Encounters with the Creatures of the SoTL Labyrinth
Lead Author: Emma Gillaspy
Additional authors: David Collett, Rachelle Rawlinson
Timetable: ,
Description:
You are invited to participate in our self‑directed playful activity that explores Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) through the metaphor of a shifting, enchanted maze. By wandering in our labyrinth you will reflect on your own SoTL experiences, gather helpful resources for your future development, and feed into the design of a playful SoTL development resource.
Research highlights that SoTL is often experienced as difficult to navigate, characterised by conceptual ambiguity and hidden scholarly traditions (Fanghanel et al., 2016; Godbold, Matthews & Gannaway, 2024). Academics frequently report finding themselves in unfamiliar territory when they begin SoTL work, entering as novices despite considerable disciplinary expertise, and often doing so without formal preparation or clear signposting (Kim et al., 2020). The labyrinth metaphor captures these feelings of disorientation and uncertainty while providing a playful structure that enables meaning‑making.
Placed around the conference venue, you will randomly encounter Labyrinth Creature Cards, each introducing a mythical figure representing a barrier, enabler, or turning point commonly found within SoTL practice. For example, the Mist Wraith, inspired by time‑stealing and disorientating forces, symbolises workload pressures, competing priorities and the challenge of making space for SoTL (Yong & Peng, 2025). Meanwhile, the Guiding Owl, echoing wisdom and orientation, represents mentorship, scholarly communities and engagement with literature — key enablers of scholarly identity formation (Friberg & Hamilton, 2024). Supplementary creatures, including tricksters and gentle giants, reflect the conceptual thresholds and transformative potential that characterise deeper engagement with SoTL (Kreber, 2013).
Each creature card includes a QR code linking to a short reflective form, inviting you to consider where you have encountered this creature in your own SoTL experiences and how you navigated past it. The reverse side of the card provides a concise SoTL micro‑CPD resource based on a new national resource – Scholarship Spotlight (https://scholarshipspotlight.uk/).
You are then invited to contribute to a physical installation depicting the creatures and pathways traversed throughout the labyrinth. This evolving installation will become a visual representation of the community’s shared journeys, highlighting patterns that echo widely noted challenges in SoTL such as identity transition, conceptual confusion and limited time (Friberg & Hamilton, 2024; Godbold et al., 2024). The collective display acts as both data and provocation, offering rich insights that will feed into our ongoing development of a playful SoTL academic development activity.
By framing SoTL as a labyrinth populated with allies, obstacles and moments of illumination, the activity provides a coherent, accessible and imaginative way for participants to reflect on scholarly teaching whilst contributing to sector‑wide understanding. Delegates leave with a portable CPD artefact that supports future engagement with SoTL and a sense of connection to others navigating similar twists and turns.
References, web links and other resources:
Scholarship Spotlight resource: https://scholarshipspotlight.uk/
Fanghanel, J., Pritchard, J., Potter, J. and Wisker, G. (2016) Defining and Supporting the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): A sector wide study. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/defining-and-supporting-scholarship-teaching-and-learning-sotl-sector-wide-study
Friberg, J., & Hamilton, M. (2024). Learning and development through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2024(183), 7–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.70005.
Godbold, N., Matthews, K. E. E., & Gannaway, D. (2024). Theorising new possibilities for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and teaching‑focused academics. Higher Education Research & Development, 43(1), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2023.2218809.
Kim, A. S. N., Popovic, C., Farrugia, L., Saleh, S. A. F., Maheux‑Pelletier, G., & Frake‑Mistak, M. (2020). On nurturing the emergent SoTL researcher: Responding to challenges and opportunities. International Journal for Academic Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2020.1842743
Kreber, C. (2013). The transformative potential of the scholarship of teaching. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 1(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.2979/teachlearninqu.1.1.5.
Yong, P., & Peng, Y. (2025). Strategies for enhancing the scholarship of teaching and learning among primary and secondary school teachers: A grounded theory analysis. Frontiers in Education, 10 https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1542528