Summary
This article explores the benefits of engaging undergraduate students as full partners in an interdisciplinary Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research project. The interdisciplinary project discussed here provided valuable hands-on learning opportunities by involving students in every research phase—from design to data analysis. The collaboration enriched students’ academic and professional skills and offered faculty valuable insights, underscoring the powerful impact of student-faculty partnerships in advancing research capabilities and shaping future pedagogical strategies.
Introduction
To improve teaching and learning in a particular course, instructors often turn to research to provide insight that is not evident through student or peer feedback. The discovery of new knowledge can lead to new applications to alter educational outcomes, which aligns with the scholarship of teaching.1 A number of academics have defined the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), with most definitions incorporating the exploration of teaching practices through grounded research analysis that is publicly shared to enhance pedagogical methods and the student learning experience.2, 3, 4 It is not uncommon for different disciplines to work together on SoTL projects in higher education, and collaboration is often encouraged to advance the culture of value in teaching.5 SoTL researchers are commonly course instructors6; however, there is limited mention of incorporating undergraduates in the process of SoTL research.
Our SoTL Project (i.e., the umbrella/progenitor project) began in Fall 2023 with a professor from the Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AVS) Department seeking to improve his Contemporary Issues in AVS course. He reached out to peers at Clemson University’s Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation (OTEI) for assistance. During the consultation with OTEI SoTL researchers (also Clemson faculty), they discovered that a course instructor from the Public Health Sciences (PHS) Department had a similar course structure and learning outcomes. The two OTEI faculty members facilitated a meeting between the two course instructors to examine potential collaboration options. The course instructors, new to SoTL research, were eager to explore how it could enhance their teaching and decided that involving undergraduate students in the project could be mutually beneficial in the SoTL process.
Description of Teaching Activity
Involving Undergraduate Students as Researchers
Most undergraduate research opportunities align with research projects established by faculty. To engage students in not-yet-funded research projects, faculty at Clemson University recruit students to sign up for a credit course called Creative Inquiry (CI). CIs provide an experiential learning opportunity for students to increase their knowledge about research principles and project content. To run a CI course, instructors must submit a project description to Clemson’s Creative Inquiry Office and get departmental approval to offer the class through the University course system.7
The four faculty members (the two course instructors and two OTEI faculty) decided the best way to involve undergraduate students in this project was for the course instructors to hand-select individuals who had completed the courses of research interest (AVS 4150: Contemporary Issues in AVS and HLTH 4700: Global Health (in Public Health Sciences). The team wanted students who had exceptional work ethic and an interest in global challenges and research. Once the students were identified, the course instructors emailed an invitation to sign up for a one-credit CI course in Fall 2023 based on discipline (AVS 4910 and HLTH 4970). The team collaboration spans from Fall 2023 to the current semester (Spring 2025).
During the initiation of the SoTL Project, OTEI faculty familiarized the students and the course instructors with SoTL and developed a research plan by brainstorming multiple avenues for collaboration. The team quickly realized they had two interrelated yet distinct research ideas (Project A and Project B) to pursue (outlined in Figure 1 and described under the Project Focus Section). The team members’ responsibilities aligned with specific research topics, but everyone shared ideas and updates as each project developed during weekly meetings. As part of course objectives, students completed Institutional Review Board (IRB) training and assisted in the IRB application. The faculty instructed the students on how to create quantitative Likert style and qualitative open-ended questions. All students conducted qualitative coding and thematic analysis. Since the research team was small, it was possible to provide individualized attention to the student partners for every data analysis and interpretation component.

Figure 1. The SoTL project is broken down by semester and highlights the focus of the three projects.
The SoTL Project has been supported by six undergraduate researchers. The learning objectives and key student deliverables for each semester of the SoTL Project CI (Table 1 in Appendix) were determined based on each research area progression. As students graduated and projects evolved, student learning outcomes were individualized for each student’s participation during each SoTL Project phase. Student researchers were aligned with projects based on when they were recruited to the team.
- The two student researchers (AVS1/PHS1) recruited in Fall 2023 started the original exploration of students’ global perspective as it relates to the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) (Project B). Over the academic year, they created and evaluated a pilot survey, created and disseminated an early and late semester student global perspective survey in core courses (AVS 4910 and HLTH 4970), and provided input on the Global Solution Competition (GSC) CI (Project A). These two students created and presented posters on Project B data at local and national conferences. The pilot survey data (gathered in Fall 2023) was presented at the Clemson Creative Inquiry FoCI (Focus on Creative Inquiry) symposium in April 2024. The second poster evaluated and summarized Spring 2024 student global perspectives survey data and was presented at the National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference in Greenville, SC.
