Building a Community of Scholars in Educational Research: A Case Study for Success

Abstract

Objective: To present the model of the Education Research/Scholarship of Teaching Community of Scholarship (EdCOS) as one Community of Scholars (COS) within a department of pharmacy. Case Study: A case study describing the Education Research/Scholarship of Teaching Community of Scholars (EdCOS). Faculty members were self-selected into one or more of eight COS. The EdCOS was comprised of 14 members. The EdCOS developed a vision statement to “foster and support a learning culture that enables faculty to capture and evaluate teaching and learning experiences.” The process by which the EdCOS set out to initiate this COS will be discussed. Since its inception all members of the EdCOS have become IRB Certified. Through a combined project, members had the opportunity to develop, learn, and acquire experience in areas of conducting research from the conception of a project through final submission of the manuscript. Departmental publications and grant funding increased over the years after the implementation of the COS. Conclusion: Although cause and effect cannot be explicitly determined, the EdCOS has had a positive impact on its members building confidence, experience, and ideas for future projects.