Commentary Category
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...
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: “Incorporating Japanese cultural experiences for Japanese language course”
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...