogies by Lee Shulman (2005). ISSoTL is a very exciting professional learning community that provided a wonderful opportunity for me to discover many SoTL researchers with theories and methodologies that were impactful for me at that time. Later when I served in my leadership role with OPID, we collaborated to bring key SoTL scholars to deliver keynote addresses impacting student learning at our Wisconsin Teaching and Learning Conference, including Dr. William Cerbin, Dr. Anthony Cicone, Dr. Randy Bass, Dr. Peter Felton, Dr. Pat Hutchings, and topics and scholars that integrated well with SoTL such as stereotype threat, growth mindset and mindful teaching practice.
Eight years after my first introduction to SoTL, the OPID Director position became available. My interest in returning to a leadership role from my early social workdays, coupled with the positive experience I had as an alumnus of OPID’s programs motivated me to apply to serve as the Interim Director. I continued to serve for eight years as the Director and later Executive Director of OPID. During my role in OPID we continued to introduce new cohorts of faculty at faculty college, WTFS, and our annual conference to Dr. Cerbin, Dr. Ciccone, Dr. Renee Meyer, Dr. Nancy Chick, Dr. Regan Gurung, Dr. David Voelker and Dr. Cindy Kernahan–all Wisconsin SoTL scholars. We also hired Dr. Nancy Chick, Dr. Aeron Haynie, Dr. Cyndi Kernahan and Dr. David Voelker to serve as Co-Directors of the WTFS program. All these SoTL Scholars from Wisconsin, including those that have retired, those that have moved on and those that remain here, have blazed trails for OPID beginning with the inaugural WTF and WTS programs under Lisa Kornetsky’s leadership, and during my tenure as OPID’s director.
During my tenure as OPID’s director, state funding became increasingly scarce, budgets were reduced, we were placed on furlough and the pressure to preserve resources for OPID’s faculty college and WTFS programs was intense. To secure our program funding we needed to prove the impact we were having on student success and faculty development, so we launched a study about the impact of the WTFS program. I hired Drs David Voelker and Ryan Martin from University of Wisconsin Green Bay (UWGB), both WTFS alum, to conduct the impact study. They reached out to current and past WTFS participants for a span of 13 years and invited them to participate in the study through surveys and interviews. They had a great response rate and many interesting results. Because I commissioned the study, I was not a PI for the project. I was fortunate to assist in funding the study, collaborating with the PI’s in developing the participant list, gathering data, reviewing the results, final drafts and presenting at ISSoTL. There were many positive results that came out of their white paper, and it communicated a strong value statement to campus leaders about the importance of sustaining this faculty development model. Two results that stood out for me from the impact study was the high percentage of faculty in Wisconsin that were successfully publishing their SoTL research, and a surprisingly high number of faculty that credited their experience in the WTFS program in motivating them to engage in leadership roles on their campus and beyond. The WTFS program had that very same impact on me and fed my career in higher education leadership. When I returned to my campus after my year as UW-Eau Claire’s Wisconsin Teaching Scholar, I served as an ambassador on campus for WTFS and our NET teaching and learning center. I also served as a faculty mentor and promoted both Faculty College and the WTFS program to new faculty. I was invited to share my experience at faculty college and with new WTS cohorts. I remained involved in ISSoTL and attended the conferences annually. It motivated me to pursue the permanent OPID Director position, and while serving in that role, I co-founded and led the ISSoTL Special Interest Group (SIG) group on SoTL and Leadership with my colleague Dr. Katarina Mårtensson from Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Although SoTL was developing at an exciting rate and SoTL research was more widely accepted, there were many faculty who reported a lack of support from their administration and the need for leaders that understood the pivotal role SoTL research has on student success. Our SIG group was focused on growing leaders through SoTL with the hope of convincing administration of the values SoTL offers faculty and students writ large.
