Advancing the scholarship of teaching and learning through quality assurance: Empowering academic identity for transformative practice

Abstract

This conceptual study explores the dynamic interplay between Quality Assurance (QA) and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as mechanisms for empowering academic identity and advancing transformative educational practice in higher education. The paper argues that QA has evolved beyond its traditional compliance-oriented function to become a developmental and scholarly process that reinforces reflective practice, professional autonomy, and institutional credibility. Within the South African context, QA is increasingly positioned as a catalyst for pedagogical innovation and scholarly engagement, aligning teaching and learning with national transformation imperatives and global competitiveness. Drawing from recent literature (2020–2025), the study conceptualises QA as a vehicle for embedding SoTL within institutional cultures, fostering continuous improvement and scholarly teaching. The analysis demonstrates that QA-driven processes such as peer review, curriculum alignment, and systematic evaluation facilitate evidence-based decision-making, strengthen academic agency, and enhance the quality of student learning outcomes. Furthermore, the integration of QA with SoTL is shown to enhance institutional reputation and accountability by situating academics as co-creators of educational quality rather than passive recipients of policy mandates. This engagement promotes reflective inquiry, collaborative knowledge sharing, and the development of professional communities of practice that reinforce academic identity as both scholarly and transformative. The paper also situates QA within broader global educational trends such as internationalisation, digitalisation, and inclusivity arguing that QA frameworks grounded in SoTL enable academics to adapt to these shifts through innovation and research-informed teaching. Through this reframing, QA is reconceptualised as a scholarly and developmental process that validates academic expertise, encourages reflective pedagogy, and sustains institutional excellence. Ultimately, the study concludes that advancing SoTL through QA not only strengthens academic identity but also enhances institutional legitimacy and global competitiveness. By embedding QA within SoTL driven frameworks, higher education institutions can cultivate a culture of continuous improvement, scholarly teaching, and transformative practice that redefines academic professionalism and drives systemic educational reform.