Commentary Category
New Guide on Project-based and Dynamic Collaborative Learning
Nov. 25, 2021—The newest addition to the CFT’s Course Development Resources (CDR) site, entitled Project-Based and Dynamic Collaborative Learning, is all about how instructors can design meaningful, effective group work through research-informed strategies and the intentional use of technology. The guide explores the research on collaborative groups and answers questions such as: How should we form groups? How can we effectively...
Junior Faculty Spotlight: Janelle M. Delle
Nov. 18, 2021—Each year, the CFT blog highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Janelle Delle, Nursing, talks about some of the lessons she has gained from the Fellowship. When I first began my teaching career 5 years ago, I had no idea what to expect of myself or the students, nor what...
Updated Guide! Dealing with the Unexpected: Teaching When You or Your Students Can’t Make it to Class
Nov. 12, 2021— If you find yourself considering the question of how to deal with attendance and participation this year, you will want to check out our newly updated guide “Dealing with the Unexpected: Teaching When You or Your Students Can’t Make it to Class”. The most recent update to this perennially useful guide takes into consideration...
Tweaking research presentations to foster community and knowledge construction: A focus on peer review
Nov. 10, 2021—by Cynthia J. Brame I recently got to watch a class session that taught me a new and very effective way to help students build their science identity by building a scientific community. It was awesome, and I can’t wait to figure out how to adapt it to one of my classes. Here’s the setting:...
Course improvement grant spotlight: Asami Nakano
Nov. 4, 2021—Asami Nakano, Lecturer in Asian Studies, talked with CFT assistant director Julaine Fowlin about her Course Improvement Grant, “Incorporating Japanese cultural experiences for Japanese language course.” Asami believes that authentic language learning involves integration of cultural experiences. In the video interview, she shares that in Tennessee there are not many opportunities for authentic Japanese cultural...
Making the most of clinical conference courses: Adding a “pair and share” element to prompt student engagement and reflection
Nov. 4, 2021—by Cynthia J. Brame I recently had the opportunity to watch Janelle Delle, Assistant Professor of Nursing, run one of the clinical conferences that she has with small groups of students every week. The point of a clinical conference course is to help students make sense of and learn from their ongoing clinical experiences, a...
Course improvement grant spotlight: “Compare studies of 3D materials to creating quizzes to consider whether learning strategy outshines motivation in memory retention.”
Oct. 28, 2021—Alison Hilbun, senior lecturer in biological sciences, recently talked to CFT associate director Cynthia Brame about her Course Improvement Grant, “Compare studies of 3D materials to creating quizzes to consider whether learning strategy outshines motivation in memory retention.” Can you tell me briefly about your project and what inspired you to do it? Part of...
Educational advancement fund spotlight: “A transformative learning approach for FL2 Spanish students”
Oct. 22, 2021—Carolina Palacios, senior lecturer in Spanish, recently talked to CFT assistant director Julaine Fowlin about her Educational Advancement Fund grant, “A transformative learning approach for FL2 Spanish students.” Can you tell us briefly about your project and what inspired you to do this project? This project fosters life-long learning and involves transformative learning in FL2...
Course improvement grant spotlight: “Cloud-hosted Python notebook for teaching biomedical signals and systems.”
Oct. 14, 2021— Will Grissom, associate professor of biomedical engineering; “Cloud-hosted Python notebook for teaching biomedical signals and systems.” Can you tell me briefly about your course improvement grant project and what inspired you...
Course improvement grant spotlight: “Italian language enhancement for Maymester course in Rome”
Oct. 7, 2021—Chiara Sulprizio, senior lecturer in classical and Mediterranean studies, recently talked with CFT assistant director Julaine Fowlin about her Course Improvement Grant, “Italian language enhancement for Maymester course in Rome.” Chiara teaches a maymester course called, History and Art of Ancient Rome, and she takes students to Rome and Southern Italy for that month. She...