Research
Pedagogical research has been a well established field of inquiry in many academic disciplines and educational settings. Understanding how students learn in the context of a changing technological and socio-political landscape can help us better inform our teaching methods and learning goals for today’s classrooms.
At the CTL, we engage with different types of pedagogical research, including the scholarship of teaching & learning (SoTL). Here you can browse: ✦our research and evaluation initiatives, ✦the SoTL projects that we’ve supported, ✦resources for engaging students in original research, and ✦resources for more SoTL and pedagogical research at Baruch & CUNY.
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Research at the CTL
In an effort to reflect upon and improve our services, we regularly survey faculty and students, and conduct self-evaluation of ongoing initiatives. We share the results of these surveys and self-studies below for the academic community to engage with and build upon.
Student Experience Survey
Do you want to use research findings to design a more student-centered course? Check out the latest data and takeaways from our regular surveys of “student experience” at Baruch.
In spring 2020, the CTL developed a student survey instrument to query students’ learning-related experiences in the classroom during the Covid-19 pandemic. We distributed the survey to undergraduate and graduate students from all schools at Baruch College, and since then we have continued to deploy the instrument on a semesterly basis. Take a look at the survey instrument, review the summary research reports from any semester, or read main takeaways.
Learning Struggles Study
Curious to consider ways to better navigate the challenges students and faculty are currently facing in the classroom? Check out the latest research findings from our survey on “students’ struggles” at Baruch.
In fall 2022, the CTL developed a faculty survey instrument in partnership with the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences aimed at understanding students’ learning-related and skills-based struggles in the classroom. We distributed the survey widely to faculty from all schools at Baruch College, and one of the on-going goals is to systematically measure and assess the difficulties students and faculty seem to be having so that we can begin to help address those difficulties. Findings, suggestions and more coming soon!
OER Evaluation
Want to hear from faculty colleagues about why and how they use Open Educational Resources (OER) and open pedagogy in the classroom? Watch this space!
OER programming at The Center for Teaching and Learning began as part of a process for orienting Baruch College faculty who had agreed to participate in the initial year of state-funded OER projects at CUNY. The keystone of this programming is the OER Seminar, which features modules on the topics that have proven most useful and interesting to faculty over the years. We now combine these in various ways to create and customize OER Seminars for different cohorts of faculty. Getting feedback from participants was part of our process from the beginning, and what we learned guided the development of our programming. We’re now in the midst of a research study to evaluate the culture of Open Educational Resources (OER) at Baruch and the ongoing support needs of faculty who use openly-licensed, zero-cost, and/or low-cost materials in their courses.
On Hybridization
Interested in research on hybrid teaching and learning at Baruch College? Explore this archive of rich data on student and faculty experiences in hybrid classes.
Throughout the spring 2015 semester, the CTL put together a report about hybrid and online learning at Baruch College. The result was On Hybridization, a collection of interviews and surveys from students and faculty involved in hybrid and online learning at Baruch College. Browse through interviews conducted by David Parsons, host of Nostalgia Trap podcast and a former adjunct professor at Baruch College, as well as an analysis of hundreds of surveys conducted by CTL staff.
CTL Conference Presentations
You may find our team, or faculty we’ve worked with, presenting our research and programming at local gatherings like the CUNY IT Conference, the CUNY/SUNY OER Showcase, the CUNY Games Conference, as well as other regional and national teaching and learning events.
Browse Our Presentations
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at the CTL
In the past the CTL has supported a year-long SoTL Research and Writing group, a Qualitative Research Roundtable, a Digital Scholarship Seminar & Working Group, and more. Many times these projects are faculty-driven and developed in collaboration with the CTL. If you have an idea for a SoTL project, please feel free to get in touch with us at ctl@baruch.cuny.edu.
What is the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning?
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is the systematic, evidence-based study of classroom practices or curricular initiatives and their impact, along with the public sharing and review of such work through presentation or publication.
The research developed through SoTL-based inquiry can be used for the following:
- Advance classroom practice within and beyond a discipline
- Develop new assignment sequences, courses, and programs
- Improve our understanding of complex learning processes and their social and ethical dimensions.
Empowering Student Researchers
Conducting research is rewarding for students, because it gets them excited about a topic they are interested in, it empowers them to become creative knowledge producers equipped with expertise in a topic, and it imparts many skills, preparing them for graduate work and professional careers. Student work with research is showcased at two annual Baruch events: the Creative Inquiry Expo and the International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR). The resources in this section were compiled by Katherine Pence, Provost Innovation Fellow for Cross-College and Undergraduate Research.
In the workshop series displayed below, faculty from across the three schools at Baruch share assignments they have used with undergrads to engage them with various kinds of research activities.
Browse faculty workshops
Opportunities for students to present their research at Baruch
Presenting research is a valuable experience for undergraduates no matter what career path they choose after college. Below are events at which Baruch students have been able to hone their presentation skills.
Spring: Research & Creative Inquiry Expo ↗
The Research & Creative Inquiry Expo celebrates the strength and diversity of undergraduate research and artistic expression at Baruch College. Expanded from a single day, this spirited celebration of intellectual engagement and collegiality provides an invaluable opportunity for our students to participate in a community of ideas, articulate the exigency of their research in the world beyond the classroom, broaden their scholarly, professional, and personal communication skills, take risks, and have fun. At this event, undergraduates present their work as posters and oral presentations online and in person. All fields are welcome to apply.
Fall: International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR) ↗
The International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR) is an annual, two-day academic conference that showcases the best in undergraduate research from around the world through our network of participating institutions. ICUR challenges undergraduate students to rethink their work from an international and interdisciplinary perspective. Students present work in 10-minute oral presentations on panels with students from universities around the world linked through video-conferencing technology and the ICUR App.
Research at Baruch & CUNY
Both pedagogical research and SoTL are thriving fields of inquiry and practice at Baruch College and across CUNY. Explore a few of these resources and initiatives below. For more general inquiries on funding for research activities, please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs And Research (SPAR) which facilitates and enhances the acquisition of external funding by Baruch faculty, staff, and administrators to support the College’s missions of research, teaching, and public service.
Zicklin’s Online Learning & Evaluation Initiative ↗
The Zicklin Online Learning and Evaluation initiative (ZOLE), led by Professor Ted Joyce, supports Zicklin faculty interested in the research of teaching and learning. Since 2013, this initiative has published research in top economic field journals evaluating online and hybrid formats. Explore this archived repository of ZOLE’s analyses from randomized experiments, evaluations of student performance, and observational studies.
Faculty Research Symposium ↗
The Provost’s office holds an annual faculty research symposium to showcase emerging research and findings from Baruch faculty. This year, the Office of the Provost invites faculty in all fields and departments across Baruch to apply to present their own research in an in-person PechaKucha Event on Friday, March 24, 2023 as part of the Cross-College Faculty Research Symposium!
SoTL@CUNY ↗
SoTL@CUNY is part of the CUNY Innovative Teaching Academy. They hold an annual conference, sponsor a fellowship program to help faculty in developing a SoTL project for publication, and distribute CUNY SoTL publications through their platform. Check out their site and review their resources if you’re thinking of launching your own SoTL project.