After eight years directing OPID my desire to return to a campus in a leadership role was successful. I went on to serve as the Associate Provost for Faculty and Student Learning at St Cloud State University (SCSU) in Minnesota. One of my primary goals was to restore their teaching and learning center, reinvigorate their SoTL program and create a center for online learning. While I was there, I found resources and successfully developed communities of practice with faculty. I was well supported by my Provost and President and faculty governance. I brought in SoTL experts from Wisconsin to support our efforts, including Dr. Regan Gurung, Dr. Cyndi Kernahan, Dr. Alison Staudinger, and Dr. David Voelker, and Dr. Jenny Moore from Elon University a colleague from ISSoTL. Each scholar had a role in reintroducing SoTL to the faculty at SCSU and the development of St Cloud’s new SoTL Fellows and Scholars program, which continues to thrive. After six years at SCSU, I returned to Wisconsin as the Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (UWSP). As a provost I am well positioned to support a culture for and financially support the SoTL efforts on my campus including opportunities for faculty to attend Faculty College and participate in OPID’s WTFS program. One of my faculty, Dr. Valerie Barske, served as the co-director for the WTFS program from 2019 to 2025. As a leader in higher education, I am convinced that SoTL and faculty development that focuses on student learning is key to overall student success and persistence. I am aware it makes a difference in the faculty experience and is a catalyst for informing excellent teaching practice. As Provost, I serve on the Universities of Wisconsin Provost Council with three other provost colleagues that are alumni of the WTFS program. One of my Provost colleagues attended the WTS program the same year I did. The WTFS program is truly unique to Wisconsin and has an important legacy for multiple faculty and leaders across the university system. I am grateful for the rich experiences I have had in my career as a result of participating in this important faculty development program. I will remain a strong advocate for OPID’s Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars for the remainder of my career, as long as SoTL is central to the curriculum.
Citations:
Boyer, E. L. (1990) Scholarship Reconsidered, Priorities of the Professoriate.
Princeton, N.J.: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Hutchings, P. (2000). Opening Lines: Approaches to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Menlo Park, CA: Carnegie Foundation of the Advancement of Teaching, pp. 1-10.
Meyer, J., & Land, R. (2003). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: Linkages to ways of thinking and practicing within the disciplines. Edinburgh, Scotland: University of Edinburgh, pp. 412-424.
Shulman, L. S. (2005) Signature Pedagogies in the Professions, Daedalus 134 (3), Summer 2005, pp. 52-59.
Voelker, D , and Martin, R. (2013) Wisconsin Teaching Fellows & Scholars Program Assessment Project: Final Report. https://www.uwgb.edu/UWGBCMS/media/CATL/pdf/WTFSStudy2013.pdf
Biography:
Dr. La Vonne J. Cornell-Swanson currently serves as the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UW-Stevens Point). She also holds a faculty appointment as a Full Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Work. She oversees the university’s five colleges, more than 100 academic programs, and over 500 faculty and instructional staff members in her role as UW-Stevens Point’s Chief Academic Officer.
Before joining UW-Stevens Point, she served as the Associate Provost for Faculty and Student Affairs at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) in Minnesota. At SCSU, she spearheaded initiatives to elevate educational quality, including leading the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Fellows and Scholars Program, and the division for online and distance learning. Her leadership facilitated innovative curriculum redesign, such as implementing a streamlined curriculum process and developing four accelerated graduate degree programs tailored to adult learners.
Prior to her tenure at SCSU, Dr. Cornell-Swanson held various leadership roles within the University of Wisconsin System. As Executive Director and Associate Professor for the Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID), she led impactful initiatives, including Faculty College, the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program, and the Wisconsin Task Force for Access to Success for Native American Students.
Dr. Cornell-Swanson’s academic journey began with her own experiences as a first-generation college student, becoming the first in her family to graduate from college. She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from UW-Whitewater in 1980, her master’s degree in social work from Oklahoma University in 1985, and her Ph.D. in Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology from UW-Milwaukee in 2001. Her teaching career includes tenure as a faculty member in social work at UW-Eau Claire, where she also contributed to women’s studies and American Indian studies. She previously taught at UW-Whitewater, bringing her interdisciplinary expertise to the classroom and mentoring countless students.
