The Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching promotes university teaching that leads to meaningful student learning. Our offerings are available to any members of the Vanderbilt community interested in developing their teaching practices.
New CFT Guide on Academic Advising
Feb. 22, 2021—The CFT is proud to offer a new teaching guide on academic advising. Academic advising is a foundational element of any institution of higher education because it is necessary for student achievement. However, it can be difficult to do well, especially when time is limited or advising models are unclear. In this guide, the CFT’s...
Never Going Back: What Online Teaching in the Times of COVID Can Add to Our Teaching Toolkits – Elisabeth Sandberg
Feb. 19, 2021—by Mohammad Meerzaei Enhanced Quality Time in Teaching: Dr. Elisabeth Sandberg, Senior Lecturer in Psychology Having taught at least one very large class each semester for years, Sandberg found that teaching online this fall helped her achieve new ways of interacting with students in different stages of their learning. She shares with us her thoughts...
“One of the things that putting the course online forced me to do was to do was to go back to bare bones, like what are the goals?”: Diana Heney talks about her synchronous sessions in her online courses.
Feb. 18, 2021—Diana Heney, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, recently joined Thomas Clements, Kathy Friedman, and Jessica Watkins for a Conversation on Teaching about their approaches to synchronous sessions in online courses. You can see the recording of the entire session here. In the clip below, Diana describes specific ways that she shaped the two classes she taught...
Upcoming Spring Meetings Around Teaching and Race
Feb. 16, 2021—As part of the 2020-21 Teaching, Difference, and Power learning community on Teaching and Race, the Center for Teaching is hosting meetings this Spring that we hope you will attend. On February 19th, from 9:00am to 10:30am, at this link, we are fortunate to have Rich Milner from the Department of Teaching and Learning, Peabody...
“It gets us away from staring at all these little boxes on the screen—it gets us all on the same side looking at something else.”: Jesse Blocher talks about his Fall 2020 hybrid course.
Feb. 15, 2021—Jesse Blocher, Associate Professor of the Practice for Finance and Data Science, recently joined Marcy Singer-Gabella and Julie Johnson for a Conversation on Teaching about the hybrid courses they taught in Fall 2020. You can see the recording of the entire session here. In the clip below, Jesse shares key lessons about how he uses...
Spring Science Teaching Lunch Series
Feb. 15, 2021—The Science Teaching Lunch series resumes in Spring 2021, typically meeting on the third Friday of the month from 12-1. In these lunches, we invite faculty to discuss common teaching challenges and to seek ideas and solutions from colleagues and the literature on science teaching and learning—in the past, over lunch, but now, over Zoom. This semester,...
PowerPoint hack: A homemade time tracking tool for meetings and classes
Feb. 12, 2021—by Cynthia Brame Have you ever wanted a timer in class or a workshop that would help speakers track their time—without the stress of an actual clock? I recently found something that served this purpose and think it could be handy for a number of situations where you want a visual reminder of time. See...