A Teaching Visit involves a small group of faculty who observe a colleague’s class (on a selected day), followed by an hour of conversation about what was observed, particularly shared teaching challenges.  The Center for Teaching has hosted Teaching Visits for many years and they have been among the most productive and helpful events we offer.  They are wonderful opportunities for Vanderbilt teachers to observe directly and then discuss various forms of teaching across the disciplines, building collegiality and expertise around inquiries into teaching and learning.

We endeavor to organize visits across the university in various disciplines, but visitors do not have to be in the same discipline as the course they are observing.  Indeed, many faculty members have found it helpful to encounter teaching styles and strategies different than their own, which they can then discuss with colleagues after the observation and adapt to their own use.

The CFT has organized several teaching visits for different audiences.  For each visit that you would like to attend:

• Click the “register now” link
• Complete the registration information
• When the visit approaches, you will receive a 
• If you register but find that you are unable to attend, please let us know. Please be mindful that space is limited.

If you are interested in hosting a Teaching Visit or have any other questions about the program, please contact the CFT’s Cynthia Brame.

Teaching Visit Opportunities Fall 2012

Cynthia Paschal, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

BME 258: Foundations of Medical Imaging

Physics and engineering of image formation by different modalities used for medical applications. Concepts common to different imaging modalities and limits of physical phenomena. Mathematical concepts of image formation and analysis; techniques for recording imagings using ionizing radiation (including CT), ultrasound, magnetic resonance, and nuclear (including SPECT and PET). Methods of evaluating image quality.

Date: Thursday, January 31st
Class Time: 9:35-10:50 am
Location: SC 5306
Facilitator: Cynthia Brame
Discussion Location: SC 5306

Faculty of Any Rank REGISTER NOW

David Weintraub, Professor of Astronomy

ASTR 203: Theories of the Universe

The interdependence of cosmological theories and religious teachings from the eighth century BCE to the end of the seventeenth century. Examines scientific works and religious texts, including those of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Copernicus, Luther, Galilieo, and Newton.

Date: Tuesday, February 12th
Class Time: 8:10-9:25 am
Location: SC 5211
Pedagogies: Lecture, Discussion
Facilitator: Cynthia Brame
Discussion Location: SC 6333

Junior Faculty Only (tenure or non-tenure track) REGISTER NOW

John Geer, Gertrude Conway Vanderbilt Professor in Political Science.

PSCI 100: Inbtroduction to American Government and Politics

This course introduces students to the American political system.  The primary focus is on the operation of our national government.  Not only will we examine how the formal institutions of government work, such as the Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court, but we will also consider the informal institutions, such as public opinion, political parties, and the mass media.  The underlying theme of this course concerns whether the United States is a democracy.  This is the “big” question in the course.  Most Americans just assume we are democratic.  Certainly our leaders claim we are the greatest democracy in the world and in fact have gone to great efforts to spread our approach to government to other countries.  But are we democratic?  The answer, as you will see, is open to debate.  This class provides, in effect, a chance to have that debate.

Date: Thursday, February 14th
Class Time: 1:10-2:25 pm
Location: Wilson 103
Pedagogies: Lecture
Facilitator: Joe Bandy
Discussion Location: TBD

Junior Faculty Only (tenure or non-tenure track) REGISTER NOW

Mark Wollaeger, Professor of English

ENG: 116W: Introduction to Poetry

The main objectives of this course are to widen student’s knowledge of poetry, to help them become close readers of poetry, and to help develop critical writing skills.

Date: Monday, February 18th
Class Time: 8:45-10:00 am
Location: Calhoun 219
Pedagogies: Discussion, Mini-lecture
Facilitator: Nancy Chick
Discussion Location: Benson 414

Junior Faculty Only (tenure or non-tenure track) REGISTER NOW

Leonard Folgarait, Professor of History of Art

HART 232 Modern Architecture

This course is an in-depth study of important developments in the history of architecture from the early 19th century to the present. Works of architecture will be considered as objects of intellectual and physical labor that can be studied for information about the historical period of their production. In addition to buildings, we will take architecture to include theory, drawings, unbuilt architecture, city planning, and ways in which architectural ideas are used in non-architectural media. Formal analysis and a social historical approach will address questions such as: Why was this building constructed? Whose purpose did it serve? How was it received in its own time? How does a consideration of its style help to answer the previous questions? Emphasis will be placed on relationships between style and content, and in turn to general historical conditions. The course intends to demonstrate that architectural production, as other forms of human behavior, can yield meaningful information about the historical process.

Date: Wednesday, February 27th
Class Time: 11:10 pm – 12:00 pm
Location: Cohen 308
Pedagogies: Lecture, Discussion
Facilitator: Nancy Chick
Discussion Location: Cohen Lobby

Faculty of Any Rank REGISTER NOW

Steve Buckles, Senior Lecturer of Economics

ECON 100: Macroeconomics

The role of scarcity and prices in allocating resources. National income, fluctuations in unemployment and price level, monetary and fiscal policy

Date: Wednesday, March 13th
Class Time: 2:10 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: Wilson 103
Pedagogies: Lecture, Discussion, Clickers
Facilitator: Joe Bandy
Discussion Location: Wilson 103

Junior Faculty Only (tenure or non-tenure track) and CICT Participants
REGISTER NOW

Sheri Shaneyfelt, Senior Lecturer of Art History

HART 111: History of Western Art II

This course is designed as an introductory survey of Western art history from the Renaissance to the Modern period, considering primarily painting, sculpture, and architecture. Please note that the chronological and thematic range of material covered will vary somewhat depending on the instructor. HART 111 is intended to provide a historical understanding of the major artistic movements within the Western visual tradition, and to encourage students to develop a literate and critical eye. Attention is given to works of specific artists, as well as cultural factors that affect the visual arts from production to reception.

Date: Tuesday March 26th
Class Time: 11:00 am – 12:15 pm
Location: Cohen 203
Audience: All
Pedagogies: Lecture, Questioning, Discussion
Facilitator: Nancy Chick
Discussion Location: Cohen 203

Junior Faculty Only (tenure or non-tenure track) and CICT Participants REGISTER NOW