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Biological Sciences Seminar: Improving student learning through understanding reasoning and problem-solving practices
Nov. 26, 2019—Join the Biological Sciences Department on Monday, December 2, 3:30-5:15, to consider different teaching practices as part of their ongoing seminar series. Undergraduate Learning Assistants will present posters on questions such as, “Which clicker questions promote the most discussion?” during tea time from 3:30-4:10, followed by Professor Jenny Knight’s seminar. Professor Knight writes, “Classroom practices...
New Book from CFT Director, Derek Bruff
Nov. 19, 2019—Intentional Tech: Principles to Guide the Use of Educational Technology in College Teaching Arguing that teaching and learning goals should drive instructors’ technology use, not the other way around, CFT director Derek Bruff’s new book explores seven research-based principles for matching technology to pedagogy. Through stories of creative and effective use of educational technology by...
Science Teaching Lunch on more inclusive active learning classrooms: How groups of students are differentially impacted by active learning
Nov. 18, 2019—Join Professor Sara Brownell at a Science Teaching Lunch as she discusses her lab’s work investigating some “off-target” effects of active learning. Professor Brownell writes, “To what extent do students experience college science classrooms differently because of their social identities? How has transitioning traditional lecture courses to active learning spaces impacted students? What can instructors...
Proposals for University Courses Due November 22nd
Nov. 14, 2019—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director I am excited to announce that the Center for Teaching is the new home for Vanderbilt’s University Courses program. This program was launched by the Provost’s office in 2016 to encourage and support “cross college” teaching, one of the cornerstones of the Vanderbilt Academic Strategic Plan. Over the last three...
Come Work at the Center for Teaching!
Nov. 13, 2019—Each year the Center for Teaching (CFT) hires a number of graduate students as part of its efforts to mentor and train graduate students, including those serving as teaching assistants or instructors of record here at Vanderbilt as well as those interested in developing teaching skills for future faculty careers. The CFT has several types...
From The Director: Two new offerings from the CFT!
Nov. 12, 2019—By Derek Bruff, CFT Director I’m excited to announce two new offerings from the Center for Teaching! The CFT is the new home for the University Courses program, launched in 2016 by the Provost’s Office to encourage and support “cross-college” teaching as part of the Academic Strategic Plan. I’ve been impressed with the vibrant partnerships...
Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt: Christin Essin and Learning through Theatre
Nov. 11, 2019—By Faith Rovenolt, CFT undergraduate intern I’ve never been quite so disappointed to have missed a play as when I learned about the process behind the making of Bowling for Beginners from Dr. Christin Essin. The play kicked off the fall season of Vanderbilt University Theatre in early October and I unfortunately never got around...
Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt: Anna Guengerich and Multi-group roleplay
Oct. 29, 2019—By Faith Rovenolt, CFT undergraduate intern Certain classes stay with you, and HART-1330W Sacred Sites in World History is one of the classes for me. I still love to talk about the Stave Churches of Norway, which were the topic of my final paper and project. Another part of the class that I found very...
Student motivation journal club: If it’s bigger than you, the boring is worth it: the power of self-transcending motivation on menial tasks
Oct. 28, 2019—By Faith Rovenolt, CFT undergraduate intern, and Heather Fedesco, CFT Assistant Director Unfortunately, it’s hard to avoid the boring in learning. Inevitably, even in the most exciting fields, students need to learn and do a boring, menial, or repetitive task. In STEM, this is especially true. You can’t learn to plot the path of a...
Graduate Student/Postdoc Workshop : Developing a Written Diversity Statement
Oct. 25, 2019—In this workshop, we will discuss evidence-based practices for writing a diversity statement for the academic job market. Increasingly, universities and colleges are requesting that faculty job applicants provide a statement addressing how they plan to contribute to inclusive excellence in their professional lives. Sometimes, a job ad will request that applicants address diversity in the cover...