University of Tennessee SoTL Writing Retreat

Past Retreats

2025

Sponsored by the University of Tennessee Educational Developers Consortium and funded by the University of Tennessee System, the second annual UT SoTL Writing Retreat will be held June 8-9 at Montgomery Bell State Park.

Located northwest of Nashville, the retreat will provide University of Tennessee faculty interested or engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning dedicated time to work on grant proposals, papers, or presentations while surrounded by experts in SoTL, grant preparation, literature reviews, scholarly writing, research methodology, and many others. The schedule is a combination of keynote speakers, networking, idea sharing and feedback, and writing time.

The retreat is free for University of Tennessee faculty. 

Directions

The retreat is at the Lodge at Montgomery Bell, 1000 Hotel Avenue, Burns, TN.

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Schedule (all times are CDT)

Note: There will be no meal served prior to the start of the retreat. Be sure to have eaten before arriving. There will be snacks served mid-afternoon.

Monday, June 8
12:00pm-12:30pm	Registration
12:30-12:45	Welcome/overview	CTL Directors	Woodhaven C
12:45-1:45	Anchor Session	SOTL: Questions that Drive Us Chris Kilgore, Director for Scholarly Teaching and Special Initiatives, Teaching & Learning Innovation, UTK	Woodhaven C
1:45-2:00	Break
2:00-3:00	Group Time	Today’s anchor session established four categories of SoTL-related research. Perhaps you saw your project falling into one of these categories. Spend this time with others in your category sharing what you will be working on during the retreat. Explore whether there are shared interests in your scholarship.
3:15-4:15pm	YOU CHOOSE	Attend one of the following concurrent sessions, find a place by the lake to write, or talk to one of the staff about your project.
	Concurrent Session 1	SoTL Shark Tank (Laura Cruz, Chris Kilgore, Matt Matthews)	Woodhaven C
	Concurrent Session 2	From Idea to Paper: Designing a SoTL Research Paper in My Discipline (Adnan Rasool)	Boardroom
	Concurrent Session 3	Can I Use AI for That? Practical Guidelines for SoTL Publishing (Jenessa McElfresh)	Private Dining Room
4:30pm-6:30pm	Writing Time	This time is set aside for you to write, work with your group, or schedule a consultation with Laura Cruz or Chris Kilgore. Please use this time as you see fit, and take breaks as needed.
7:00pm	Dinner		Pavillion. Exit lodge on first floor and cross the bridge by the water. There is also a parking lot for cars.
Tuesday, June 9
7:00am-8:00am	Breakfast		Woodhaven C
8:00am-10:00am	Writing Time / Group Time / Consultation Time	Much like the writing and group time yesterday, this time is set aside for you to write, work with your group, or schedule a consultation with Laura Cruz or Chris Kilgore. Please use this time as you see fit, and take breaks as needed.	We will be in Woodhaven C if you have questions. The Private Dining Room and the Boardroom are available for you to work, as well as the pavillions, terraces, lakeside seating, or your own balcony!
10:00-11:00	Anchor Session	The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: What It Is, How to Do It, and Why You Should (Laura Cruz)	Woodhaven C
11:15-12:15	YOU CHOOSE	Attend one of the following concurrent sessions, find a place by the lake to write, or talk to one of the staff about your writing project.
	Concurrent Session 1	Finding a Home for Your SoTL Project (Laura Cruz)	Boardroom
	Concurrent Session 2	Fitting SoTL into Academic Life (Panel Discussion) Facilitated by Chris Kilgore Panelists: Sarah Eskew Jessica Taylor Kelle Alden Pamela Lewis-Kipkulei	Woodhaven C
12:30-1:30	Lunch
1:30-3:30	Writing Time / Group Time / Consultation Time
3:30pm-4:30pm	Closing Session	Goal Setting (Victoria Bryan)	Woodhaven C

 

What to Bring

While the lodge is very comfortable and modern, we will (weather permitting) be spending just a little time outside. Here are a few items to bring:

• Laptop or tablet (not required, but may be helpful for some of the events)
• Umbrella (most of the events are in one building, but there may be a need to move to another building)
• Bug spray
• Flashlight
• Chair for outdoor seating
• Comfortable clothes (it’s a retreat, so time to relax!)

Application Form

While there is no cost to attend the retreat, space is extremely limited. Please complete this short application form to indicate your interest and preparation to attend.

The application form will be open until April 17 and those selected to participate will be notified by April 24.

Questions?

Contact your CTL Director if you have any questions or concerns about the retreat. We look forward to seeing you!

UT Chattanooga	Victoria Bryan victoria-bryan@utc.edu
UT Health Sciences	Tom Laughner tlaughner@uthsc.edu
UT Knoxville	Ferlin McGaskey fmcgaske@utk.edu
UT Martin	Adnan Rasool arasool1@utm.edu
UT Southern	Sarah Eskew sarklock@utsouthern.edu Michael Cathey rcathey3@utsouthern.edu