Resource Category
What Can Faculty Do about Students’ Classroom-Based Anxieties? More Than You Think.
Aug. 4, 2014—by Nancy Chick (CFT Assistant Director) Last week, The Princeton Review released its annual list of “The Top 10 Colleges for ___,” and Vanderbilt made a big splash by ranking #1 with the Happiest College Students in the US.* While this is fantastic news for the campus, and it’s interesting to speculate about what makes these...
The Mindful PhD: Sitting Down & Staying Still
Jul. 27, 2014—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director The progressive breakdown of my computer and resulting residencies of IT guys have conspired to force me to read some of the books I have stacked on my desk. Today, I read the copy of Teaching with Heart: Poetry that Speaks to the Courage to Teach (Intrator & Scribner, eds.,...
Curricular Redesign with the CFT
Jul. 14, 2014—One characteristic of “the best college teachers,” according to Ken Bain (author of the book by this name and founder of the Vanderbilt CFT), is the ability to “reflect deeply on the nature of thinking within their fields“: They know what has to come first, and they can distinguish between foundational concepts and elaborations or illustrations of...
The Mindful PhD: A Room of One’s Own
Jun. 27, 2014—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director I have a new favorite place on campus. It may not look like much–small room with a recliner and a lamp, a desk with a computer and handbook, a tv screen with assorted DVDs–but it’s a little oasis tucked into a corner room at 2015 Terrace Place. More comfortable than...
The Mindful PhD: Homing In
Jun. 20, 2014—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director My post-semester sabbatical from blogging lasted a bit longer than I’d anticipated. Nothing bad happened: I simply devoted 100% of my writing efforts to a few manuscripts I wanted to get off of my desktop. There are more–there are always more–but I finished the third yesterday, so I feel caught...
Reflecting On and Documenting Your Teaching Experiences
Jun. 6, 2014—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...
Make the Most of Your Course Preparation Time This Summer
Jun. 5, 2014—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...
New CFT Guide on Syllabus Design
May. 15, 2014—Jessica Riviere, Senior Graduate Teaching Fellow has develeped a new online guide on the topic of syllabus design. The strongest syllabi are built on a solid foundation of course design. Therefore, you should start by developing learning goals that are appropriate for the level of the class and the students in it. These are goals...
The Mindful PhD: In Case of Emergency
May. 1, 2014—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director Before flying, we’re told to locate our nearest emergency exits. If we’re sitting in the emergency row, we must verbally agree to the responsibility of working the doors and helping our fellow passengers if necessary. Similarly, now that storm season has arrived in the South,* we’ve all prepared our “safe...
The Mindful PhD: On Another Planet
Apr. 25, 2014—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director Last year, Forbes declared university professor the Least Stressful Job of the Year (Adams). The response was so strong that the writer issued a corrective Addendum, and the magazine published a variety of rebuttals explaining the stresses of this seemingly cushy job (c.f., Kroll, Willingham). In the wake of this...