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Our use of language: PedRes vs SoTL vs DBER

Date
  • PedRes: Pedagogical research
  • DBER: Discipline-based educational research
  • SoTL: Scholarship of teaching and learning

We know that the language we use is important. That’s why the hidden curriculum is one of our strategic research priorities.

LITE works across the University of Leeds, spanning diverse subject backgrounds, which often use narrowly defined terms in different ways. Given our cross-institutional position, it becomes even more important than our terminology embraces these differences with clarity and openness.

We want to be clear that although we predominantly refer to “PedRes” (pedagogical research), we recognise PedRes as wide spectrum of educational research activities, including DBER and SoTL. Sometimes these label are used with specific definitions, such as:

Diagram showing relationship between PedRes, DBER, and SoTL. Details follow in the caption.

Image description: A diagram showing three overlapping circles. The top circle is labelled "PedRes", with the description "The sector and our institution’s place within it – how, what, why and when students learn, and wider issues relating to student learning experiences". The next circle is labelled "DBER" with the description "Your subject and service area – subject-focussed pedagogy". The final circle is labelled "SoTL" with the description "Your individual practice – highly contextualised pedagogy".

However, at LITE we use the term PedRes to cover each of these areas, recognising that in order to deliver truly evidence-based education, it’s necessary to cover the whole spectrum. Our use of PedRes looks more like this:

Diagram showing the LITE use of the term PedRes. Details follow in the caption.

Image description: The same diagram as before, with the same descriptions - except all three circles are now coloured the same single colour, and labelled as "PedRes". The diagram represents how DBER, SoTL, and PedRes are combined in the LITE model and terminology.

Our working terminology of PedRes fully encompasses DBER and SoTL and their practitioners, helping you to map your personal and subject insights onto an institutional context with the possibility of making impact in the wider sector.

Whether you strictly define yourself as a practitioner of PedRes, DBER, SoTL, or just someone with an interest in enhancing teaching and learning through evidence-based practices, there’s a home for you in LITE.