SoTL Publications :
Chick, N. L., Cornell-Swanson, L., Lazarides, K., & Meyers, R. (2014). Reconciling apples and oranges: A constructivist SoTL writing program. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(2), Article 13. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2014.080213
Cornell-Swanson, L. (2012). Toward a complete signature pedagogy in social work education. In N. Chick, R. Gurung, & A. Haynie (Eds.), Exploring more signature pedagogies. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Invited SoTL Keynote Presentations, Papers, Panels, and Workshops:
Invited Keynote Speaker and Workshop Facilitator – Belonging Mindset and Stereotype Threat; Inclusive Pedagogy, Lawrence University, Appleton WI, 2017.
International Visiting Research Scholar and Associate – Multiple keynotes and workshops given on Signature Pedagogy, Threshold Concepts, Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars SoTL program, and Teaching Ethics and Boundaries, Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa, July 7-22, 2016.
Keynote panel, Supporting Undergraduate Research: Transformative Spaces – Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR) Symposium and Preconference to the 13th Annual ISSoTL Annual Conference, Quebec City, Quebec, 2014.
Keynote speaker, Innovative approaches to handling troublesome student behaviors
UW Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, 2013.
Keynote speaker, Inclusive Pedagogy: First Year Seminar Faculty Development Program,
Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, 2013.
Invited keynote speaker, Inspiration & Commitment to Diversity through Curriculum & Pedagogy – Faculty Senate and Diversity in Action Initiative, the State University of New York (SUNY): Potsdam, New York, 2009.
Invited keynote speaker, Creating Dialogue on Diversity through Reflection Circle Process Faculty and Staff Development Seminar in Diversity – Center for Educational Excellence, University of San Diego, San Diego, California, 2009.
Invited preconference institute workshop leader, Creating Dialogue on Diversity through Reflection Circle Process – The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning: Diversity Here and Now – Holistic and Sustainable Approaches to Multicultural Learning, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2005.
- DeQuincey Newman Peace and Social Change Scholar (Selected Scholar)
Deafness from a sociocultural perspective: The results of an ethnographic study conducted in an American Sign Language classroom; Applications to social work education, policy, and practice. I. DeQuincey Newman Peace and Social Change Symposium: 4th Annual Diversity in Social Work Education and Practice Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, 2002 (Paper published in the conference proceedings)
Selected SoTL Papers, Panels, Workshops, and Presentations:
What does it mean to be a Teacher Scholar? St Cloud State University (SCSU) Biannual Campuswide Academic Affairs Assembly, 2022
SCSU Provost Summit General Assembly and Miller Scholar and SoTL Award Presentations. SCSU Annual Provost Summit on Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Inaugural year 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
What does it take to “Become a Provost”? – The Evolution of One’s True North (lead panelist). American Association for State Colleges and Universities 2019 Academic Affairs Summer Meeting: Responding to Challenges Through Innovation, 2019
St. Cloud State University’s Bias Response Collaborative Learning Experience and
Progress (Co-presenter) Minnesota State University System Annual Leadership Conference, Breezy Point, MN, 2017.
Leadership Reflections: Embedding the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in
Institutional Culture (co-presenter).
The 16th Annual International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL): Telling the Story of Teaching and Learning, Los Angeles, CA, 2016
What is the potential of digital learning environments and their impact on student learning? (Co presenter)
Poster Session: The 16th Annual International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL): Telling the Story of Teaching and Learning, Los Angeles, CA, 2016
Understanding Student Learning Better through Identifying Threshold Concepts (co-presenter)
Building Community in All Learning Environments: OPID Annual Spring Conference on Teaching and Learning, Green Lake, Wisconsin, 2016
The University of Wisconsin System model: Advancing educational development through SOTL (co-presenter).
