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TEN Hosts PEER Field School for SoTL and Education Research (August)

Overview

TEN is funding a PEER Field school at Rutgers-New Brunswick to support instructors who are interested in and/or engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and education research!

In a PEER Field school, you will work intensively on your research project with your co-participants and our expert facilitators. The PEER curriculum covers fundamental skills like generative writing and collaborative feedback as well as foundational topics like choosing theoretical frameworks and matching research questions with data streams.

The Field School will be held in-person on the Busch Campus (RU-NB) August 19 – August 21, with a required kick-off meeting held via Zoom (Thurs. August 13th, 12 pm – 2 pm). See below more details.

Apply by Wednesday, August 12th

Instructors interested in participating in the PEER Field School should apply using this form (https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3DGCAYWSQG27frU) no later than Wednesday, August 12th. Space is limited. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

PEER Field School Details

Dates: August 19 – 21, 2026, in-person meetings (Busch Campus) + Kickoff meeting (virtual, via Zoom) 12 pm – 2 pm on Thursday August 13th.

Location: In-person session will be held on Busch Campus (location coming soon)

Objectives: Instructors who participate in the PEER Field School will:

  • Learn about and develop SoTL and education research skills
  • Work on their own projects and ideas
  • Meet colleagues interested in SoTL and education research
  • Build lasting collaborations

What is PEER?

The Professional development for Emerging Education Researchers (PEER) program helps faculty, postdocs, and graduate students learn how to do SoTL and education research through intensive workshops, research projects, mentoring, and community involvement. The central activity for PEER is participation in a Field School: an intense week of professional development workshops which jump-start your research project – whichever stage your project is currently in (from general idea to data collection/analysis, to dissemination). PEER participants learn to design research projects, collaborate ethically, conduct research, and write papers for peer-reviewed publication.

Guiding principles of PEER: PEER is responsive, playful, and communicative. These principles are reflected in the activities conducted at PEER workshops and field schools.

Additional information about PEER: https://zaposa.com/services/peer-institute

PEER facilitators: Dr. Eleanor Sayre

  • Dr. Eleanor Sayre is an Professor in the Department of Physics at Kansas State University and a Research Affiliate at Rochester Institute of Technology’s CASTLE.

Participation

Instructors participating in the Field School commit to attending the virtual kick off meeting and the three days of in-person meetings held on Busch Campus (location coming soon)

  • Kickoff meeting (virtual, via Zoom): Thursday, August 13, 12 pm – 2 pm
  • Wednesday, August 19, 9 am – 4 pm
  • Thursday, August 20, 9 am – 4 pm
  • Friday, August 21, 9 am – 1 pm

Lunch and morning coffee/refreshments will be provided during the Field School, as well as afternoon coffee on Wednesday and Thursday.

Sessions will be tailored to the needs and interests of the instructors who participate in the Field School. See the FAQ below for example sessions within each of these broad categories of session topics:

  • Getting started with research design
  • Analysis methods
  • Publishing and research communication
  • Research life
  • Research ethics
  • Teaching students

Outcomes

Participants in the Field School can expect to

  • Develop and practice fundamental research skills
  • Plan their own research projects
  • Build their self-efficacy in doing education research
  • Receive individual feedback/consulting from PEER facilitators on their SoTL/education research ideas/projects at any stage
  • Connect to support through the semester as you work to implement your course transformation

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What if I cannot attend the kick-off meeting? Can I still apply?

Attending a kick-off meeting is required, but we might have some flexibility to offer a make-up kick-off meeting on another day. Please apply, and in your application, note that you have a conflict on May 15th.

What if I cannot attend all three days of the PEER Field School? Can I still apply?

The Field School is designed to be an intensive and comprehensive workshop. To achieve the intended outcomes requires full participation at all four days of the workshop. You can indicate your interested and availability on the application form; acceptance into the Field School will based on an instructor’s availability to participate in all four days of the Field School.

What if I cannot attend in person? Will there be a virtual option for the PEER Field School?

The Field School is designed as an in-person workshop. Instructors who are accepted into the Field School are expected to attend the in-person sessions.

What if I attended (did not attend) the PEER Field School hosted at Rutgers in June? Can I still apply?

YES! Participants are welcome to join us at the August PEER Field School whether or not they attended in June.

  • If you attended in June, you can decide to continue working on the same project or choose a different/new project to work on during this Field School.
  • If you did not attend in June, you will choose a project to work on during this Field School.

Is PEER right for me?

PEER participants come from all stages of their journey into education research, from graduate students working on their dissertations to classically-trained faculty looking to switch to education researchers who want to revitalize their research lives or pivot in a new direction.

