Commentary Category
Course Improvement Grant Spotlight: “Jazz and Global Ensemble Recording of New Works”
Apr. 14, 2022—by Julaine Fowlin Ryan Middagh, Assistant Professor of Jazz and Chair of the Jazz and Global Music Department, talked about his Course Improvement Grant, “Jazz and Global Ensemble Recording of New Works,” in an interview with CFT assistant director Julaine Fowlin. Ryan will be using funds from the course improvement grant to hire a sound...
Course improvement grant spotlight: “Music Classroom Technology”
Feb. 17, 2022—Bethany Nickel, visiting assistant professor of Instrumental Music Education, talked about her Course Improvement Grant, “Music Classroom Technology,” in an interview with CFT assistant director Julaine Fowlin. Bethany’s project was inspired by her experience last Fall with teaching a short unit on music technology in her Instrumental Methods for Juniors in Music Education Course (MUED3010)....
Come Work at the Center for Teaching
Feb. 7, 2022—Each year the Center for Teaching (CFT) hires a number of graduate students as part of its efforts to mentor and train graduate students, including those serving as teaching assistants or instructors of record here at Vanderbilt as well as those interested in developing teaching skills for future faculty careers. The CFT has several positions...
Junior Faculty Spotlight: Adeana McNicholl
Jan. 10, 2022—The CFT highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. In this post, Adeana McNicholl, Religious Studies, talks about some of the lessons she has gained from the Fellowship. I am an Assistant Professor of Buddhist Traditions in the Religious Studies department. My research focuses on Buddhism in ancient South Asia and Buddhism in...
Newly Updated Teaching Guide: Personal Devices in the Classroom
Dec. 16, 2021—The CFT first published a guide on considering how to work with wireless devices in the classroom in 2010. Given the rapidly changing digital landscape since then, this guide has been updated to consider how personal electronic devices (especially laptops) can impact learning in the classroom, and how faculty members may design policies and positions regarding their usage. ...
New Additions to the Course Design Resources Site
Dec. 14, 2021—Branching scenarios are much like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story. In a branching scenario, learners are taken through a scenario where they must make decisions based on the events that are presented. In the newest addition to the CDR (Online Course Development Resources) site, Carrie Sennet and Diana Vasquez (Vanderbilt School of Nursing) teach us how...
Junior Faculty Spotlight: Michelle Marcus
Dec. 9, 2021—Each year, the CFT Newsletter highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Michelle Marcus, Economics, talks about some of the lessons she has gained from the Fellowship. The Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows program has been an invaluable opportunity to reflect on my own teaching practices and to enhance my teaching efficiency and skills. Through teaching seminars,...
Teach Coding? Learn About a tool for integrating enhanced Jupyter Notebooks into Your Teaching
Dec. 6, 2021—As part of a Course Improvement Grant project, associate professor of biomedical engineering Will Grissom been using Pathbird, a tool that runs enhanced Jupyter notebooks (in Python, Julia, or R). It allows students to navigate to their site with no additional setup, and the instructor can interleave autograders, multiple choice questions, and short answer questions with...
CFT Partners with Divinity School to launch inaugural round of lifelong learning courses
Dec. 3, 2021—Vanderbilt Divinity School (VDS) has had a rich legacy of continuing education since the 1990s. Building on this legacy, in 2020, the Lifelong Learning Committee proposed a comprehensive Lifelong Learning curriculum to meet the needs of the diverse audiences that VDS is uniquely positioned to serve. VDS Lifelong Learning has its roots in Vanderbilt’s commitments...
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...