Scholarship of Application
The application of knowledge is embodied in land grant institutions like NC State, whose mission, according to the original Morrill Act of 1862, is to teach agriculture, military tactics, the mechanic arts, and home economics, tempered with classical (liberal arts) studies, allowing members of the working classes to receive a practical higher education. Later legislation expanded the role of land grant institutions to include the establishment and operation of agricultural research stations and outreach programs to bring research to the farm. But Boyer goes beyond simply service and outreach in his definition of the scholarship of application, asking questions like "Can social problems themselves define an agenda for scholarly investigation?" He is careful to note that application is not a one-way street: scholarly service is the place where theory and practice meet, interact, and are refined and redefined, and where everyone involved (including the scholars) experience new insights and learning as a result of collaboration.
I have been fortunate to have had opportunities to apply what I have learned in my discipline (Computer Science) to situations and problems outside that field. Most recently, I have been able to apply process patterns that are emerging from my doctoral research on software design decision making to the problems of visioning programs for helping graduate students with teaching responsibilites develop and enhance their teaching skills. What I have learned about teaching and learning as a result of this work has helped me to better understand these basic patterns of design decision making.
