Promoting Persistence in STEM Learning Community
Jun. 10, 2021— STEM disciplines have long been concerned with disparities between underrepresented and well-represented student groups and the associated “pipeline” problem, where underrepresented students are more likely to switch away from STEM majors. A group of about eighteen faculty from eight departments met throughout 2020-2021 to explore approaches to increasing equity and inclusion in their courses...
From the Executive Director, Derek Bruff
Jun. 9, 2021—My wife and I started birdwatching earlier this year. Working from home helped us appreciate the feathered residents of our backyard, and now we keep an eye out for colorful birds when we walk at places like Radnor Lake. And, as of this morning, we have an empty nest—literally. The family of house finches that...
Excellence in Podcasting Competition
May. 12, 2021—Have any of your students produced excellent work in audio form this year? Maybe you included a podcasting assignment in your course, or you let students choose their medium for a creative assignment and one of them made an audio documentary. Or maybe you’re a student who tried your hand at academic podcasting recently. The Excellence...
Two new internal funding programs to support classroom excellence announced
May. 10, 2021—The Office of the Provost announces an additional two new internal funding programs, the Educational Advancement Fund and the Course Improvement Grant program, designed to support excellence in the classroom through continued pedagogical advancement and long-term educational transformation. These provost-sponsored internal funding programs are managed by the Office of Faculty Affairs in collaboration with the Center for Teaching...
From the Executive Director
May. 5, 2021—As I write this, I’m down to one stack of papers to grade for my first-year writing seminar. Grading those papers may be the most normal thing I do in my spring course! From Zooming in remote students to using new tools like Perusall and Teams to changing up my assessments, so much of my...
Latest Leading Lines Podcast Featuring Stephen Kosslyn
Apr. 26, 2021—In October 2020, Stephen Kosslyn published a new book called Active Learning Online: Five Principles that Make Online Courses Come Alive. The book draws on Kosslyn’s experiences at Minerva, but also his very long and impressive career in higher education. He recently facilitated a virtual workshop here at Vanderbilt on his new book, and we...
Apply to be a Junior Faculty Teaching Fellow!
Apr. 19, 2021—We are now accepting applications for the 2021-22 Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows program. The program is designed to help you: Build understanding of principles of learning to inform your teaching Stock your teaching toolkit with new skills and approaches Develop a framework for course design Build teaching community Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows receive $2000 in...
Course Design Institute on Inclusive Teaching
Apr. 15, 2021—This Spring – May 24th through 27th – the Center for Teaching invites you to join in our Course Design Institute on the theme of Inclusive Teaching. This virtual event will take place via Brightspace and Zoom, May 24-27 (9am-4pm Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and 9-12:30pm Thursday). During the four-day institute, participants will (re)design courses...
Online Course Design Institute
Apr. 12, 2021—This one-week hands-on Online Course Development Institute (OCDI) will take place from May 17th through 21st. Participants will be guided through a systematic step-wise approach to designing an online course and facilitating synchronous and asynchronous interactions. Participants will be equipped to make design decisions that support student engagement, meaningful learning and assessments, and equity and inclusivity. This...
Apply to be a Junior Faculty Teaching Fellow!
Mar. 29, 2021—We are now accepting applications for the 2021-22 Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows program. The program is designed to help you: Build understanding of principles of learning to inform your teaching Stock your teaching toolkit with new skills and approaches Develop a framework for course design Build teaching community Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows receive $2000 in...