Junior Faculty Teaching Fellow Spotlight: Phillip Ackerman-Lieberman
Nov. 3, 2010—Each month, the CFT Newsletter highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Phillip Ackerman-Lieberman, Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Law talks about his teaching philosophy and interests. As a teacher, I hope to inspire a spirit of inquiry and engagement in my students. Historically, my teaching has focused heavily on...
Spring CIRTL Online Courses – Diversity in the College Classroom, Educational Technology
Oct. 29, 2010—Registration is now open for the spring 2011 CIRTL Network online courses. The spring courses, intended for graduate students and post-docs in the STEM disciplines, are: Diversity in the College Classroom – Become a better college instructor by considering the complex issues of diversity and how to address them effectively in your classroom practice. Current...
Episode 24 – Grading with Rigor
Oct. 28, 2010—In this episode, we feature comments edited from a discussion held by three panelists: Bonnie Dow Associate Professor and Chair, Communication Studies Ken Schriver Senior Lecturer, Physics & Astronomy Michelle Sulikowski Senior Lecturer, Chemistry http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/59/cftpodcast/ep24_rigor.mp3 [MP3, 20 min 57 sec] Each panelist talks about how they design and grade assessments that foster student learning and...
Faculty and Social Media – Some Resources
Oct. 25, 2010—In advance of today’s conversation on teaching, “Crafting a Professional Digital Identity: Faculty and Social Media,” here are a few resources on the topic, including those shared by panelists Lacy Tite and Melanie Moran (University Web Communications) and Derek Bruff (CFT). VU Social Media Handbook – A guide for Vanderbilt faculty and staff on using...
Hitting the Road: CFT Sessions at the 2010 POD Network Conference
Oct. 22, 2010—The Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network is the professional association to which CFT senior staff belong. The 2010 POD Network conference will be held next month in St. Louis, November 3-7. Several CFT staff members and one graduate student are attending the conference and leading sessions there. These sessions reflect several recent CFT initiatives...
Clickers, Deep Learning, and the Value of Multiple-Choice Questions
Oct. 22, 2010—CFT assistant director Derek Bruff has an article, “Multiple-Choice Questions You Wouldn’t Put on a Test: Promoting Deep Learning Using Clickers,” in the latest volume of the POD Network‘s Essays in Teaching Excellence series. In the article, Bruff describes four types of clicker questions that are useful for encouraging students to engage in meaningful ways...
Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty
Oct. 21, 2010—Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty by Elizabeth F. Barkley (Jossey-Bass, 2010) From the publisher… Keeping students involved, motivated, and actively learning is challenging educators across the country,yet good advice on how to accomplish this has not been readily available. Student Engagement Techniques is a comprehensive resource that offers college teachers a dynamic...
Clickers and the Teaching of Writing
Oct. 20, 2010—CFT assistant director Derek Bruff has written another guest post for the ProfHacker blog hosted by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The post is titled “Using Clickers to Facilitate Peer Review in a Writing Seminar,” and it details one of Derek’s recent experiments with using clickers in his first-year writing seminar. It’s a common practice...
McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, & Theory (13th edition)
Oct. 20, 2010—McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research & Theory, 13th edition by Wilbert J. Mckeachie (Houghton Mifflin Co., 2010) From the publisher… McKeachie’s Teaching Tips places the practice of teaching at the center of the faculty role and takes that responsibility seriously. For that reason, Teaching Tips is also an inspirational and motivational volume that will likely...
10/26 Workshop: Motivating Students
Oct. 19, 2010—Time & Date: 4:10—5:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 26 Facilitator: Graduate Teaching Fellow, CFT Audience: Graduate and Professional Students and Post-docs Motivating students to engage in learning requires a “learner-centered” experience, in which the instructor facilitates learners’ interactive engagement with course content and activities. To foster this learning environment, we must understand both intrinsic and extrinsic...