‘Discussion Leading’
New Resource on Leading Synchronous Online Discussions
Oct. 26, 2020—Check out the latest page on Leading Synchronous Online Discussions posted within the Center for Teaching’s Online Course Development Resources website. Heather Fedesco, CFT assistant director, provides suggestions for effective ways to incorporate group discussions into Zoom class sessions. You can learn more about setting expectations for Zoom discussions, establishing community norms to ensure these...
Teaching after Charlottesville
Aug. 15, 2017—By Derek Bruff, CFT Director This weekend’s events in Charlottesville, Virginia, saw hateful and bigoted speech turn into deadly violence. As classes at Vanderbilt resume this month, these events will be on the minds of students and faculty returning to campus. They’re certainly on my mind. I think of my visit to the University of...
Teaching in Response to the Election
Nov. 10, 2016—by Joe Bandy, CFT Assistant Director Before and certainly after Tuesday’s election, there has been much discussion in higher education about the incivilities and conflicts of this electoral season, and the potential impacts they are having on our students, particularly those students who are least represented on our campuses and most vulnerable to trauma. Many...
Claiming Your Authority in the Classroom
Sep. 28, 2016—by Cynthia Brame, CFT Assistant Director One of the most persistent questions about college teaching is how to establish authority while being student-centered and giving your students voice. It ranks right up there with—and is related to—questions about how to engage students. For a scholarly perspective, we can turn to a model proposed by Paul...
Upcoming Faculty Teaching Visit with Anita Mahadevan-Jansen, Orrin H. Ingram Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Wednesday, February 18th
Feb. 4, 2015—BME 260: Analysis of Biomedical Data Anita Mahadevan-Jansen is a professor of Biomedical Engineering and director of CIRTL-at-Vanderbilt, an initiative focused on professional development of STEM graduate students and post-docs around teaching. In BME 260, Anita focuses on helping students develop transferable skills in statistics that they can use to answer a variety of questions...
Upcoming Faculty Teaching Visit with Paul Kramer, Associate Professor of History Thursday, February 12th
Jan. 29, 2015—HIST 272: Debating America in the World Paul Kramer is an associate professor of history and author of The Blood of Government: Race, Empire, the United States and the Philippines. In HIST 272, he guides upper level undergraduates as they consider the role of the United States in the world, considering issues of world leadership,...
Upcoming Faculty Teaching Visit with Craig Smith, Associate Professor in Psychology and Human Development Friday January 30th
Jan. 16, 2015—PSY-PC 1700: Social and Emotional Context of Cognition Craig Smith is Associate Professor of Psychology and Human Development as well as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies at Peabody College. In PSY-PC 1700, he works with students to understand how the ways we perceive the world impact a variety of cognitive processes, guiding the students through considerations of...
A Reflection on Facilitating Conversations on Difference and Power
Sep. 26, 2014—By Brielle Harbin, CFT Graduate Teaching Fellow Conversations about race are often fraught. The remains of past hurts or misunderstandings fill our words with emotion and implicit meanings. Peeling back these layers often reveals hurt, hurt caused by feeling misunderstood or invalidated. These hurts dwell in all of us, even when they go unengaged. We...
Ask Professor Pedagogy: Encouraging Participation From All
Jun. 14, 2013—Ask Professor Pedagogy is a twice monthly advice column written by Center for Teaching staff. One aspect of our mission is to cultivate dialogue about teaching and learning, so we welcome questions and concerns that arise in the classroom; particularly those from Vanderbilt faculty, students, and staff. If you have a question that you’d like...
Ask Professor Pedagogy: Teaching to an academically diverse group
Jan. 25, 2013—Ask Professor Pedagogy is a twice monthly advice column written by Center for Teaching staff. One aspect of our mission is to cultivate dialogue about teaching and learning, so we welcome questions and concerns that arise in the classroom; particularly those from Vanderbilt faculty, students, and staff. If you have a question that you’d like...