‘About the CFT’
Changes at the CFT
Jun. 7, 2011—This week, the CFT and Tim McNamara, Vice Provost for Faculty, announced that Allison Pingree, Director, has accepted a position at the Harvard Kennedy School, as Director of Professional Pedagogy, effective September 1, 2011. Allison will be stepping down as Director of the Center for Teaching at the end of July. Allison led the transformation of...
The Center for Teaching extends an invitation to former staff for a reunion celebration!
May. 19, 2011—Current and former full time staff, Master Teaching Fellows, Graduate Teaching Fellows, and Teaching Affiliates are invited to join us for great conversation and food – celebrating the accomplishments and contributions you each have made to the CFT across the years. Anniversary events will begin at 4:00 pm on Thursday, September 8th, featuring welcoming remarks...
CFT Assistant Director Quoted in New York Times Article on “Backchannels”
May. 17, 2011—by CFT Assistant Director Derek Bruff A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by New York Times reporter Trip Gabriel for a story on the use of “backchannels” in education. A backchannel is a second conversation stream in a classroom or at a conference, typically one leveraging digital tools to complement the lecture or...
CFT Says Farewell to Kat Baker
May. 2, 2011—It’s with mixed feelings that we announce that Kat Baker will be moving this summer to Louisville, Kentucky, for personal reasons and to pursue teaching opportunities. She will continue teaching at the Divinity School as an adjunct faculty member, and is also developing a consulting business. Kat will leave a strong legacy at the CFT,...
The CFT Is Hiring – Assistant Director Applications Due May 20th
Apr. 29, 2011—We’re now accepting applications for an assistant director position at the CFT. The assistant director will work with faculty, teaching assistants, and other instructors across the university to advance excellence in teaching and learning at Vanderbilt. This work will take a variety of forms, in three general areas: Teaching: Consults with individuals and academic units...
CFT Assistant Director Joe Bandy Highlighted in Recent Sociology Publications
Mar. 1, 2011—Joe Bandy recently came to the CFT from Bowdoin College where his research was shifting to a focus on environmental sustainability and economic development in Maine, particularly the sometimes contentious relationships between working class communities and environmental advocacy in Maine’s extractive industries. From 1996 to 2004, his research investigated the many ways that social movement...
Grad Students, Come Work at the CFT!
Jan. 27, 2011—The Center for Teaching is now accepting applications for its 2011-12 Graduate Teaching Fellow and Teaching Affiliate positions. Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTFs) are employed for the entire academic year, engage in a variety of CFT activities around training and supporting teaching assistants across the university, and are paid $20,000 for the year. Teaching Affiliates prepare...
Cryptography: Nby Bcmnils uhx Gunb iz Wixym uhx Wcjbylm
Nov. 8, 2010—CFT assistant director Derek Bruff is teaching a new first-year writing seminar this fall. The course is titled “Cryptography: The History and Mathematics of Codes and Code-Breaking.” Topics include: military cryptography, like the efforts of British cryptographers at Bletchley Park during World War II to figure out the German Enigma Machine codes; cryptography in popular...
Hitting the Road: CFT Sessions at the 2010 POD Network Conference
Oct. 22, 2010—The Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network is the professional association to which CFT senior staff belong. The 2010 POD Network conference will be held next month in St. Louis, November 3-7. Several CFT staff members and one graduate student are attending the conference and leading sessions there. These sessions reflect several recent CFT initiatives...
Work at the Center for Teaching!
Oct. 13, 2010—The CFT has an opening available for a Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator coordinates the Center’s programs for graduate students and faculty, including orientations for new faculty and teaching assistants; conferences, workshops and working groups on teaching; training sessions for the Center’s graduate student staff; and ongoing programs such as the Teaching Certificate. This position...