‘CFT Programs’
GradSTEP Preview: Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Mathematics Virtual Panel
Jan. 11, 2012—This year’s GradSTEP event will feature two simultaneous panels of recent PhDs who have made the transition from grad student to full-time faculty positions. They chose to work at institutions that are, in some ways, very different from Vanderbilt. Panelists include: Tara Davis is currently in her first year as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Hawaii...
GradSTEP Preview: Humanities & Social Sciences Virtual Panel
Jan. 10, 2012—What happens after a successful job search? This year’s GradSTEP event will feature two simultaneous panels of recent PhDs who have made the transition from grad student to full-time faculty jobs. They answered the “What Next?” question, and will share their stories of stumbles and triumphs in these plenary sessions. Panelists in the humanities and...
Episode 29 – Why Does Teaching Matter?
Jan. 9, 2012—This episode captures a panel discussion called “Why Does Teaching Matter?” held during the 2011 GradSTEP event. Guil Gualda, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, Jennifer Holt, the director of the Vanderbilt Writing Studio, and Lee Wadsworth, lecturer in the Department of Psychology and Human Development each give candid responses to audience questions about...
Junior Faculty Teaching Fellow Spotlight: Emily Nacol
Dec. 7, 2011—“The initial challenge for undergraduate teachers of classic texts like the ones on my syllabi is finding a way to ease students’ trepidation about their ability to understand, much less criticize, daunting works like Plato’s Republic or Marx’s Capital.” A class of many students generates a diverse set of comments and questions, but as I...
Junior Faculty Teaching Fellow Spotlight: Humberto Garcia
Nov. 7, 2011— Each month, the CFT Newsletter highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Humberto Garcia, Assistant Professor in the English Department talks about his teaching philosophy and interests: “By using YouTube videos, paintings, e-mail, films, blog websites, etc., my goal is to access my students’ media ecology, the sites in which...
Junior Faculty Teaching Fellow Spotlight: Jon Edd
Sep. 23, 2011—Each month, the CFT Newsletter highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Jon Edd, Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department talks about his teaching philosophy and interests: After teaching thermodynamics for a year and a half, I find that one of the primary challenges for students is to assimilate the...
Apply Now to join the Teaching Certificate Program
Aug. 2, 2011—Why Participate in the Teaching Certificate Program? By developing and refining your teaching skills, you’ll improve the end-product of your teaching: the learning of your current and future students. You’ll do this by better understanding student learning and what kinds of teaching lead to it. By approaching your teaching as a cycle of inquiry, experimentation,...
Two Teaching Workshops Designed to Help You Prepare for Fall Courses!
Jul. 11, 2011—Just-in-Time Course Design: A Syllabus Clinic Thursday, August 18th, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Facilitator: Joe Bandy, CFT Assistant Director Audience: New & Returning Faculty This workshop includes lunch. With classes starting soon, now is a good time to finalize the learning goals you have for your students, align the learning activities in which your students will...
Teaching and Learning from a Student’s View
Jul. 8, 2011—This year at the CFT, we’re exploring the topic of negotiating student expectations about teaching and learning. We’ve found that when students and faculty have very different expectations, a variety of challenges can result, frequently leading to frustration for both teachers and students. As part of our exploration this past spring, we recruited four undergraduate...
Join the Teaching Certificate Program
Jul. 6, 2011—The CFT Teaching Certificate Program is a self-guided program designed so that Vanderbilt graduate students, professional students, and post-doctoral fellows have an opportunity to develop and refine their teaching skills through three cycles of teaching activities, each consisting of inquiry, experimentation, and reflection phases. In the first cycle – which is accepting applications now – participants focus on...