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CFT offers new guide for writing science exams
Mar. 26, 2021—Are you a scientist who uses timed exams in your course? Would you like to know some research-based recommendations for making your exams more valid, effective, and equitable? If the answer to both those questions is yes, check out our new guide for writing science exams. Put together by a learning community of scientists striving...
Never Going Back: What Online Teaching in the Times of COVID Can Add to Our Teaching Toolkits – Patrick Murphy,
Feb. 26, 2021—by Mohammad Meerzaei Turning a language course into a learning community: Patrick Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Spanish Patrick Murphy is a senior lecturer at the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. His work is mainly focused on teaching beginner- and intermediate-level Spanish courses. In this interview, Murphy looks back at his journey with online teaching, exploring...
Never Going Back: What Online Teaching in the Times of COVID Can Add to Our Teaching Toolkits – Katie Clements
Feb. 24, 2021—by Mohammad Meerzaei A New Arrangement of Lectures and Reading Assignments: Dr. Katie Clements, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry Teaching first-year writing courses, Dr. Clements found herself in an especially demanding situation when shifting to online teaching. Not only did she have to manage a swift transition to online teaching, but she also had to help...
Never Going Back: What Online Teaching in the Times of COVID Can Add to Our Teaching Toolkits – Elisabeth Sandberg
Feb. 19, 2021—by Mohammad Meerzaei Enhanced Quality Time in Teaching: Dr. Elisabeth Sandberg, Senior Lecturer in Psychology Having taught at least one very large class each semester for years, Sandberg found that teaching online this fall helped her achieve new ways of interacting with students in different stages of their learning. She shares with us her thoughts...
“It gets us away from staring at all these little boxes on the screen—it gets us all on the same side looking at something else.”: Jesse Blocher talks about his Fall 2020 hybrid course.
Feb. 15, 2021—Jesse Blocher, Associate Professor of the Practice for Finance and Data Science, recently joined Marcy Singer-Gabella and Julie Johnson for a Conversation on Teaching about the hybrid courses they taught in Fall 2020. You can see the recording of the entire session here. In the clip below, Jesse shares key lessons about how he uses...
“I was trying to re-create the magic of impromptu, small group, in-class work.”: Julie Johnson shares key lessons from her Fall 2020 teaching
Feb. 11, 2021—Julie Johnson, Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, recently joined Marcy Singer-Gabella and Jesse Blocher for a Conversation on Teaching about the hybrid courses they taught in Fall 2020. You can see the recording of the entire session here. In the clip below, Julie shares key lessons from her teaching: Persistent groups are critical...
“Relationships were absolutely everything”: Marcy Singer-Gabella shares approaches for connecting people, resources, and ideas across a course.
Feb. 4, 2021—Marcy Singer Gabella, Professor of the Practice in the Department of Teaching & Learning, recently joined Julie Johnson and Jesse Blocher for a Conversation on Teaching about the hybrid courses they taught in Fall 2020. You can see the recording of the entire session here. In the segment below, Marcy shares three key lessons from...
BOLD fellow Deb Levy and mentor James Booth share findings on their online module to help build critical skills in scientific reading
Jan. 26, 2021—A difficult trade-off in scientific writing is the balance between accessibility and accuracy; scholarly science writing is often so meticulously accurate that it becomes inaccessible, while popular science writing is often so accessible that it can’t be accurate. The ability to effectively read, evaluate, and create scientific writing in all of its forms – scientific...
Striving Towards Inclusion in Academic Biology Spring Webinar Series
Jan. 12, 2021—The webinar series on Striving Towards Inclusion in Academic Biology continues this spring with nine seminars focusing on different elements of inclusion. While the series is supported by the Society for Advancement of Biology Education Research and targets academic biology, the webinars are led by scholars from a variety of disciplines (including Anjali Forber-Pratt, Department...
CFT is accepting applications for an Instructional Technologist
Jan. 11, 2021—We’re hiring! The CFT is seeking applicants for an Instructional Technologist position. This position will support faculty, staff, and students using Brightspace, Vanderbilt’s campus-wide course management system, and related online learning platforms. The Instructional Technologist will report to the CFT’s Assistant Director for Educational Technology as part of the CFT’s Brightspace support team, working collaboratively...