Resource Category
Instructional Design Consultations through iDesign
Sep. 21, 2020—Vanderbilt University has partnered with the instructional design firm iDesign to make available a number of services to help faculty and other instructors prepare for online and hybrid teaching this fall. iDesign learning specialists are on-hand to assist with your course design and teaching effectiveness questions. If you have a question relating how to best...
Teaching in a Hybrid Classroom – What’s Working, What’s Not
Sep. 11, 2020—by Derek Bruff, Director For some instructors, the classroom looks very different this fall. Some of their students are in the classroom, but masked and physically distanced. Some of their students are participating remotely during class via Zoom. Prior to this fall, no one had taught in these conditions. The Center for Teaching staff put...
Upcoming Conversations on Teaching
Sep. 3, 2020—These sessions provide members of the Vanderbilt teaching community a chance to share their teaching experiences and learn from each other in an informal, discussion-based format. Teaching in a Hybrid and Physically Distanced Classroom For some instructors, the classroom looks very different this fall. Some of their students are in the classroom, but masked...
Brightspace and Teaching Focused Workshops for the Fall
Sep. 2, 2020—We have several Brightspace and online teaching focused workshops lined up for September. Offerings include: Grades and Feedback in Brightspace Participants in this workshop will learn how to organize their gradebook and about the range of tools available in Brightspace to make grading and feedback more efficient and effective. September 2, 12:00-1:30pm. REGISTER Assignments in...
Teaching Assistants’ Roles and Responsibilities During COVID-19
Aug. 20, 2020—By Leah Marion Roberts, Senior Graduate Teaching Fellow, 2020-2021 and Heather N. Fedesco, Assistant Director, Center for Teaching As new Teaching Assistant Orientation comes to an end this week, it is helpful to think through the roles and responsibilities graduate teaching assistants (TAs) may now face in their entirely online or hybrid with physical distancing...
CFT Launches New Site to Help Instructors Develop Online Courses
Aug. 17, 2020—The Center for Teaching is excited to announce the Online Course Development Resources website. The site is designed to help faculty and other instructors design, teach, and revise their online courses, drawing on research, best practices, and existing resources from the Center for Teaching and around the web. There are two ways to engage with the resources on the...
Tips for Creating Quality Videos at Home
Aug. 13, 2020—Are you hoping to create more professional-looking videos for your courses? Checkout Tips for Creating Quality Videos at Home where CFT Digital Media Specialist, Carly Byer, lists tips, recommends budget-friendly equipment, and links out to helpful tutorials. The equipment recommendations include audio, lighting, cameras, and even backdrops. Interested in also editing your videos? You may be...
Advice for Faculty Teaching First-Year Undergraduates This Fall
Aug. 11, 2020—A couple of weeks ago, while talking with some faculty who will be teaching first-year undergraduates later this month, it occurred to me that this was a very unusual year to start one’s Vanderbilt experience. I reached out to an expert the first-year experience, Melissa Gresalfi, Dean of the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons and professor of...
CFT Blog Posts Designed to Help You Prepare for Fall
Aug. 10, 2020—CFT director, Derek Bruff, outlines some student-centered strategies you can use to engage students in meaningful learning, including discussion leading, live polling, backchannels, collaborative notetaking, group work, hybrid pair work, and more. Read Active Learning in Hybrid and Physically Distanced Classrooms Cynthia Brame, CFT associate director, has been thinking about different ways to structure students’ time “in the...
Teaching Assistant Orientation
Aug. 5, 2020—Many graduate students are awarded teaching assistantships, and while teaching assistant (TA) duties vary across departments, they all demand considerable skill and knowledge. These duties can include grading, consulting with students during office hours, leading discussion or problem sessions, teaching labs, or giving lectures. To assist new TAs as they prepare for their duties, the Vanderbilt...