Zayed University will host the second annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference. This year's theme, Improving Teaching Through Research, highlights the benefits of faculty conducting inquiry into their teaching in an effort to improve their teaching practices and their students' learning outcomes.

On behalf of the organizing committee, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2^nd Annual Conference of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Zayed University.

Engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is considered as the most effective and transformative method of teacher professional development at the higher education context. While as higher education faculty we practice scholarly teaching that is informed by the research of others, as active SoTL practitioners we inform our practice by the research that we conduct in our own classrooms. Because SoTL research is always contextualized, carried out in naturalistic environments, and focused at specific student needs, it is therefore always meaningful and when shared with others who are working in similar contexts facing similar challenges in the classroom, it can be extremely powerful in developing individuals and bringing about change at a large scale by increasing the quality of teaching and learning in higher education institutions.

Today’s event features 17 presentations by faculty from higher education institutions in the region. Each presentation is a classroom-based inquiry with the ultimate aim to inform practice and promote evidence-based teaching. I hope that as a participant you will find the sessions informative and inspiring. The event also aims to bring academics from different disciplines and institutions together in an effort to promote collaborations in SoTL research. I hope that you take advantage of the networking opportunities at today’s event to meet with colleagues and discuss future research projects in SoTL.

Finally, I would like to thank the presenters who took time out of their busy schedules to be with us today and share their research findings with all of us. Special thanks are also due to the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) and Zayed University for sponsoring this event. Without their support, this event would not have been possible. Many thanks also to the CEI team for their help and support with the event logistics.

I wish you an enjoyable and stimulating conference.

Dr. Christina Gitsaki
Assoc. Professor - Research Coordinator
Center for Educational Innovation, Zayed University