Announcing “Teaching & Learning Inquiry,” ISSOTL’s New Journal
Apr. 29, 2013—by CFT Director Derek Bruff I’m very pleased to share that news that the inaugural issue of Teaching & Learning Inquiry (TLI) is now available. This new journal “publishes insightful research, theory, commentary, and other scholarly works that document or facilitate investigations of teaching and learning in higher education.” TLI is the official journal of...
Ask Professor Pedagogy: Handling Overachievers
Apr. 24, 2013—by Adam Wilsman (Professor P. is outside flying a kite) Ask Professor Pedagogy is a twice monthly advice column written by Center for Teaching staff. One aspect of our mission is to cultivate dialogue about teaching and learning, so we welcome questions and concerns that arise in the classroom; particularly those from Vanderbilt faculty,...
Ask Professor Pedagogy: Grading Efficiently
Apr. 19, 2013—Ask Professor Pedagogy is a twice monthly advice column written by Center for Teaching staff. One aspect of our mission is to cultivate dialogue about teaching and learning, so we welcome questions and concerns that arise in the classroom; particularly those from Vanderbilt faculty, students, and staff. If you have a question that you’d like...
CFT Position Opening – Program Coordinator II
Apr. 19, 2013—We’re hiring! We’re looking for an Program Coordinator II, so if you’re interested, please submit your application, and if you know of someone who might be interested, please spread the word. The Program Coordinator II coordinates the Center for Teaching’s events and programs for graduate students and faculty, including orientations for new faculty and teaching...
Using Peer Instruction to Flip Your Classroom: Highlights from Eric Mazur’s Recent Visit
Apr. 15, 2013—by CFT Director Derek Bruff On April 4th, during his talk at the School of Medicine, Harvard physics professor Eric Mazur polled an audience of Vanderbilt faculty, staff, and students, asking us how we learned what we need to know for our jobs. Very, very few of us said that we learned those skills from...
CIRTL Online Coffee Hour Series: Fostering Critical Thinking in the STEM Classroom
Apr. 12, 2013—Fostering Critical Thinking Wednesday, April 17th 1-2 pm National polls indicate that over 90% of faculty believe critical thinking is the most important part of undergraduate education, yet how do we foster critical thinking in our teaching? Identifying what it means to “think critically” is one challenge, and how to assess it is another. Join...
Learner-Centered Teaching at Vanderbilt
Apr. 10, 2013—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director Some of us at the CFT recently read and discussed Maryellen Weimer’s new edition of Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice (2013). Simply put, learner-centered teaching aims to create active, independent thinkers who understand the processes and value of learning and apply this understanding to new contexts. Weimer...
From the Stacks…
Apr. 8, 2013—Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment in College, 2nd Edition From the publisher… The second edition of Effective Grading—the book that has become a classic in the field—provides a proven hands-on guide for evaluating student work and offers an in-depth examination of the link between teaching and grading. Authors Barbara E. Walvoord and...
Ask Professor Pedagogy: Holding Class Outside
Apr. 5, 2013—Ask Professor Pedagogy is a twice monthly advice column written by Center for Teaching staff. One aspect of our mission is to cultivate dialogue about teaching and learning, so we welcome questions and concerns that arise in the classroom; particularly those from Vanderbilt faculty, students, and staff. If you have a question that you’d like...
Apply to be a SoTL Scholar!
Apr. 4, 2013—The Center for Teaching invites applications for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Scholars Program for the Fall of 2013. The Program is designed to help graduate students cultivate a scholarly, evidence-based approach to their students’ learning and their own teaching. Participants will design and carry out a SoTL project (individual or collaborative) in...