- Starting in Spring 2024, a new student (PHS2) assisted with all aspects of the Global Solution Competition (GSC) (Project A), including marketing, survey and focus group questions, and IRB approval. This student helped the course instructors take the competition idea and formulate a CI course. With the assistance of AVS1, PHS2 conducted a post-competition survey and focus group with the CI participants. The primary research focus of Project A was to perform a qualitative analysis of the competition data (i.e., GSC class survey and focus group data) and summarize the course for publication. The students used Atlas.ti software to analyze the qualitative data for publication.
- An AVS student (AVS2) indicated interest in joining the research group after participating in Project A CI. AVS2 was a student in AVS 4150 and now is currently a TA for the course. During Spring 2025, with an OTEI faculty member, the student researcher will evaluate insights to the course modifications by conducting a focus group with peers from the same college who have not taken the course. Participants will review selected sections from two versions of the course syllabi, one version prior to course instructor participation in an educational development course design institute and the other exhibiting modifications as a result of the institute. Participants will share their interpretations and provide feedback on which elements effectively communicated course expectations and which did not. Findings will be disseminated at the 2025 FoCI symposium to inform practices for effective syllabus design.
- The team recruited two students in Spring 2025 (AVS3/PHS3) to complete the student global perspectives survey data that was collected for Project B in Fall 2024. These students plan to conduct a focused survey to address some gaps in the results. They will present their findings at the 2025 FoCI symposium.
While managing three different projects with different students may seem overwhelming to some faculty, the clear communication and willingness among the team to be flexible has made the two-year SoTL Project run smoothly.
Project Focus
There is growing interest in the “agricultural and health sectors to address the social determinants of health and improve population health.”8 How animals and humans share the environment is a focus of the Center for Disease Control initiative One Health and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).9 These organizations aim to explore how behaviors and resources can help tackle enduring challenges. The initiatives of national and international organizations are explored in higher education courses, many with the intent to not only increase awareness among students but also motivate them toward positive actions.
The AVS and PHS course instructors had similar learning objectives in their upper-level courses, which required major courses. Both courses had collaborative projects exploring how specific SDGs could be addressed in low- and low-middle-income nations. Upon this discovery, these faculty members wanted to explore how their pedagogical approaches impacted students’ global perspectives. Three different SoTL research projects were developed to understand student knowledge and instructor influences better.
PROJECT A (Global Solution Competition CI)
During brainstorming activities in the first semester (Fall 2023), the team wanted to bring health and animal/veterinary science students together. The team relied on the AVS1 and PHS1’s insight on what would be appealing to get other students to interact across disciplines. The student researchers informed the team that their peers might attend if they had food and games. The team planned for a global solution competition (GSC) to be hosted on a Sunday in November 2023 (to avoid course conflict) but did not have sufficient student registration to run the event. To make it more attractive to students, the teams decided to make the GSC a one-credit CI course in the second half of Spring 2024. The course instructors marketed this new CI course to current and former AVS 4150 (Contemporary Issues in AVS) and HLTH 4700 (Global Health) students. The goal of five students from each major was reached.
The course instructors developed the course objectives, syllabus, assessment, and rubric. All three undergraduate researchers in Spring 2024 provided feedback to the instructors throughout the development of the new CI course. The primary goal was to create a problem-based learning competition to formulate a realistic solution for a low/low-middle-income country based on background knowledge from previous courses (AVS 4150 and HLTH 4700). For the CI, each AVS student was paired with a PHS student and orally presented a formal solution to the rest of the team (OTEI faculty and undergraduate researchers served as judges). After significant deliberation, winners were selected and awarded recognitions during the final class period. Also, during this final class, the undergraduate researchers collected data through a written survey and focus group questions with competition students to assess how student learning and SDG-related actions were influenced by working on real-world problems in multidisciplinary teams.
Project B (Course Surveys on SDG Knowledge and Engagement)
The course professors shared a goal to better understand their students’ attitudes and motivation for learning and becoming involved with SDG-related activities. In the fall of 2023, a short survey asked the AVS 4150 and HLTH 4700 students to rank their understanding of each of the SDGs, their confidence in defining key global perspective terminology, the frequency of learning/engaging with SDG initiatives, and their definition of a global perspective. This survey was a pilot test for the research team to determine what aspect of student perceptions warranted further exploration. The pilot data indicated that students became more actionable in their SDG behaviors after taking the courses, leading the team to investigate the cause of this increase in actions related to the SDGs.
