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CIRTL Coffee Hour, October 21 – Teaching and Research at Different Institutions
Oct. 15, 2010—The 2010-2011 Coffee Hour Series provides an opportunity for STEM (science, technology, engineering, & math) graduate students and post docs to get together online and talk about careers and the academic job search. The series will be facilitated by a mix of young faculty who have recently secured positions and more seasoned tenured faculty. The...
October is DigitalVU Month
Oct. 14, 2010—The CFT is participating in Vanderbilt’s DigitalVU month in October. From the press release: Now in its third year, DigitalVU Month features 28 presentations and information sessions from experts across campus as well as external vendors on all things related to how we use technology to collaborate, communicate and create. CFT events included our recent...
CFT Annual Report 2009-2010
Oct. 13, 2010—The CFT released its 2009-2010 Annual Report late this summer. The report features information on our consultation services, programs, resources, and contributions to the Vanderbilt and larger academic community. The report also describes several highlights of the 2009-2010 academic year, including a visit to the CFT by the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, our January GradSTEP...
Leveraging Student Laptops and Smart Phones – Some Resources
Oct. 12, 2010—What questions do you have about making productive use of your students’ laptops and smart phones? Submit them here via Google Moderator. Below you’ll find some resources relevant to today’s CFT workshop, “Wireless in the Classroom: Strategies for Leveraging Student Laptops and Smart Phones.” CFT “Wireless in the Classroom” Teaching Guide – This guide includes...
Sustainability in the Classroom Events for Fall
Oct. 11, 2010—The CFT is proud to be a part of two exciting upcoming events that address issues of environmental sustainability in the curriculum. First, on World Environment Day, Wednesday, October 20th, from 4:10 to 5:30pm in the CFT workshop space, the CFT will host a conversation entitled, “Sustainability in the Classroom: Ecological Footprints.” Andrea George of...
Junior Faculty Teaching Fellow Spotlight: Jinah Kim
Oct. 11, 2010—Each month, the CFT Newsletter highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Jinah Kim from the Department of History of Art talks about her teaching philosophy and interests. I strongly believe in active learning. By active learning, I mean that students participate actively and critically in the formation of their own...
Call for Proposals – NSF Cyberlearning Grant – Due January 17, 2011
Oct. 1, 2010—The National Science Foundation is requesting proposals for its “Cyberlearning: Transforming Education” grants. From the call for proposals: Through the Cyberlearning: Transforming Education program, NSF seeks to integrate advances in technology with advances in what is known about how people learn to better understand how people learn with technology and how technology can be used...
Tools for Grading – Sample Rubrics and Spreadsheets
Sep. 29, 2010—Below you’ll find the sample rubrics and Excel spreadsheets used in today’s Virtual Brownbag session, “Tools for Grading: Rubrics and Spreadsheets.” Example Rubric #1 – Research Paper – Winona State Example Rubric #2 – Opinion Paper – Derek Bruff Example Rubric #3 – Critical Thinking – Northeastern Illinois Sample Gradebook – Empty Sample Gradebook –...
How Novice Programmers Learn to Code: A Teaching-as-Research Project
Sep. 28, 2010—This is a guest post by Jonathan Wellons, graduate student in computer science and participant in our Teaching-as-Research Fellows program in 2009. Thanks to Jonathan for sharing his experiences in the program. We welcome contributions to the CFT blog by others in the Vanderbilt teaching community! Most computer scientists either remember how frustrating their first...
The Value of Silence in Class Discussions
Sep. 27, 2010—Mary M. Reda’s essay, “What’s the Problem with Quiet Students? Anyone? Anyone?” in the Chronicle of Higher Education a couple of weeks ago offers a revealing look at the reasons some students choose not to participate in class discussions. Reda engaged in a yearlong investigation of the quiet students in her composition courses, asking her...