SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING Excellence in teaching
Helping students think critically through theatre-based learning Rachel developed a theatre‑informed approach to teaching ethics to her management students. The result? Students gained a deeper, more practical understanding they can apply in the working world.
We actively research and explore new ways of delivering and shaping our teaching and pedagogic approaches. Through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), our faculty are supported to develop their teaching practice and their profile as academics. Through identifying opportunities in module teaching, designing and implementing interventions, gathering evidence, and evaluating effects on student learning and module outcomes, our teaching is continuously improved based on evidence. Behind every innovation in teaching at WBS is someone exploring, testing, and refining new ideas. As well as innovative teaching practices, SoTL has led to the publication of journal articles and book chapters, the development of teaching cases, presentations at conferences, successful HEA Fellowship applications, and more. We also lead the Business Education Scholarship & Teaching (BEST) Network, a partnership of seven UK business schools that exists to provide opportunities for SoTL collaboration and dissemination. The benefits of SoTL for faculty include: ■ Deepening skills, expertise, and confidence in teaching and learning ■ Expanding the reach, influence, and impact of teaching and learning activities on students, other educators, employers, professional bodies, and on School and university policies and practices ■ Joining a community of educators and scholars to disseminate good practices, share experiences and perspectives of teaching and learning, and engage in collaborations ■ Developing a scholarly identity and profile as a teaching-focused academic, linking to career progression.
From implicit acceptance to critical, practical understanding
“Engaging in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has significantly shaped how I teach at WBS. It’s provided me with a supportive environment to research different teaching methods that go beyond the traditional and build a clearer, evidence-based understanding of what leads to a better learning experience and why. One example of where this work has enhanced the learning experience for students is my development of a theatre informed approach to teaching ethics. I looked at how using theatre-based activities as a form of experiential learning can help management students to engage with and better understand systemic power dynamics. By immersing themselves in different situations, the students were able to think more critically about authority and power, moving beyond implicit acceptance, and gain a deeper, more practical understanding which they can apply in the working world. This work led to the publication of ‘Teaching Moral Imagination through Theatre Pedagogy’, which won Management Education Division Global Forum Best Paper Award, Academy of Management. My advice for colleagues is simple - start with curiosity. Choose one question about your current students’ learning experience and explore it with them. Small, focused inquiries have the potential to lead into unexpected and impactful outcomes. And then, share what you find - collective learning within the SoTL community is its power.”
Rachel Dickinson Associate Professor
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wbs.ac.uk
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A snapshot for academics 2026
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