Navigating the Liminal Space Between Pedagogy and Subject Expertise

Abstract

Higher education is at a crossroads. As students navigate an increasingly complex world shaped by digital transformation, global uncertainty, and shifting conceptions of knowledge, the traditional model of the university as a conduit for knowledge transfer is no longer tenable. This editorial argues that effective teaching today resides in a liminal space, between disciplinary expertise and the facilitation of learning, and that navigating this space requires a fundamental rethinking of the educator’s role.

Rather than treating research and teaching as competing priorities, universities must embrace the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as a mode of inquiry that is intellectually rigorous, contextually grounded, and unapologetically student-focused. Drawing on influential frameworks by Boyer, Trigwell, and Felten, the editorial contends that SoTL is not an optional supplement but a necessary condition for pedagogical integrity and institutional relevance. It calls on educators to reimagine their academic identity as one that integrates scholarly teaching with reflective practice, and on institutions to recognise and reward such work. In doing so, it reframes teaching not as delivery but as design, not as performance but as participation in a shared scholarly endeavour.