News Category
The CFT Welcomes New Assistant Director Vivian Finch
Jul. 14, 2015—We’re excited to welcome Vivian Finch as the CFT’s newest Assistant Director. Vivian’s name might sound familiar—she was a Graduate Teaching Fellow at the CFT last year and a Teaching Affiliate before that. Vivian is graduating this summer from Vanderbilt with a PhD in German literature, and we’re happy to have Vivian continue her work...
Reflecting On and Documenting Your Teaching Experiences
Jun. 18, 2015—Reflecting on Teaching: What? For Whom? Why? Often, the motivation to improve one’s teaching by revising practices or experimenting with new initiatives stems from reflection. This reflection often focuses on feedback received from others, such as student evaluations or peer reviews. Reflection further involves one’s own assessment of experiences, through self-observation and activities that foster...
The CFT Welcomes New Assistant Director for Educational Technology Stacey Johnson
Jun. 10, 2015—We’re excited to announce the upcoming appointment of Stacey Johnson as the CFT’s Assistant Director for Educational Technology. Beginning June 15th, Stacey will work with faculty, teaching assistants, and other instructors at Vanderbilt to enhance student learning through the use of Vanderbilt’s course management system, Blackboard, and other online learning platforms. Stacey is currently an...
Make the Most of Your Course Preparation Time This Summer
Jun. 8, 2015—Summer time is here, and many faculty members have a break from their usual schedules, a chance to slow down a bit and start planning their fall courses. If you have a breather, you may find this an opportune time to review and refresh your teaching plans and practices. The Center for Teaching is open...
From the Stacks…
Jun. 5, 2015— Teaching as a Design Science: Building Pedagogical Patterns for Learning and Technology by Diana Laurillard This book focuses on the learning community model that is the most flexible to implement in terms of scheduling, teacher collaboration, and design: the linked course. This volume covers both “linked courses” in which faculty may work to coordinate...
Position Openings: Instructional Technologists, Deadline June 15th
Jun. 1, 2015—The Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching (CFT) is seeking applicants for two Instructional Technologist positions. These new positions will support faculty, students, and staff at Vanderbilt to enhance student learning through the use of Vanderbilt’s course management system and other online learning platforms. The Instructional Technologists will report to the CFT’s Assistant Director for Educational...
A Panel Discussion on Diversity in STEM, June 2nd, 2:30-4:00pm
May. 28, 2015—Next week, the Black Engineering PhDs project is hosting a multi-disciplinary panel discussion on diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). From the announcement: “On June 2, 2015, at 2:30 pm, there will be an all-star group of scholars assembled for an open conversation on the challenges and the potential solutions to address diversity...
From Math Major to Teaching Center Director: My #altac Journey
May. 27, 2015—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director. Cross-posted from Derek’s blog, Agile Learning. A while back, I was invited to contribute an essay to #alt-academy, a collection exploring “unconventional or alternative careers for people with academic training,” edited by Katina Rogers of the Futures Initiative at the Graduate Center, CUNY. The term #altac, short for “alternative academic,”...
CFT Teaching Guides Week: Day 5
May. 22, 2015—Day 5: Feminist Pedagogy In mid-February, the CFT hosted a committed group of graduate student instructors from different disciplines along with Graduate Teaching Fellow, Benjamin Galina, and former Assistant Director, Nancy Chick, to participate in a collaborative write-a-thon on feminist pedagogy. Those graduate student instructors, all of whom had expressed interest in feminist pedagogy in...
CFT Teaching Guides Week: Day 4
May. 21, 2015—Day 4: Peer Review of Teaching Today’s featured guide is fresh off the presses (so to speak) and is making its debut today on the CFT website: Peer Review of Teaching. Written by CFT Assistant Director, Dr. Joe Bandy, this teaching guide establishes a framework for talking about and engaging in peer review in teaching...