Supporting LGBTQI+ Students
Mar. 9, 2021— In March, the CFT, the K.C. Potter Center and Office of LGBTQI Life, and the Faculty Senate, are proud to co-sponsor two discussions about how faculty and staff can better support LGBQI+ students. On March 12th (12:00-1:30pm), after some preparatory readings/videos on various social and academic challenges LGBTQ+ students...
Never Going Back: What Online Teaching in the Times of COVID Can Add to Our Teaching Toolkits – Mark Schoenfield
Mar. 8, 2021—by Mohammad Meerzaei A Pedagogic Asset Created: Dr. Mark Schoenfield, Professor of English Dr. Mark Schoenfield is a professor of English and a recipient of the Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in Humanities. His transition to online teaching meant rethinking his method of course design, building new creative assignments, and engaging more...
Goal-driven Course Design Refined by Data on Students’ Learning: A Case Study
Mar. 3, 2021—Goal-driven course design refined by data on students’ learning is a cornerstone of CFT philosophy and practice. Ethan Joll, a graduate student in Biomedical Engineering, offers a compelling description of his own data- and goal-driven course design for a section of TA Orientation. It’s a fantastic case study that highlights the value of gathering information from...
Never Going Back: What Online Teaching in the Times of COVID Can Add to Our Teaching Toolkits – Meredyth Wegener
Mar. 2, 2021—by Mohammad Meerzaei ‘Oxford Hours’: Time to Re-Establish the Class as a Community: Dr. Meredyth Wegener, Senior Lecturer and Director of Honors in Neuroscience Dr. Meredyth Wegener has travelled an exciting path with online teaching in the time...
“We were doing all that hard work of helping students practice how to apply their knowledge together.”: Thomas Clements and Kathy Friedman talk about their synchronous sessions in their Fall 2020 online course.
Mar. 1, 2021—Thomas Clements and Kathy Friedman, both from Biological Sciences, recently joined Diana Heney and Jessica Watkins for a Conversation on Teaching about their approaches to synchronous sessions in online courses. You can see the recording of the entire session here. In the clip below, Thomas and Kathy describe the role that undergraduate learning assistants (LAs)...
Never Going Back: What Online Teaching in the Times of COVID Can Add to Our Teaching Toolkits – Patrick Murphy,
Feb. 26, 2021—by Mohammad Meerzaei Turning a language course into a learning community: Patrick Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Spanish Patrick Murphy is a senior lecturer at the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. His work is mainly focused on teaching beginner- and intermediate-level Spanish courses. In this interview, Murphy looks back at his journey with online teaching, exploring...
Catch up with the Leading Lines Podcast
Feb. 25, 2021—In January, the Leading Lines team released three podcasts with great advice for online teaching. Dan Levy, a faculty member at Harvard University for 15 years, describes strategies for engaging and assessing students on Zoom. Heeroon Shin, Mellon assistant professor of Asian art here at Vanderbilt, talks about her changing use of recorded video lectures,...
Never Going Back: What Online Teaching in the Times of COVID Can Add to Our Teaching Toolkits – Katie Clements
Feb. 24, 2021—by Mohammad Meerzaei A New Arrangement of Lectures and Reading Assignments: Dr. Katie Clements, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry Teaching first-year writing courses, Dr. Clements found herself in an especially demanding situation when shifting to online teaching. Not only did she have to manage a swift transition to online teaching, but she also had to help...
“This gave them something concrete, so that when they were in small groups, they could compare and contrast, like, why did you draw this? And how does this connect to my understanding?”: Jessica Watkins talks about her synchronous sessions in her Fall 2020 online course.
Feb. 23, 2021—Jessica Watkins, Assistant Professor of Teaching & Learning, recently joined Diana Heney, Thomas Clements, and Kathy Friedman for a Conversation on Teaching about their approaches to synchronous sessions in online courses. You can see the recording of the entire session here. In the clip below, Jessica describes specific ways that she promoted small group discussion...
New CFT Guide on Academic Advising
Feb. 22, 2021—The CFT is proud to offer a new teaching guide on academic advising. Academic advising is a foundational element of any institution of higher education because it is necessary for student achievement. However, it can be difficult to do well, especially when time is limited or advising models are unclear. In this guide, the CFT’s...