Resource Category
Getting Started with Active Learning: Behind-the-scenes Development of a Cheat Sheet
May. 28, 2019—by Greg Smith, CFT Graduate Teaching Fellow This year, I helped lead a learning community focused on active learning. Together, Cynthia Brame and I guided a group of about 25 faculty and graduate students through seven sessions to investigate the “why” and “how” of active learning. As our meetings progressed, we started thinking about how...
Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt: Neil Kelley, Jennifer Bradham and Class Simulations
May. 27, 2019—By Faith Rovenolt, CFT undergraduate intern Neil Kelley teaches EES 1030L: Oceanography Lab, assisted by his TAs, Michaela Peterson and Jennifer Bradham. I was able to speak with Kelley and Bradham about a specific lab that, quite frankly, made me want to take the course just so I could be a part of it. And...
Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt: Sarah Suiter and Engaging Community Partners
Mar. 28, 2019—By Faith Rovenolt, CFT undergraduate intern On Vanderbilt’s campus, it’s easy to forget that there exists a world outside of it. But all around us is Nashville, a bright, bustling city that’s one of the fastest-growing ones in the U.S.A. And as Sarah Suiter is showing, it’s filled with opportunities for students to engage with...
Teaching in the L2 at the Novice Level: Guidelines for Foreign Languages Teaching Assistants
Mar. 25, 2019—By José Luis de Ramón Ruiz, Teaching Affiliate Foreign Languages Departments are often keenly aware of the importance of maximizing classroom time to offer comprehensible input for their students. However, conducting an entire class in the L2 can be overwhelming for new instructors, especially for those teaching classes at the novice level. Will my students...
Brightspace Help is Available!
Mar. 21, 2019—Come the the CFT and get individual help during Brightspace drop-in hours or by appointment in a one-on-one consult with one of our instructional technologists. You can also email us at Brightspace@vanderbilt.edu or check out this collection of step-by-step guides for help getting started. Drop-In Hours Mondays 2:30pm – 4:30pm Tuesdays 9:00am – 11:00am Wednesdays 1:00pm – 3:00pm...
Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt: Allison Leich Hilbun and Student Mini-Lectures
Mar. 4, 2019—By Faith Rovenolt, CFT undergraduate intern Dr. Allison Leich Hilbun, Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences, teaches BSCI 3270: Statistical Methods in Biology, also called biostatistics. Dr. Leich Hilbun loves teaching biostatistics, as I witnessed firsthand when I took her class last semester. She pairs her genuine excitement for sharing the material with various activities and assignments...
Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt: Corbette Doyle and Group Work Promises
Feb. 22, 2019—By Faith Rovenolt, CFT undergraduate intern I recently had the privilege to talk with Professor Corbette Doyle, a Senior Lecturer in Organizational Leadership in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations. She has made recent changes in one aspect of her course that strikes fear into many students’ hearts: group work. Doyle, like many professors,...
Writing as a Design Process
Jan. 24, 2019—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director On Tuesday, November 6th, the CFT’s learning community on teaching design thinking hosted a lively conversation about writing as a design process. Both writing and design involve knowing one’s audience and being intentional about feedback and revision. We invited Haerin Shin, assistant professor of English, and Matthew Worsnick, assistant professor...
Talking to your students about Brightspace – Spring 2019
Jan. 11, 2019—Getting to know a course management system can be confusing for students, as well as instructors. We’ve assembled a list of “Four Things Every Student Should Know about Brightspace at Vanderbilt.” This list will help your students as they navigate Brightspace. Instructors can feel free to share this post with students, link to it within...
Engaging Ethically and Actively in Online Communities
Jan. 8, 2019—by Chelsea Yarborough, Graduate Teaching Fellow, and Derek Bruff, Director The CFT’s learning community on teaching digital literacies concluded its fall conversation series on November 13th with a discussion of the ways instructors can help students participate productively in online communities. To get the conversation started, Derek Bruff, CFT director, invited each of our three...