Commentary Category
SoTL Spotlight: Special Issue of Teaching & Learning Inquiry
Sep. 19, 2013—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director Nancy is the author of a variety of SoTL articles and book chapters, as well as co-editor of two books on signature pedagogies and co-editor of Teaching & Learning Inquiry, the official journal of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), with the Center for Teaching as its...
The Mindful PhD: Reducing Stress
Sep. 18, 2013—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director In recent weeks, I’ve talked with quite a few colleagues–faculty (full-time and part-time) and graduate students–who were nervous about teaching their first class, or their first class on this campus, the first session of a new course, or a new group of students. This concoction of stage fright, imposter...
The Mindful PhD: Paying Attention
Sep. 10, 2013—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director I hope my first two posts whetted your appetite, and now you’re wondering how to start. Call it “stealth mindfulness”: you’ve already started. “A Beginning” turned your attention to your breath, and “The Easy Way & The Easier Way” challenged you to sit for two minutes each day—two simple...
The Mindful PhD: The Easy Way & The Easier Way
Sep. 4, 2013—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director I came to mindfulness only in recent years—first through a regular yoga practice and a handful of retreats, then through guided meditation, then through a mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR) course and a few multi-day workshops, and now through a weekly mindfulness-teacher training group. It’s only slight hyperbole to say that...
The Mindful PhD: A Beginning
Aug. 29, 2013—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director I’ve never been much of a blogger—I don’t even follow many blogs—but here I start a blog series. Why? Based on my constellation of experiences and what I’ve been learning more recently, I have something to say to my fellow PhDs and PhDs-in-training.* But more about my story next...
Lessons Learned from Vanderbilt’s First MOOCs
Aug. 19, 2013—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director When Vanderbilt announced its massive open online course (MOOC) initiative almost twelve months ago, one of the stated goals of the project was to explore ways that digital technologies might enhance Vanderbilt’s teaching mission. As faculty, staff, and students worked over the last year to launch Vanderbilt’s first three MOOCs,...
Three Tips for the First Day of Class
Aug. 2, 2013—It’s that time of year again: the first day of classes is upon us! At the CFT we often hear the same questions around this time of year: “What should I do on the first day of class?” “Do I delve into course content or just review the syllabus?” “How do I break the ice...
Ask Professor Pedagogy: Leading Review Sessions
Jul. 26, 2013—Ask Professor Pedagogy is a twice monthly advice column written by Center for Teaching staff. One aspect of our mission is to cultivate dialogue about teaching and learning, so we welcome questions and concerns that arise in the classroom; particularly those from Vanderbilt faculty, students, and staff. If you have a question that you’d like...
Ask Professor Pedagogy: Disruptive Students
Jul. 12, 2013—Ask Professor Pedagogy is a twice monthly advice column written by Center for Teaching staff. One aspect of our mission is to cultivate dialogue about teaching and learning, so we welcome questions and concerns that arise in the classroom; particularly those from Vanderbilt faculty, students, and staff. If you have a question that you’d like...
Ask Professor Pedagogy: Twitter as a Learning Network
Jun. 28, 2013—Ask Professor Pedagogy is a twice monthly advice column written by Center for Teaching staff. One aspect of our mission is to cultivate dialogue about teaching and learning, so we welcome questions and concerns that arise in the classroom; particularly those from Vanderbilt faculty, students, and staff. If you have a question that you’d like...