‘First-Year Students’
Advice for Faculty Teaching First-Year Undergraduates This Fall
Aug. 11, 2020—A couple of weeks ago, while talking with some faculty who will be teaching first-year undergraduates later this month, it occurred to me that this was a very unusual year to start one’s Vanderbilt experience. I reached out to an expert the first-year experience, Melissa Gresalfi, Dean of the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons and professor of...
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...
The Ethics of Personalized Medicine as a First-Year Common Experience
Jul. 23, 2010—Recently, the University of California at Berkeley announced a change to their usual practice of having incoming first-year undergraduates read a common book. This fall, they were asking new students “to return a cotton swab covered in cells collected from their inner cheeks in an effort to introduce them to the emerging field of personalized...
Episode 22 – Teaching First-Year Students (Part 2)
May. 19, 2010—In this episode, we feature a panel discussion with Susan Kevra, Senior Lecturer, French; Adam List, Senior Lecturer, Chemistry; and Doug Christiansen, Vice Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions. “Will this be on the test?” is, perhaps, a common question from first-year students, but why is it so common? Students who assume their job...
Highlights from “Teaching First-Year Students” Conversation – Unanswered Questions
Apr. 27, 2010—On April 1, the CFT held a conversation on teaching titled “Teaching First-Year Students: Cognitive Challenges of the First Year.” About twenty-five faculty, staff, and graduate students participated in the discussion. Panelists at the session were Doug Christiansen (Dean of Admissions), Susan Kevra (French, American Studies), and Adam List (Chemistry). The following questions were...
Highlights from “Teaching First-Year Students” Conversation – Communicating Expectations to Students
Apr. 23, 2010—On April 1, the CFT held a conversation on teaching titled “Teaching First-Year Students: Cognitive Challenges of the First Year.” About twenty-five faculty, staff, and graduate students participated in the discussion. Panelists at the session were Doug Christiansen (Dean of Admissions), Susan Kevra (French, American Studies), and Adam List (Chemistry). One of the questions...
Highlights from “Teaching First-Year Students” Conversation – What Is Deep Learning?
Apr. 21, 2010—On April 1, the CFT held a conversation on teaching titled “Teaching First-Year Students: Cognitive Challenges of the First Year.” About twenty-five faculty, staff, and graduate students participated in the discussion. Panelists at the session were Doug Christiansen (Dean of Admissions), Susan Kevra (French, American Studies), and Adam List (Chemistry). One of the questions...
Episode 20 – Teaching First-Year Students
Mar. 19, 2010—In this episode, we feature a panel discussion with Mark Dalhouse, Faculty Head of East House and Director for the Office of Active Citizenship and Service, Joseph Wehby, Associate Professor of Special Education, and Roark Luskin, Class of 2012. During the discussion, panelists answer two questions: Should Vanderbilt faculty and staff try to engage first-year...
Notes from Last Week’s “Teaching First-Year Students” Conversation on Teaching
Feb. 3, 2010—On January 26, 2010, the CFT held a conversation on teaching titled “Teaching First-Year Students: The Myth of First-Year Enlightenment.” About twenty faculty, staff, and students participated in the discussion. This was the description of the workshop: The popular vision of the first year experience is one of personal, ethical, and intellectual awakening. However, in...
Book Review: “The First Year Out” by Tim Clydesdale
Jan. 26, 2010—In researching his book The First Year Out: Understanding American Teens After High School (University of Chicago Press, 2007), Tim Clydesdale, a sociologist at the College of New Jersey, conducted in-depth interviews with 75 teenagers, many of whom he interviewed before and after their first year out of high school. The interviewees were diverse in...