The Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoLT) in higher education involves the systematic investigation of teaching practices and student learning to enhance educational quality. It integrates evidence-based research, critical reflection, and dissemination of findings to improve teaching methods and student outcomes (Kong et al., 2017; Rowe & Nudelman, 2024). SoLT builds on foundational concepts similar to Boyer’s model of scholarship but has evolved to emphasise innovative teaching approaches and the impact of digital technologies in contemporary higher education.  

Innovative teaching, such as the integration of digital tools or novel pedagogical strategies, plays a vital role in SoLT. Even when such innovations are not formally disseminated through scholarly outputs, they remain critical for advancing student engagement and learning. This broader perspective, sometimes referred to as “Innovative Scholarship of Learning and Teaching” (ISoLT), highlights that both formal research and practical innovation contribute to the continuous improvement of higher education practices. 

ISoLT Framework

The ISoLT framework is designed to support the development of a Curtin wide cross disciplinary community of practice for the scholarship of Teaching and Learning. ISoLT is a transformative and rigorous approach to research in Higher Education that makes epistemological, methodological, evidence-based decisions about curriculum design, pedagogy, and how teaching and learning innovations impact on learners (Huball 2012).

Capacity building of staff is the focus of the framework beginning with individual development of scholarly teaching practice in Enhance, moving to a local disciplinary focus on ISoLT Leadership development in Enrich. Expand is about developing multidisciplinary ISoLT leadership, where research extends beyond the confines of a singular disciplinary paradigm, to create a broader fluid ISoLT discourse where research collaborations are disseminated to the broader public (Webb 2019).