Summer Camp
for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Where campfires spark ideas, paddles carry conversations, and community is built—together.
May 22–25, 2026
Get S'more out of SoTL: Breathe, Reflect, and Create in the Wild.
CAMP SoTL is a multi‑day immersive writing and project‑development retreat designed to feel like a true summer camp—complete with cabins, shared meals, crafts, games, time on the land, and evenings around the fire. It’s a place for scholars, new and experienced, to gather for writing, thinking, playing, and building community.
Hosted by the University of Saskatchewan’s Jane and Ron Graham Centre for SoTL, the Mokakiiks Centre for SoTL, and Queen’s University’s QIESR Centre, this camp‑inspired retreat blends meaningful Scholarship of Teaching and Learning conversations with land‑based experiences, fresh air, and unrushed time to think, talk, and dream.
We’ll gather at Camp Chief Hector YMCA, located on the beautiful traditional lands of Treaty 7, where many Indigenous nations have lived, learned, and traveled since time immemorial. This land offers space for reflection, connection, and care—for ourselves, our work, and one another.
Whether you’re brand new to SoTL or a long‑time SoTLer, CAMP SoTL offers an intentional and relational escape, designed to help you reconnect with your questions, your community, and the land around you. Forget the workshop treadmill. This is camp—where meaningful scholarly work can take root.
What Camp Life Looks Like
Each day at CAMP SoTL is is intentionally designed to allow ideas to emerge slowly—through movement, laughter, shared meals, and moments of quiet on the land.
- Mornings: focused writing, reflection, and SoTL project collaborations
- Afternoons: canoeing, archery, arts and crafts, games, and play
- Evenings: campfires, s’mores, shared stories, music, and conversation under the stars
What to Expect
- SoTL Writing & Project Time
- Dedicated time and space for developing manuscripts, grants, course-based research ideas, and collaborative projects-with light facilitation and peer support.
- Camp Activities (Because This Is Camp)
- Canoeing, archery, crafts, outdoor games, and classic camp fun woven throughout the schedule.
- Campfire Evenings
- Reflection, storytelling, campfire songs, and conversation with friends-new and old.
- Camp-Style Badges & Challenges
- Earn playful, camp-inspired badgest that celebrate SoTl milestones, collaboration, generosity, risk-taking, and community care.
- Land-Based Learning
- Opportunities to engage with place, lang, and Indigenous waysof knowing as part of scholarly inquiry and reflection.
What We'll Do
Campfire Conversations
- Guided SoTL activities and workshops
- Time to explore ideas, write, sketch, or wander
- Peer conversations and supportive feedback
- Space for both structure and spontaneity
What's Included
Camp Life Perks
- Three nights of accommodation at Camp Chief Hector YMCA
- All meals, snacks, and coffee breaks (camp‑style and plentiful)
- Round‑trip transportation from Calgary
- All retreat programming and materials
- The Camp Chief Hector SoTL Basecamp Kit
Camp Life
Each day at CAMP SoTL is intentionally designed to let ideas emerge slowly—through movement, laughter, shared meals, and quiet moments on the land.
- Mornings: focused writing, reflection, and SoTL project collaborations
- Afternoons: canoeing, archery, arts & crafts, games, and play
- Evenings: campfires, s’mores, shared stories, music, and conversation under the stars
Who is The Camp For
CAMP SoTL is for scholars who want to:
- Make meaningful progress on SoTL work
- Build authentic relationships across disciplines and institutions
- Reconnect with curiosity, creativity, and joy in scholarly inquiry
- Experience what SoTL becomes when community comes first
All levels welcome. Curiosity encouraged.
Camping Fee
$600 per person
From Calgary departure to Calgary return, everything’s covered
Planning
For campers arriving in Calgary before the morning of May 22nd, accommodation is available in the MRU residences. Learn more at MRU residences.