PEER is right for you if you want to grow your skills and build your community. You’re ready for PEER when you have a project in mind: from refining your ideas to getting started in paper-writing, PEER will take you to the next step.

You’re not ready for PEER if you think there’s only one right way to do education research, or if you don’t have enough freedom in your current professional life to engage in education research.

What is required on the application form?

In addition to your contact information, the form asks for

  • information about the undergraduate courses you teach (and which, if any, align with your SoTL/education research interests
  • confirmation that you can attend the Field School sessions
  • your general SoTL/education research area(s) of interest (~1 paragraph)
  • your knowledge/experience with SoTL/education research
  • the kinds of sessions you’d be interested in attending
  • a brief description of what you hope to gain/learn from participating in the Field School

What kinds of sessions will be offered at the PEER Field School?

The needs and interests of the instructors who participate in the Field School will influence the selection of sessions that will be offered.  Example topics are provided here, grouped by theme:

  • Getting started with research design
    • building research interests into robust research projects
    • planning your research project
    • common data sources in education research
    • theories in education research
    • iterative design
  • Analysis methods
    • video-based qualitative research methods
    • emergent coding
    • survey design and analysis
    • autoethnography
    • conducting research interviews
    • design-based research projects
  • Publishing and research communication
    • doing lit reviews
    • structuring and publishing papers
    • making beautiful posters
    • practicing your research elevator pitch
    • talking about your research with skeptical audiences
  • Research life
    • principles for being an active
    • productive researcher
    • balancing research, teaching, and life
    • our personal professional pathways
  • Research ethics
    • how to collaborate ethically
    • mentor students
    • author papers together
    • work with human subjects/participants in research projects
  • Teaching students
    • the challenge of listening to students
    • fostering inclusivity and equity in classrooms
    • mentoring undergraduates in research

Why do participants recommend PEER to their colleagues?

Rutgers’ colleagues who attended the June 2026 PEER Field School shared:

“Attending the PEER workshop was a turning point for my research. Before participating, I felt out of depth and unsupported in navigating a major education grant application, unsure of how to effectively leverage existing institutional resources. PEER completely changed that trajectory. Not only did it give me the dedicated time to deeply rethink my approach, but the access to specialized design consultations has fundamentally enhanced the quality of my application. I walked away realizing that education research isn’t exclusive to those traditionally trained in the field; we can all be education researchers when given the right scaffolding and community.” (anonymous participant)

“The PEER workshop was incredibly effective.  The iterative writing and other exercises that we did each day were so helpful in terms of moving my project forward and I picked up some techniques that I can use in my classroom (living histograms!).  I also appreciated the opportunity to network with colleagues in other departments.  I’ve already been in touch with my Accountability Group and we are planning regular meetings this fall.  I would love to attend another PEER session in the future!” (anonymous participant)

“The PEER Field School was one of the most valuable professional development experiences I have participated in as an instructor at Rutgers. The program provided a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment that deepened my understanding of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) while connecting me with colleagues across disciplines who share a commitment to improving student learning.
Through the Field School, I gained practical tools for developing theory-informed research questions, applying conceptual frameworks, and designing educational research projects. The experience challenged me to think more critically about my teaching practices and how to systematically assess their impact on student learning and success.
I am deeply grateful to the TEN Grant team for their leadership and commitment to faculty educational development, which made this experience possible. Their investment in professional learning has had a meaningful impact on my growth as an educator and emerging SoTL scholar. The PEER Field School demonstrates how institutional support for faculty development can strengthen evidence-based teaching, foster educational innovation, and build capacity for SoTL across Rutgers. Beyond the knowledge and skills I gained, the field school created valuable opportunities to connect with colleagues from other departments and schools, giving the opportunity to build collaboration across disciplines.” (Monica Torres, Associate Teaching Professor, Division of Life Sciences, SAS, RU-NB)

Read the testimonials at RIT’s PEER Program’s webpage.

What grounding principles guide the design of the PEER program?

Guiding principles of PEER. PEER is responsive, playful, and communicative. These principles are reflected in the activities conducted at PEER workshops and field schools. At PEER workshops and field schools, participants generate research projects, a community is formed, and the PEER team researches and iteratively improves the professional development model.

The following publications have resulted from research on PEER:

I’m not going to be available to participate in the PEER Field School? What other ways can I connect to the SoTL Community at Rutgers?

Rutgers-NB’s TIIP includes SoTL resources and information about the SoTL community on their website.

View TIIP’s Getting Started with SoTL infographic.