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Junior Faculty Spotlight: Ibby Cizmar

Feb. 25, 2022—Each year, the CFT Newsletter highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Ibby Cizmar, Assistant Professor of Theatre specializing in Acting and Directing, talks about some of the lessons she has gained from the Fellowship. Through the JFTF program I have established connections with colleagues across disciplines and identified overlapping challenges across fields.Having a...

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Course Improvement Grant spotlight:“The Physics of Yoga: Connecting Body to Mind”

Feb. 24, 2022—Savanna Starko, senior lecturer in physics & astronomy, recently told us about her Course Improvement Grant on connecting mind to body through examining physics in yoga. Can you tell us about your project and what inspired you to do it? I’m working with Lauren Colliau, a graduate student getting a master’s degree in education, on...

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Join a CFT Learning Community!

Feb. 22, 2022—Learning Assistant Instructors  Learning assistants, or LAs, are undergraduates who serve as peer educators in courses that they have previously taken. Supported by training in pedagogy, they extend the reach of faculty members implementing active learning components in a course and help provide personalized experiences that increase students’ sense of belonging. In this learning community,...

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Course improvement grant spotlight: “Music Classroom Technology”

Feb. 17, 2022—Bethany Nickel, visiting assistant professor of Instrumental Music Education, talked about her Course Improvement Grant, “Music Classroom Technology,” in an interview with CFT assistant director Julaine Fowlin. Bethany’s project was inspired by her experience last Fall with teaching a short unit on music technology in her Instrumental Methods for Juniors in Music Education Course (MUED3010)....

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Excellence in (Student) Podcasting Submissions Now Open

Feb. 16, 2022—The Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities is sponsoring the second annual Excellence in Podcasting Competition, in collaboration with the Office of Immersion Resources and the Center for Teaching. We had really fantastic student submissions last year, and you can listen to the winning submissions on our podcast VandyVox. If you know of students who...

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Catch up with the Leading Lines Podcast

Feb. 10, 2022—In this episode, Nathan Stucky, director of the Farminary Project at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey, and Emma Lietz Bilecky, Farminary Fellow talk about the origin of the Farminary, combining work on the farm with theological education, and the challenges and opportunities that come with teaching in rhythm with nature. Listen to the latest episode below!...

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Pham and Cravens explore “What Students Value Most” in online degree programs

Feb. 8, 2022—By Cynthia J. Brame Associate professor of the practice in LPO Xiu Cravens and Vanderbilt doctoral alumnus Lam Pham recently published an analysis of student experiences in an online Ed.D. program, identifying key program characteristics and structures for promoting student engagement and satisfaction in a fully online program. Pham, who is currently an assistant professor...

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