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Teach Coding? Learn About a tool for integrating enhanced Jupyter Notebooks into Your Teaching
Dec. 6, 2021—As part of a Course Improvement Grant project, associate professor of biomedical engineering Will Grissom been using Pathbird, a tool that runs enhanced Jupyter notebooks (in Python, Julia, or R). It allows students to navigate to their site with no additional setup, and the instructor can interleave autograders, multiple choice questions, and short answer questions with...
CFT Partners with Divinity School to launch inaugural round of lifelong learning courses
Dec. 3, 2021—Vanderbilt Divinity School (VDS) has had a rich legacy of continuing education since the 1990s. Building on this legacy, in 2020, the Lifelong Learning Committee proposed a comprehensive Lifelong Learning curriculum to meet the needs of the diverse audiences that VDS is uniquely positioned to serve. VDS Lifelong Learning has its roots in Vanderbilt’s commitments...
New Guide on Project-based and Dynamic Collaborative Learning
Nov. 25, 2021—The newest addition to the CFT’s Course Development Resources (CDR) site, entitled Project-Based and Dynamic Collaborative Learning, is all about how instructors can design meaningful, effective group work through research-informed strategies and the intentional use of technology. The guide explores the research on collaborative groups and answers questions such as: How should we form groups? How can we effectively...
Junior Faculty Spotlight: Janelle M. Delle
Nov. 18, 2021—Each year, the CFT blog highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Janelle Delle, Nursing, talks about some of the lessons she has gained from the Fellowship. When I first began my teaching career 5 years ago, I had no idea what to expect of myself or the students, nor what...
Updated Guide! Dealing with the Unexpected: Teaching When You or Your Students Can’t Make it to Class
Nov. 12, 2021— If you find yourself considering the question of how to deal with attendance and participation this year, you will want to check out our newly updated guide “Dealing with the Unexpected: Teaching When You or Your Students Can’t Make it to Class”. The most recent update to this perennially useful guide takes into consideration...
Workshop: Teaching with Case Studies
Nov. 1, 2021—Case studies are a signature pedagogy throughout the professions and increasingly across all liberal arts disciplines. When used effectively, they can motivate students to learn deeply through meaningful, complex, and real-world scenarios, elevating anything from analytical thought to ethical reasoning, applied practices to theoretical critique. This workshop will explore how case studies are or can...
Workshop: Decolonizing Our Teaching
Oct. 26, 2021—The exhortation to “decolonize” our syllabi and our teaching more generally has become increasingly common across higher education in recent years. For its many advocates, decolonization can include a wide variety of practices, such as the acknowledgement of indigenous land claims, understanding how the culture of colonialism has shaped our disciplines, diversifying the canons of...
Educational advancement fund spotlight: “A transformative learning approach for FL2 Spanish students”
Oct. 22, 2021—Carolina Palacios, senior lecturer in Spanish, recently talked to CFT assistant director Julaine Fowlin about her Educational Advancement Fund grant, “A transformative learning approach for FL2 Spanish students.” Can you tell us briefly about your project and what inspired you to do this project? This project fosters life-long learning and involves transformative learning in FL2...
ASPIRE Job Search Series: Preparing for a Teaching Demo
Oct. 18, 2021—How do you put together an effective teaching demonstration for a job interview? How is it different from a research seminar and how can you link the two? Come learn about key considerations for developing this important piece of your interview portfolio. Date: Thursday, October 21 Time: 11:00 Location: Light Hall 419 BCD REGISTER ....
Applications for New Round of Internal Teaching Grants Now Available
Oct. 11, 2021—The Office of the Provost established two internal funding programs in April 2021, the Educational Advancement Fund and the Course Improvement Grant, designed to support excellence in the classroom through continued pedagogical advancement and long-term educational transformation. The deadline to submit for the upcoming second round of funding is October 15. Read More . . ....