Author
Overcoming the “busywork” dilemma
Jan. 11, 2021—by Julaine Fowlin, CFT assistant director What is the busywork dilemma? The busywork dilemma is where students perceive that assigned learning activities or assessments are not meaningfully contributing to their learning. Instructors put a lot of effort and time into the design and implementation of these activities, which can be very frustrating. Sometimes activities are...
Lessons from teaching in Fall 2020: what to keep, what to ditch, and what to change
Dec. 18, 2020—by Cynthia Brame, CFT associate director This fall, I got the opportunity to teach online for the first time. I had been thinking about online teaching for several years because of my work in developing Vanderbilt’s BOLD (Blended and Online Learning Design) Fellows program. But although I read about, thought about, and helped others with online teaching,...
New CFT Assistant Director for Graduate Programs Shares His Research Interests
Oct. 13, 2020—Yes She Can: Examining the Educational and Career Pathways of African American Women in Senior Leadership Positions in 4-Year Public Universities This qualitative study explores how Black women in senior leadership positions in 4-year public universities in the United States speak about the experiences and characteristics that contribute to their academic achievements, career advancement, and...
Turnitin Workshop on Wednesday August 12
Aug. 10, 2020—Join our partners from Turnitin on Wednesday, August 12th at 2pm for a workshop catered toward online teaching. In this session, we’ll be reviewing the many ways Turnitin can help facilitate learning and assessment in online spaces. This workshop is open to all Vanderbilt faculty, staff, and teaching assistants and will be held through Zoom....
Should I record?
Jul. 30, 2020—By Cynthia Brame, CFT Associate Director This fall, we are all going to be thinking about how to ensure that our students can equitably access our courses, even when they have to miss a synchronous meeting. One of the questions we’ll have to answer is whether and when to record those meetings to provide...
Trauma-Informed Teaching During COVID-19
Jul. 28, 2020—By Leah Marion Roberts, Senior Graduate Teaching Fellow, 2020-2021 Trauma-informed teaching recognizes that students’ emotional and physical wellbeing, sense of security and belonging, and their past and current traumas influence their ability to learn. In other words, it responds to the reality that students are whole people with whole, complicated lives, in and out of...
Brush up on some essential Brightspace skills before teaching in an online or hybrid format this fall!
Jul. 23, 2020—Join Stacey, the CFT’s Assistant Director for Educational Technology, on Zoom for workshops about Brightspace tools including Discussions and Grades/Feedback. You can register and learn more about the available workshops on the Brightspace workshops page. If you will be using Brightspace for the first time and want to get to know the content and navigation...
Leading Lines Podcast: Cynthia Brame talks about how the Online Course Design Institute helps Vanderbilt faculty get ready to teach online
Jun. 9, 2020—The Leading Lines podcast has released the latest pisode exploring the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on higher education. This time we are speaking with the CFT’s own Cynthia Brame about the Online Course Design Institute that was launched in May to help Vanderbilt faculty get ready to teach online this summer and possibly this...
Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt: Faith Rovenolt and high impact learning experiences
May. 11, 2020—By Faith Rovenolt, CFT undergraduate intern Faith Rovenolt initiated the Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt blog series in spring 2019. She has shared posts based on interviews with Vanderbilt instructors every two weeks during the academic year since then. As she graduates and moves on to graduate school, she closes out the Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt...
Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt: Leah Marion Roberts and Student-driven Course Goals and Expectations
May. 4, 2020—By Faith Rovenolt, CFT undergraduate intern During Spring 2020, the Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt blog series will highlight teaching innovations that CFT staff have implemented and evaluated in their own courses. As a student, I find it helpful when a course has clear goals. But while that helps guide student learning, what’s equally, if...