Campus encouraged to participate in Blackboard feedback survey
Mar. 18, 2016—The CFT, as the administrative home for Blackboard, Vanderbilt’s primary course management system, is conducting an assessment in March to determine the extent to which Blackboard is meeting the needs of campus users. Results of this needs assessment will inform Vanderbilt’s decision to renew its contract with Blackboard, set to expire in 2017, or to...
BOLD Fellow presents at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting
Mar. 17, 2016— By Dani Picard, CFT Graduate Teaching Fellow Samantha Tramontano, a graduate student in Earth & Environmental Science and CFT BOLD Fellow, presentedher research on online instructional materials at the 2015 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, which took place in San Francisco in December. Samantha developed videos and online quizzes to help undergraduate geology students develop microscopy...
Dr. Robbie Melton and The Rise of The Internet of Things
Mar. 15, 2016—The Emergence of The Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Connected Devices and EduGadgets for Real-Time On-Demand Transformation of Education Dr. Robbie Melton,is Associate Vice Chancellor of Mobilization and Emerging Technology at the Tennessee Board of Regents, is speaking at Vanderbilt on the future of Internet of Things Smart Technologies (EduGadgets). This hands-on showcase will highlight...
Blackboard Drop-in Sessions to Feature Grade Center
Mar. 10, 2016—Blackboard support continues to offer email, phone, and one-on-one consultations, or Blackboard users can take advantage of our library of on-demand resources. Drop-in support hours continue to be offered Mondays from 1-3pm. If you missed our January sessions, we discussed grade column organization and inline grading. February spotlight topics are listed below, however you should feel free to bring your own questions and...
Upcoming Faculty Teaching Visit/3/21/16 with Kane Jennings, Professor of hemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Mar. 10, 2016—Kane Jennings, Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering CHBE 4860/5860: Molecular Aspects of Chemical Engineering Kane Jennings is the Department Chair and Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. His research efforts are aimed at the molecular design and fabrication of new surfaces and materials that mimic, replicate, or employ highly functional biological systems. In his...
“Students as Producers” Course Design Institute, May 9-11
Mar. 8, 2016—The CFT invites faculty members to apply to its new Course Design Institute on the theme of “Students as Producers.” During the three-day institute (May 9-11, 2016), participants will design (or redesign) courses that engage students not only as consumers of information, but producers of knowledge. Research by first- and second-year undergraduates conducted within a...
Class, Race, and the First-Generation Student Label
Mar. 7, 2016—by Ben Galina, Senior Mellon Graduate Teaching Fellow In a recent article for the Atlantic Monthly, “How Low-Income Students Are Fitting in at Elite Colleges” (24 February 2016), Richard Kahlenberg explores the shifting narratives around students who are the first in their families at four-year universities. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation and...
Writing the Pedagogy for Professional Schools and Students Guide
Mar. 4, 2016—by Richard Coble, Graduate Teaching Fellow Is there a problem with professional schools? A growing number of commenters and scholars have decried the professionalization of education, the perceived movement in colleges and universities away from the liberal arts and preparing thoughtful citizenship to meeting market-based needs. But does this critique necessarily apply to professional schools?...
Upcoming Faculty Teaching Visit 3/15/16 with Mark Schoenfield, Professor of English
Feb. 26, 2016—Mark Schoenfield, Professor of English English 3610: The Romantic Period Mark Schoenfield is Professor of English, a winner of the Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in the Humanities, and a scholar of romanticism, existentialism, and law and literature. His teaching interests are in the latter areas. We will be visiting his course,...
EdTech Spotlight: Clickers, Critical Thinking, and Legal Education
Feb. 22, 2016—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director. Cross-posted from Derek’s blog, Agile Learning. The other week I blogged about one of the educational technology working groups the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching is hosting this year. That group is exploring the use of digital timelines in teaching. Another group, which I’ll discuss in this post, is looking at...