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Benefits for Students

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) refers to a set of activities which investigate how aspects of teaching and learning can be improved for the benefit of students.

Within The Open University, this is coordinated by Centres for Scholarship and Innovation which are based in each of the four Faculties. These Centres support projects and activities that aim to:

  • Enable more students to achieve their study goals
  • Improve students’ experience of tuition and assessment
  • Enhance students’ employability and career progression
  • Promote equality, diversity and inclusion

There are three main ways in which these Centres involve students in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning:

  • as participants in scholarship projects by taking part in surveys, interviews or focus groups and in workshops, events and conferences 
  • as advisors helping to set priorities for scholarship activities and projects 
  • as co-researchers taking an active role in creating and delivering projects

If you are an Open University student, please look out for opportunities to get involved in scholarship activities, which you would typically be invited to by email. Responding to a survey or taking part in interviews, focus groups, workshops or other scholarship activities is a great way of making your voice heard to help enhance teaching and learning.

For more details about the work of your faculty's Centre for Scholarship and Innovation, click on the link below to check out their website, or keep yourself up to date by following them on Twitter.

Please note that the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is different from scholarship bursaries. For further information about fees and funding for Open University courses, please visit the OU Courses website.