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Structures for flex classrooms: pros, cons, and pedagogical choices

Jun. 23, 2020—By Cynthia Brame, CFT Associate Director As we head into the fall thinking about classes where we may have a combination of students who are physically and digitally present, I’ve been thinking about different ways to structure students’ time “in the classroom”. The first and most straightforward of these is to divide students into groups...

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The CFT acknowledges these junior faculty who participated in the JFTF program this year!

Jun. 22, 2020—L to R: Audrey Bowden (Biomedical Engineering), Daniela D’Eugenio (French & Italian), Misty Evans (Nursing), Gautam Hans (Law), Brittany Haskell (Nursing), Allison Leich Hilbun (Biological Sciences), Clinton Leonard (Nursing), Elliott McCarter (Asian Studies), Justus Ndukaife (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science), Ipek Oguz (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science), Jennifer Ridgway (Nursing), LeTizia Smith (Nursing), Kim Steanson (Nursing), Denis Zhernokleyev (German, Russian and East European Studies) We want to thank 2019-2020 Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows for a great year thinking about teaching together,...

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BOLD Fellows Celebration

Jun. 15, 2020—This May, our Blended and Online Learning Design (BOLD) Fellows shared their projects with the Vanderbilt community and beyond during an online celebration hosted by the Center for Teaching. BOLD Fellows develop online learning materials to address a teaching problem in a course taught at Vanderbilt and gather data about its implementation. Fellows from fields...

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Active Learning in Hybrid and Physically Distanced Classrooms

Jun. 11, 2020—by Derek Bruff, Director If you’ve read Norman Clark’s hypothetical day in the life of a physically distanced classroom, then you’ve probably started to worry about how faculty and other instructors might facilitate discussion, group work, and other forms of active learning this fall. If I’m standing at the front of the classroom with half...

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Celebration of Learning Spotlight: Martin C.K. Shade: An Interactive Twine Narrative

Jun. 10, 2020—On February 13, 2020, the Center for Teaching held a Celebration of Learning, an exhibition of students as producers. The event featured students from all over campus sharing what they learned, created, designed, and discovered. Martin C.K. Shade is an interactive narrative (IF) Dylan Kistler built in the free program known as Twine. It seeks to blend narratorial and procedural...

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Leading Lines Podcast: Cynthia Brame talks about how the Online Course Design Institute helps Vanderbilt faculty get ready to teach online

Jun. 9, 2020—The Leading Lines podcast has released the latest pisode exploring the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on higher education. This time we are speaking with the CFT’s own Cynthia Brame about the Online Course Design Institute that was launched in May to help Vanderbilt faculty get ready to teach online this summer and possibly this...

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Did you know that Brightspace Support at the CFT can assist with online teaching questions beyond technical difficulties?

Jun. 8, 2020—The Brightspace team has expertise in a variety of tools found in the Brightspace platform. We’d love to help with understanding how to use Brightspace tools to maximize student learning, choosing appropriate tools for your course goals, structuring your gradebook, and much more! We encourage you to reach out to the Brightspace Team at brightspace@vanderbilt.edu as...

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Apply Now for the Online Course Design Institute

Jun. 2, 2020—The Center for Teaching invites Vanderbilt faculty, postdocs, and graduate students to apply to its new Online Course Design Institute, a two-week online experience intended to help participants prepare to teach an online course. The Online Course Design Institute will be offered multiple times this summer and we are now accepting applications. During the institute participants will:...

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The One Button Video Studio Set to Reopen

Jun. 1, 2020—The Center for Teaching is excited to announce that the One Button Studio will reopen on June 1st as part of the university’s phased reopening. In adherence with Vanderbilt’s Return to Campus Plan, safety procedures will be followed, including the use of masks and physical distancing.                             ...

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Junior Faculty Spotlight: Jennifer Ridgway

May. 18, 2020—Each month, the CFT highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Jennifer Ridgway, Nursing, talks about her teaching philosophy and interests. Engaging in the Center for Teaching’s (CFT) Junior Faculty Teaching Fellowship (JFTF) has become one of the greatest growth opportunities in my professional development as faculty.  One of my primary goals in participating in this...

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