8 Boyer Model of Scholarship

Ernst Boyer, in the landmark 1990 “Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate”, proposes an expanded view on what scholarly activities are within higher education. Understanding how the Boyer model is used is key to designing incentives for faculty participation.

This new definition of scholarship extends beyond the traditional understanding of scholarship – namely research and peer reviewed publications. The model identifies four unique areas of scholarly activities:

• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: This area recognizes teaching activities as a scholarly endeavor when particular criteria are met.
• Scholarship of Application: This type of scholarly activity involves applying knowledge and expertise to current real-world problems. An example could include collaboration with external partners.
• Scholarship of Discovery: This category includes traditional forms of research publication that contribute significantly to a discipline. The creation of new knowledge, the rigor, and the significance are key criteria in evaluating scholarly activities in this category. Rigor considers the methodologies used and ethical guidelines followed.
• Scholarship of Integration: This category involves connecting expertise across several disciplines in a larger context. This could even include revising a policy at an institution with colleagues in other disciplines. This synthesis of knowledge creates new insights.