Boyer’s definition of scholarship
Peer review of teaching (PRT) aligns with Boyer’s (1990) philosophy. In the book titled, Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate, Boyer (1990) sought to rethink the academic role. He argued that academics work in four areas of scholarship and proposed that all four areas to be given more or less equal weight. The four areas include the scholarship of discovery, scholarship of integration, scholarship of application, and scholarship of teaching.
The scholarship of discovery involves the generation of new knowledge, whereas the scholarship of integration involves interdisciplinary collaboration. The scholarship of application (or scholarship of engagement) entails the exchange of knowledge and its practical application to address real-world problems. Last but not least, the scholarship of teaching involves systematic inquiry into teaching methods, strategies, and their impact on student learning. From Boyer’s perspective, teaching should not be viewed solely as a means of transmitting knowledge, but also as a scholarly endeavor that requires reflection, research, and continuous enhancement. He argued that academics should approach their teaching in the same scholarly way as they would approach their research. Since one way that academics advance their research is through discussion with other experts, they should also discuss their teaching with colleagues.