The 39th Annual Professional Organizational Development (POD) Conference: Leverage, Dallas, Texas, 2014
The role of leadership in embedding SoTL into institutional culture (co-presenter). The 13th Annual International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL): Nurturing Creativity and Passion in Teaching, Quebec City, Quebec, 2014
The six standards of scholarly work reconsidered (co-presenter).
13th Annual International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL): Nurturing Creativity and Passion in Teaching, Quebec City, Quebec, 2014
Stereotype threat and achievement gaps: Developing understanding and exploring interventions with faculty (co-presenter).
13th Annual International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL): Nurturing Creativity and Passion in Teaching, Quebec City, Quebec, 2014
Using the threshold concept framework to understand student learning (co-presenter). Mindful Teaching: Inquiry, Connection, Sustainability, and Creativity: OPID Spring Conference, Green Lake, Wisconsin, 2014
Addressing stereotype threat in the classroom (co-presenter).
Mindful Teaching: Inquiry, Connection, Sustainability, and Creativity: OPID Spring Conference, Green Lake, Wisconsin, 2014
Revitalizing the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) across the UW System series (co presenter) UW Colleges, 2014
Toward a comprehensive signature pedagogy in social work education.
30th Annual Association of Bachelor Social Work Program Directors National Conference: Hands-on Social Work Education – Learning Beyond the Classroom, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 2013
Revisiting a call for the sixth area of scholarship: The scholarship of leading (co-presenter).
International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL): Research on Teaching & Learning: Integrating Practices, Hamilton, California, 2012
Supporting faculty writers to promote publication of SoTL work (co-presenter).
11th Annual International Society of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Transforming the Academy through the Theory and Practice of SoTL, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2011; UW-Madison, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, UW-Platteville, UW Stevens Point, UW-Stout and UW-Whitewater, August 2013 – May 2014
Are circle dialogues beneficial to student learning in classrooms designed to teach sensitive subject matter? Students respond to what works for them.
7th Annual International Society of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Global Theories and Local Practices: Institutional, Disciplinary and Cultural Variations, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2010
Faculty opportunities, OPID presentation and naked teaching. The artistry of engagement: reaching learners in the age of technology (co-presenter).
The Learning Technology and Development Center Fall Conference, Madison, Wisconsin, 2009
Making a difference in the classroom: Professional opportunities for faculty and instructional staff – Inclusive teaching methods.
Women & Science Fall Conference, Green Lake, Wisconsin, 2009
Diversity learning panel: Models of reflecting on diversity (co-presenter).
6th Annual Conference of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL) – Solid Foundations, Emerging Knowledge, Shared Futures, Bloomington, Indiana, 2009
Doing SoTL systematically: The role of centralized faculty development and distributed leadership (co-presenter).
6th Annual Conference of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL) – Solid Foundations, Emerging Knowledge, Shared Futures, Bloomington, Indiana, 2009
Getting out of class: A discussion of liberal education, new technologies, and what students can learn when we move beyond the classroom.
Discussion of keynote address, OPID Spring Conference 2009 – Pedagogies of Hope: Inspiring, Understanding, and Assessing Student Learning, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2009
Emerging from silence: student voices on racism and white privilege.
SoTL paper presentation at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, San Francisco, California, 2007
Phase 2: Rethinking diversity through reflection circle process.
Paper presentation at the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL) Conference, Washington, D.C., 2006
Rethinking diversity: Reflections on white privilege and racism in the classroom. International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL) Conference: Commitment, Community, and Collaboration, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2005
Student reflections on white privilege and racism in the classroom.
UW-Eau Claire’s 2nd Annual SoTL Symposium; UW System Academic and Student Affairs: Faculty and Staff Forum on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning; and University of Wisconsin Office for Professional and Instructional Development: Wisconsin Teaching Scholar Summer Institute, 2005
Emerging from silence: Student voices on racism and white privilege.
International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL) Inaugural Conference, Bloomington, Indiana, 2004
Learning through interdisciplinary team process (co-presenter).
Wisconsin OPID Group: CASTL Colloquium: American Association for Higher Education National Conference, San Diego, California, 2004