‘Course Design’
CFT Working Group: Preparing Syllabi for First Faculty Job
Jun. 30, 2022—By Ransford Pinto During the Spring semester, the CFT organized a working group dedicated to supporting graduate students and postdocs who will be new faculty in the Fall of 2022 to create their needed syllabi in advance of the upcoming school year. In the four bi-weekly meetings, participants engaged in activities focused on Understanding by Design for...
Cumberland Project in August 2022
Jun. 8, 2022—By Joe Bandy In this time of environmental uncertainty and crisis higher education plays a vital role in helping the public meet the numerous challenges to sustainability, especially understanding and responding to climate change. Vanderbilt has taken up this challenge in a variety of forms, the latest of which is formation of the Climate and...
Self-Registration Courses
May. 23, 2022—by Stacey M. Johnson Self-registration courses are Brightspace courses into which anyone with a VUNetID can enroll as a student. These courses cover a variety of topics and come from different offices, centers, and departments on campus. Find out how to register yourself for a course here. We hope you will self-register for the three...
Online and Hybrid Teaching Working Group
Mar. 17, 2022—by Stacey M. Johnson In this series of three meetings via Zoom, our group will explore experiential teaching online through the lens of telecollaboration, online community engagement, and online course design. Join us for one, two or all three of these conversations in which we will explore resources and challenges associated with experiential online and...
Junior Faculty Spotlight: Adeana McNicholl
Jan. 10, 2022—The CFT highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. In this post, Adeana McNicholl, Religious Studies, talks about some of the lessons she has gained from the Fellowship. I am an Assistant Professor of Buddhist Traditions in the Religious Studies department. My research focuses on Buddhism in ancient South Asia and Buddhism in...
New Additions to the Course Design Resources Site
Dec. 14, 2021—Branching scenarios are much like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story. In a branching scenario, learners are taken through a scenario where they must make decisions based on the events that are presented. In the newest addition to the CDR (Online Course Development Resources) site, Carrie Sennet and Diana Vasquez (Vanderbilt School of Nursing) teach us how...
Join the Online Teaching and Course Design Learning Community
Sep. 27, 2021—This learning community is for those who want to dig deeper into online course design principles in order to create excellent. Group members work together to contribute to the CFT’s Online Course Development Resources website. REGISTER
Lessons from a Journal Club Blog Series
Sep. 13, 2021—Assessment of student learning is a familiar and essential component of teaching. As college instructors, we constantly ask ourselves questions like: “Are my students learning?” “What do they still not understand?” “Do students feel they can approach me with questions or concerns?” or, “That cool new thing I tried this semester — did it work?!”...
Upcoming Workshop: Group Work That Works
Aug. 20, 2021—Date: Tuesday, August 24th Time: 10:30am – 12:00pm Facilitator: Ransford Pinto, CFT assistant director Group work is an effective teaching approach that enhances student learning and encourages critical thinking and decision-making skills. In this workshop, we will explore strategies and leverage some lessons learned from last year to foster better group work during our in-person classes. REGISTER (A...
Upcoming Workshop: Teaching in Stereo – Strategies for Class Participation
Aug. 20, 2021— Date: Tuesday, August 24th Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm Location: CFT Classroom or Zoom Facilitator: Derek Bruff, CFT director Zoom classes showed us that having students participate using their voices isn’t the only meaningful kind of participation. How can we take a more inclusive, accessible approach to class participation once we’re back in the classroom? Join us in...