The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) is more than using effective or innovative teaching methods in the classroom, commonly called scholarly teaching. It involves inquiry into teaching, engagement, feedback, and reflection on teaching and learning. It also includes contributing to the literature so others can review, critique and build on the work.
Assessment is a key part of SoTL in that "it is a process in which those responsible for student learning on campus collect, analyze and use information about student learning to improve it" (paraphrased from a talk by Robert Mundhenk in 2011 at Making a Difference in Student Learning: A Toolbox for Success, Auraria Campus, April 1, 2011).