Controversy and consensus on the scholarship of teaching

Once downplayed as an amorphous and elusive term devoid of any clear meaning, the scholarship of teaching has gained much clearer contours over the past few years. Programmes that support and foster the scholarship of teaching now exist on many campuses and the implications for staff development have been recognised. Yet, to what extent do scholars in the field agree upon present conceptualisations of the term and the potential problems associated with it? Following the Delphi survey method, this study identified the extent to which a panel of 11 'experts' in teaching and learning in higher education agree on the features and unresolved issues associated with the scholarship of teaching, and how these compare to perspectives discussed in the relevant higher education literature.