The research team obtained IRB approval to conduct an early and late semester student global perspective survey comparing attitudes and actions related to the SDGs. The early/late semester surveys asked the same information (understanding of each SDG, the frequency of learning/engaging with SDG initiatives, and open-ended questions on how they interacted with SDG initiatives) with the exception of an additional question about course experience on the late semester survey. The early survey was distributed during the second week of the semester, and the late semester survey was collected during the week before finals. Survey data was collected in Spring 2024 in both AVS 4150 and HLTH 4700, but data was only collected in AVS 4150 during the fall 2024 as HLTH 4700 had a new course instructor.
Project C (Course Changes Evaluation)
The original AVS faculty member has remained interested in exploring opportunities for continual course improvement to support student success. In May 2024, he attended the OTEI Inclusive Course Design Institute. Through guidance on inclusive course design approaches, he modified the course syllabus, assignments, and plan for student engagement. Project C’s SoTL research question is currently exploring students’s perception on course design based upon syllabus information.
Discussion of Outcomes
Benefits for Undergraduate students as SoTL researchers
Involving undergraduates in research is a common and encouraged practice in higher education.10 Undergraduate researchers not only gain knowledge but also improve their critical thinking, problem-solving, and oral and written communication skills through the process of conducting research.11 Involving undergraduates in SoTL research, however, is less common. This is surprising given that when power dynamics are reduced into a mutual research partnership, there are mutual benefits for both the students and faculty when engaging in SoTL research.12 In this research project, faculty members agreed that the students were equal as members and in the decision-making process; however, the students would have specific responsibilities inclusive of the literature review, survey development and analysis, and conducting the focus group and data analysis that followed.
None of the undergraduate students had prior qualitative research experience. Each student was recruited based on strong class performance and a desire to explore global perspectives. As each task was discussed, the students were mentored through the process but encouraged to work independently to produce the various research needs. The research team reviewed everything that the students produced before proceeding to the next step. Project results have been shared through student posters and anticipated publications.
The student researchers were asked about their perceived benefits, and they listed the following aspects:
- Hands-on experience in research design: All students were involved in all levels of research projects, from determining research questions to completing analyses and interpreting findings for designated projects.
- Insight into course design: Three students helped with designing the course for Project A. Being part of the course planning allowed them to give a student perspective on how a course should be implemented.
- Insight into evaluating student work: Since three students were judges for Project A, they utilized a rubric to rate content accuracy, presentation skills, and problem-solving and shared their insights with the team.
- Qualitative coding and thematic analysis experience: All students were asked to do qualitative coding for a project and determine relevant themes.
- Poster creation and presentation skills: All students can present at Clemson’s FoCI symposium if they choose to. Creating and explaining the data on a poster prepares them for graduate school.
- Team building and project collaboration: A special relationship between peers and faculty mentors enriched the experience. The group dynamics allow students to explore research in a supportive climate.
- Experience for their résumé: All students are applying for graduate or professional programs. The above experiences enhance their résumé.
Faculty Benefits Realized
The faculty also experienced many positive benefits when engaging in research with undergraduates, many of which might not have occurred without the team structure or undergraduate assistance. Some key benefits realized by the faculty include:
- Assistance with SoTL projects: Faculty were able to review the gathered data about course components and student learning. By creating a team, varying perspectives helped shape research questions and efforts.
- Insight into course design: Since the undergraduates had taken the courses in the study, they could provide insight into what the current students would be willing to engage in. By conducting a SoTL project, the data may validate the teaching methods or produce suggestions for increasing student learning.
- Insight into evaluating student work: Through the conversations for judging the competition, students provided their perspectives on what should be included in a rubric.
- Poster and publication co-authorship: While not the primary goal, when the students presented and published work, authorship was obtained since each version was reviewed and feedback was provided.
- Interdisciplinary project collaboration with peers and students: While interdisciplinary collaboration requires undergraduates, it was enjoyable to hear so many different ideas and realize this research project’s directions.
To support experiential learning opportunities for students: Clemson University is looking to expand experiential learning opportunities for students. Like most CI, the research project provided students with real-life experiences that can help shape their understanding of their educational world.
