Quantifying the impact of a new SoTL programme in Engineering Education at a University in South Africa

A drive towards the establishment of various Scholarship of Teaching and Learning programmes at institutions of higher learning have been observed over the past decade. The primary aim of such programmes is to improve the teaching and learning process, which may be achieved by using the SoTL unicycle metaphor. The objectives of this unicycle are twofold: first, it outlines the process that academics need to engage in on a regular basis within a SoTL programme; second, it may create awareness among non-participating academics of what such SoTL programmes really entails. However, a need exists to quantify the impact of such newly established SoTL programmes. The research question arises "What baseline may be quantified to determine the impact of new SoTL programmes in Engineering Education at universities of higher education?" The purpose of this paper is to quantify a baseline by which the impact of new SoTL programmes may be determined when considering research publications in Engineering Education. Quantifying the impact of SoTL programmes may involve considering many attributes or variables that may be subjective or objective. The discussions are grounded in the humanistic theoretical framework which asserts that learning about one's practice is a personal act in order to change one's own perceptions and actions. A case study is used with quantitative data. Results indicate that, on average, for every three academics that join the programme, one leaves after just one year of participation. However, academics who stick with the programme are able to increase their publication research outputs, contributing to the overall success of the programme as they completed a total of 49 publications over a three-year period. In total, the baseline comprises five criteria substantiated in the paper. It is recommended that at least one faculty member from each department be represented in the SoTL programme, that will lead to more awareness being created among other departmental members of the impact and meaning of such programmes.