2010
Derek Bruff Elected to POD Network Core Committee
Mar. 17, 2010—CFT professional staff are members of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network, a national association of higher education staff and faculty members working in the fields of faculty, instructional, and organizational development. The POD Network’s board of directors is called the Core Committee. Committee members are elected from the membership to serve three-year terms...
Professional Development for Future Faculty – Teaching Guide Now Available
Mar. 16, 2010—The Center for Teaching has created an interactive Web guide for graduate students to use as a resource as they prepare for careers in the professoriate. The materials highlight the wide range of faculty roles and responsibilities in three areas of focus: teaching and learning, professional development, and the world of the university. This division...
Laptops in the Classroom – To Ban or Encourage?
Mar. 15, 2010—The Washington Post published a widely cited article last week titled “Wide Web of Diversions Gets Laptops Evicted from Lecture Halls” concerning the banning of student laptops during classes at several universities. Some instructors find that students are too easily distracted by their laptops and feel that banning the devices helps students stay attentive during...
Opportunity for Junior Faculty in Science, Math, and Engineering – STEMES Workshop in May
Mar. 12, 2010—Vanderbilt is a member of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Network, a NSF-funded group of six universities working to prepare future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty members to implement and advance best teaching practices. One of the CIRTL Network’s signature programs is the Science, Technology, Engineering, and...
Derek Bruff Quoted in Associated Press Story on Clickers
Mar. 8, 2010—CFT assistant director Derek Bruff, author of Teaching with Classroom Response Systems, was quoted in an Associated Press story today by AP national education correspondent Eric Gorski on the choice between simple, dedicated classroom response systems (“clickers”) and more sophisticated, smart-phone-based systems. For more on teaching with clickers, visit the CFT’s teaching guide on the...
In Defense of Multiple-Choice Exam Questions
Mar. 8, 2010—CFT assistant director Derek Bruff authored a guest post on the group blog ProfHacker last week. In the post, he offered a defense of the use of multiple-choice questions on exams, arguing that they do more than save time grading. He described the kinds of multiple-choice questions he includes on exams, ones that are tied...
Call for Proposals – Exploring More Signature Pedagogies – Due March 15
Mar. 6, 2010—Interested in writing about your disciplines signature pedagogies? Here an interesting call for proposals from Nancy Chick of the University of Wisconsin. We are seeking proposals for chapters in follow-up to Exploring Signature Pedagogies: Approaches to Teaching Disciplinary Habits of Mind (Stylus, 2009), under contract with Stylus Publishing. Each chapter should briefly introduce a discipline,...
Smile! You’re on Camera! – Using the Digital Video Consult Service
Mar. 4, 2010—“Thanks so much for such a helpful video consultation. It was incredibly valuable for me to be able to talk through ideas about teaching. That process is actually one of the ways I learn best. I was, in fact, thinking of our consult the other day as I tried to step back and let the...
New Assistant Director Brings Experience in Junior Faculty Mentoring, Community Engagement, and Sustainability
Mar. 2, 2010—We’re delighted to announce the upcoming appointment of Joe Bandy as a new Assistant Director. Joe is currently an Associate Professor of Sociology at Bowdoin College, and will begin here at the Center for Teaching this summer. Joe grew up in Nashville, received his B.A. from Rhodes College, and his Ph.D. in Sociology from the...
Meet Our Advisory Board
Mar. 1, 2010—The CFT’s Advisory Board will be here at the CFT tomorrow for its spring meeting. Our current advisory board was formed in 2007 with thirteen or so faculty, staff, and students who join the board for one-to-three-year terms. The board assists the CFT in the following ways: Guide long-term strategic planning for the CFT and...