Reflection of Outcomes
When asked about their SoTL experience, the undergraduate researchers stated that the educational experience was unlike anything they were exposed to in their traditional courses. They reported that the experiential learning approach in planning and implementing a research project, completing the qualitative analysis, and presenting those findings at a professional conference enhanced their preparation for attending a professional school. The faculty researchers also gained insight and time through the extra hands and minds of the student researchers during the research process, even while considering the time required for mentoring. In short, the students and the faculty involved realized the benefits of collaborating with undergraduate students in the SoTL process.
SoTL research with undergraduate student researchers was advantageous for both students and faculty, providing bidirectional benefit and learning. The rewarding experience was due to the collaboration to build undergraduate research-related skills and produce outcomes that resulted in educational presentations and publications. For the course instructors, the research findings validated current methods and paved the way for future pedagogical improvements. While some team members have changed over the past four semesters, the benefits continue to be realized, which motivates the faculty to continue exploring future SoTL projects.
Discussion of Potential for Adoption in Other Courses
As Clemson looks to expand experiential learning to enhance student experience, undergraduate research through a CI is a viable option. Many teachers across campus may be using similar methodologies. Inquiring with peers at teaching conferences, curriculum meetings, or OTEI-supported events may entice faculty to research how their course design aligns with other faculty members’ student learning outcomes. When there is alignment in courses, it creates an opportunity to bring different disciplines to work together.
While a full SoTL research project may not be realistic for some faculty, small projects can be investigated using undergraduate students in the same way our team has approached the process. The first step to begin SoTL research is to explore what is working or not working in a course and then explore how you can find the data to support continuation or potential changes in methodology. The AVS professor started with that question and ended up with three interesting projects and a beneficial experience with students and colleagues.
References Cited
1. Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Jossey-Bass.
2. Gansemer‐Topf, A. M., McCloud, L. I., & Braxton, J. M. (2024). Defining the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL). New Directions for Student Services, 2024(185), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20502
3. Potter, M. K., & Kustra, E. (2011). The relationship between scholarly teaching and sotl: Models, distinctions, and clarifications. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2011.050123
4. Illinois State University. (n.d.). Definitions of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). https://sotl.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/definingSoTL.pdf
5. Scharff, L., Capocchiano, H., Chick, N., Eady, M., Friberg, J., Gregory, D., Loy, K., & Maurer, T. (2023, November). Grand challenges for SOTL #5. International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning ISSOTL. https://issotl.com/grand-challenges-for-sotl/gc-sotl-5
6. Arrington, N. M., & Cohen, A. (2015). Enhancing the scholarship of teaching and learning through micro-level collaboration across two disciplines. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 27(2), 194–203.
7. Submit a CI proposal. Clemson Creative Inquiry and Undergraduate Research. (2025). https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/watt/creative-inquiry/apply-to-ci/mentor-information/how-to.html
8. Kaufman, A., Boren, J., Koukel, S., Ronquillo, F., Davies, C., & Nkouaga, C. (2017). Agriculture and health sectors collaborate in addressing Population Health. The Annals of Family Medicine, 15(5), 475–480. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2087
9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, October 30). About one health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/one-health/about/index.html
10. Hayward, C. N., Laursen, S. L., & Thiry, H. (2017). Why work with undergraduate researchers? differences in research advisors’ motivations and outcomes by career stage. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-07-0229
11. Adebisi, Y. A. (2022). Undergraduate students’ involvement in research: Values, benefits, barriers and recommendations. Annals of Medicine & Surgery, 81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104384
12. Popovic, C., Kim, A., Saleh, S., & Farrugia, L. (2021). Turning the tables: Involving undergrads as researchers in Sotl. Imagining SoTL, 1, 99–115. https://doi.org/10.29173/isotl531
Appendix
Table 1: Summary of SoTL Project objectives and key deliverables.
Semester | Student
(Project) |
Learning objective | Key Deliverables |
Fall 2023 | AVS1/PHS1
(Project B) |
|
|
Spring 2024 | AVS1/PHS1
(Project B) |
|
|
PHS2
(Project A) |
|
|
|
Fall 2024 | AVS1/PHS2
(Project A) |
|
|
spring 2025 | PHS2
(Projects A) |
|
Anticipated outcomes:
|
AVS2
(Project C) |
|
||
AVS3/PHS3
(Project B) |
|
||
*Data collected from surveys conducted of students in AVS 4150: Contemporary Issues in AVS and HLTH 4700: Global Health. |