Peer Review

The Scholarly Teacher | Blog Posts

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Reviewed:: Apr 29, 2026 by Faculty Development

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

The “Scholarly Teacher Blog” is an academic blog focused on improving teaching practices in higher education through evidence-based approaches. It features a collection of articles written by educators and researchers that address topics such as instructional strategies, assessment methods, course design, and faculty development. The resource combines theoretical insights with practical applications, offering examples that can be implemented in university classrooms. Its primary purpose is to support faculty members and graduate students in reflecting on and enhancing their teaching practices.

The blog seamlessly integrates and promotes evidence‑based, reflective, and scholarly approaches to improving classroom practice. Its posts blend research‑informed insights with practical strategies, offering instructors accessible guidance for enhancing student learning and engaging in professional pedagogical growth.

Type of Material:

Educational blog / repository of scholarly teaching articles

Collection

Recommended Uses:

This resource can be used in multiple educational contexts:

As required or supplementary reading in faculty development or pedagogy courses
As a basis for discussion in seminars on teaching and learning
For critical analysis assignments in graduate-level courses
As a tool for individual reflection on teaching practice
As part of continuous professional development for university instructors
By integrating specific articles into graded assignments such as essays, reflections, or forum discussions
...

Practical ways that instructors or faculty developers can integrate this blog into teaching and professional learning include:

Faculty Development Primer: Assign select posts as pre‑reading for workshops on evidence‑based teaching or emerging pedagogical trends.
Discussion Starter: Use a short post to kick off a department meeting or learning‑community conversation about improving teaching practice.
Quick Pedagogy Update: Share specific entries with instructors as an easy way to stay current on key terms, concepts, and new directions in higher‑education teaching.
Reflective Teaching Activity: Incorporate posts into self‑reflection exercises where faculty analyze and adjust their own classroom strategies.
Supplemental Reading for Graduate Seminars: Use posts to support TA/graduate instructor training courses focused on practical, research‑informed teaching.

Technical Requirements:

Internet connection. No mandatory registration required. No additional software or plugins needed

I used the Brave Browser

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Users of this resource will be able to:

Identify emerging concepts, terminology, and trends in higher education pedagogy through short, accessible blog posts.
Recognize and apply effective, evidence-based teaching and instructional design strategies to improve student learning, assessment, and engagement in university teaching contexts.
Critically analyze contemporary pedagogical practices and reflect on personal teaching approaches to refine day-to-day instructional practice.
Engage in ongoing, lifelong professional learning by regularly exploring new ideas, strategies, and resources for effective teaching.

Target Student Population:

College Upper Division, Graduate School, Professional

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Basic understanding of teaching and learning concepts

Familiarity with higher education contexts

Interest in improving teaching practice

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

This blog offers up-to-date, accessible content with immediately applicable strategies across a wide range of pedagogical topics. In particular, it features:

Accessible, practitioner-friendly writing: Posts are concise, readable, and designed for quick uptake, making evidence-based teaching strategies easy to understand and implement immediately in the classroom. The content is academically sound, current, and grounded in relevant educational research, effectively bridging theory and practice.
Timely and current materials: The blog addresses emerging issues in higher education including generative AI, assessment redesign, metacognition, service learning, and innovative pedagogy, among others. This range of topics ensures continued relevance for faculty working in rapidly evolving instructional contexts.
Direct classroom application: Posts offer concrete, ready-to-use ideas that can be integrated into teaching right away, supporting continuous course improvement across a variety of instructional settings.
Highly useful “Buzzword” pages: Short, snapshot-style definitions of trending pedagogical terms provide instructors with quick, digestible explanations of emerging concepts and vocabulary, making it easier and more time-efficient to stay current with new terminology and directions in the field.

Overall, the resource demonstrates strong academic quality, practical relevance, and flexibility for contemporary higher education teaching and learning contexts.

Concerns:

While the content is generally rigorous, some articles do not include explicit references or detailed citations, which may limit their academic depth. Additionally, the focus is primarily on the Anglo-American higher education context, which may reduce its direct applicability in other educational systems.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The resource has strong potential as a teaching and learning tool, particularly in faculty development contexts. The articles are easy to integrate into courses and promote critical reflection. Its versatility allows it to be used in discussions, assignments, and independent learning activities. It is especially effective for self-directed learning and professional growth.

This blog content is highly effective at helping instructors quickly integrate evidence‑based ideas into their teaching practice. It features:

Clear, actionable guidance: Posts translate pedagogical research into concrete strategies that instructors can implement immediately, increasing the likelihood of real classroom impact.
Strong alignment with authentic teaching needs: Topics address everyday instructional challenges such as assessment, metacognition, motivation, classroom management, and AI integration, making the resource relevant across disciplines.
Support for continuous improvement: The blog encourages reflective practice and iterative refinement of teaching, reinforcing habits that strengthen long‑term instructional effectiveness.
An ideal format for time‑pressed educators: The short, focused format makes it easy for faculty to absorb and apply new ideas without requiring extensive reading or study.
Usefulness across experience levels: Content benefits new instructors seeking foundational strategies as well as experienced faculty exploring updated approaches or refreshing their teaching repertoire.

Concerns:

This is a great resource. Some possible enhancements could include:

Expansion of concrete classroom artifacts: While strategies are clear, there are not always downloadable templates (e.g., activity sheets, prompts, checklists) to facilitate quick adoption.

Explicit guidance on scalability: Add more context regarding application for different class sizes, modalities, or disciplines, to facilitate broader adaptations aross instructional settings.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The website is well-organized, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Articles are clearly presented, and users can access content without technical difficulty. The overall user experience is smooth and efficient.

This site showcases a clean and intuitive layout. Posts are presented in a straightforward blog format with clear titles, making it easy for users to scan and select topics of interest.
Blog posts are searchable and well‑tagged; category filters and tags help users browse themes, disciplines, and keywords without difficulty.

Concerns:

Potential areas for improved usability could include:
Incoporate a list or compact view of blog posts: Right now users must scroll through thumbnail cards rather than scanning a clean list of titles, which slows browsing and makes it harder to locate posts efficiently. Also, the post titles are often cut off in the preview cards, forcing users to open entries to understand the full context or headline.

Other Issues and Comments:: This resource stands out for its strong academic quality and practical relevance for improving teaching in higher education.
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