Inside-Out: A Collaborative Learning Community between Undergraduate Students and People Who Are Incarcerated
Feb. 5, 2012—On February 17th from12-1pm, the CFT’s Service Learning Working Group will feature Sarah Passino, Senior Lecturer in the Department of English, in a presentation titled Inside-Out: A Collaborative Learning Community between Undergraduate Students and People Who Are Incarcerated. The Service Learning Working Group is open to any faculty and staff interested in discussing the theory...
Junior Faculty Teaching Fellow Spotlight:Paul Stob
Feb. 4, 2012—Each month, the CFT Newsletter highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Paul Stob, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, talks about his teaching philosophy and interests: My research explores the intersection of rhetoric and intellectual culture—specifically the relationship between public discourse and the practices, forums, and figures of...
Memo to Departments: Outcomes Assessment Really is a Good Idea (POD Essays on Teaching Excellence)
Feb. 3, 2012— CFT Educational Consultant Milt Cox reviews an essay by Wayne Jacobson, University of Iowa, appearing in Essays on Teaching Excellence published by the Professional and Organizational Network in Higher Education. Jacobson claims that outcomes assessment is of key importance to departments. It provides them with the opportunity to discover and measure the impact that...
Derek Bruff Welcomes New Assistant Director to the CFT
Feb. 3, 2012— I’m very happy to introduce the CFT’s newest assistant director, Nancy Chick, to the Vanderbilt community. Nancy comes to us from the University of Wisconsin-Barron County, where she was a professor of English and taught face-to-face and online courses in English and women’s studies. Prior to her arrival at the CFT, Nancy was also...
Upcoming Event: Student Incivility
Feb. 2, 2012—Join us for this upcoming teaching workshop! Student Incivility Date & Time: February 6, 4:10-5:30 Facilitator: Bill Hardin, Graduate Teaching Fellow Format: Teaching Workshop Audience: Graduate Students and Post-Docs This session will explore how instructors can manage incivilities in the classroom-distracting behaviors such as “grade-grubbing,” cheating, rudeness, inattention due to laptops and...
GradSTEP recap: Humanities and Social Sciences Panel
Feb. 1, 2012—Making the Transition from Student to Professor: Humanities and Social Sciences Panel What happens after a successful job search? This year’s GradSTEP event featured two panels of recent PhDs who have made the transition from grad student to full-time faculty jobs. They answered the “What Next?” question and shared their stories of stumbles and triumphs in...
GradSTEP recap: Syllabus Construction
Jan. 31, 2012—This blog post is written by Dan Morrison, a CFT Graduate Teaching Fellow. Dan led the Course & Syllabus Design session at GradSTEP on January 21, 2012. You can download the PowerPoint andhandouts from this session. Syllabus Design: Blueprints for Learning instead of Contracts After reviewing the basics of course design in the first half of my...
GradSTEP recap: Discussion Leading
Jan. 30, 2012—This blog post is written by William Hardin, a CFT Graduate Teaching Fellow. Bill led the Leading Effective Discussions session at GradSTEP on January 21, 2012. You can download the PowerPoint and handouts from this session. Leading Effective Discussions Getting students to talk, to really engage with one another, can be difficult. Many are unsure of how...
GradSTEP recap: Course Design
Jan. 28, 2012—This blog post is written by Dan Morrison, a CFT Graduate Teaching Fellow. Dan led the Course & Syllabus Design session at GradSTEP on January 21, 2012. You can download the PowerPoint and handouts from this session. “Integrating Learning Goals, Feedback & Assessment, and Teaching & Learning Activities for Significant Learning” In this GradSTEP session, I...
Why Work For Us as a Graduate Student: Varied and Challenging Work
Jan. 27, 2012—Each spring the Center for Teaching (CFT) recruits graduate students and post-docs to work at the Center for the following school year. These positions are great opportunities for graduate students to refine their teaching and presentation skills, network with graduate students outside of their department or program, and develop expertise in training and supporting new TAs. ...