‘Course Design’
Junior Faculty Teaching Fellow Spotlight: Lily Claiborne
Dec. 19, 2014—Each month, the CFT Newsletter highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Lily Claiborne , Senior Lecturer in the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, talks about her teaching philosophy and interests: In a time when earth processes are moving to the forefront of global issues through climate change and natural...
Coordination and Coherence: Behind the Scenes of a Multi-Institution MOOC
Aug. 7, 2014—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director, cross-posted from Derek’s blog, Agile Learning Back in November, I announced that the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching would be part of a $750,000, three-year, multi-institution National Science Foundation supporting the creation of two MOOCs (massive open online courses) on evidence-based teaching practices for future STEM (science, technology, engineering, and...
Make the Most of Your Course Preparation Time This Summer
Jun. 5, 2014—Summer time is here, and many faculty members have a break from their usual schedules, a chance to slow down a bit and start planning their fall courses. If you have a breather, you may find this an opportune time to review and refresh your teaching plans and practices. The Center for Teaching is open...
New CFT Guide on Syllabus Design
May. 15, 2014—Jessica Riviere, Senior Graduate Teaching Fellow has develeped a new online guide on the topic of syllabus design. The strongest syllabi are built on a solid foundation of course design. Therefore, you should start by developing learning goals that are appropriate for the level of the class and the students in it. These are goals...
TAing to Thousands: A Graduate Student MOOC Panel
Mar. 19, 2014—What is it like to serve as a teaching assistant in a course with thousands of students? On February 24, 2014, the Vanderbilt Institute for Digital Learning, Center for Teaching, Graduate School, and Jean & Alexander Heard Library co-sponsored a panel of graduate students (and one undergraduate student) who have served as Teaching Assistants for...
The Power of Design: What design projects can teach our students—and us
Feb. 13, 2014—By Cynthia J. Brame, Assistant Director This year, the CFT has adopted a “Students as Producers” theme, exploring ways that instructors can scaffold their classes to help students do meaningful, creative work. Design projects, the linchpin of any engineering curriculum, illustrate some of the key benefits and lessons of helping your students be producers. I’ve...
BOLD Fellow Lauren Palladino Develops a Series of Online Astronomy Modules
Jan. 24, 2014—The BOLD Fellows program is designed to bring together graduate students and faculty members interested in blended and online learning. Graduate students develop online learning modules for implementation in a faculty mentor’s course and then gather data on the effects of the modules on student learning. BOLD Fellow Lauren Palladino worked with faculty mentor Dr....
Recommended Reading: Cheating Lessons by James Lang
Jan. 13, 2014—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director. Cross-posted from Derek’s blog, Agile Learning. Last summer, I was honored to be asked to read and review James Lang’s excellent new book, Cheating Lessons: Learning from Academic Dishonesty (Harvard University Press, 2013). James Lang is an associate professor of English and the director of the Center for Teaching Excellence...
What’s In Your Syllabus?
Jan. 7, 2014—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director I just posted my syllabus on YES (Your Enrollment Services, where students register online) as part of Vanderbilt’s effort to help students make informed choices about their courses, and I had a moment of anxiety. Like Anne Bradstreet in “The Author to Her Book,” despite my worries that it’s...
Class Time Reconsidered: Making the Most of 150 Minutes a Week
Oct. 29, 2013—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director. Cross-posted from Derek’s blog, Agile Learning. I spent last Friday in sunny Denver, Colorado, catching up with my grad school colleague Nick Galatos and giving a talk on, well, the flipped classroom for the University of Denver mathematics department. I hesitate to use the term “flipped classroom” because I had...