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‘Learning Communities’

Never Going Back: What Online Teaching in the Times of COVID Can Add to Our Teaching Toolkits – Patrick Murphy,

Feb. 26, 2021—by Mohammad Meerzaei  Turning a language course into a learning community: Patrick Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Spanish Patrick Murphy is a senior lecturer at the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. His work is mainly focused on teaching beginner- and intermediate-level Spanish courses. In this interview, Murphy looks back at his journey with online teaching, exploring...

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Join a CFT Learning Community

Sep. 9, 2020—The Center for Teaching hosts a number of learning communities, intended for members of Vanderbilt’s teaching community interested in meeting over time to develop deeper understandings and richer practices around particular teaching and learning topics.  This year’s learning communities are: Teaching and Race In the midst of racist and anti-immigrant violence in the United States, and...

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Updates to CFT Programming

Apr. 15, 2020—With the campus move to remote teaching, learning, and work, the Center for Teaching has made some changes to its previously planned programming. Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows – We are still taking applications for the next year’s cohort of fellows! Applications are due Thursday, April 30th. Details on the JFTF website. Teaching Consultations – We are still available...

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Student motivation journal club: Starting the year with a framework to understand motivation

Sep. 12, 2019—by Cynthia J. Brame, CFT Associate Director Last week, my colleague Heather Fedesco and I convened the first meeting of a new, CFT-sponsored journal club on student motivation. We were excited to see the 15 or so faculty members who were there (and to get emails from others who had to miss it but plan...

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A Conversation on the Future of Digital Literacies

Apr. 9, 2019—It’s a safe bet that technology will change. And as technology changes, the ways we create and consume information and media will change, as will the ways we connect and communicate with each other. What will digital literacies look like in five or ten years? And what does the answer to that question mean for...

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From the Director

Jan. 9, 2019—Happy New Year! We have a busy semester planned at the Center for Teaching, with lots of opportunities for the Vanderbilt teaching community to reflect on their teaching, to connect with colleagues, and to be inspired. Here are just a few highlights… On February 4th, the CFT will hold a Celebration of Learning, an exhibition...

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Upcoming Science Teaching Lunch on November 16th

Nov. 13, 2018—The Science Teaching Lunch series invites faculty from A&S science departments to discuss common teaching challenges and to seek ideas and solutions from colleagues and the literature on science teaching and learning. This fall, the series will focus on questions relevant to graduate student education. The November teaching lunch will focus on using mentoring agreements...

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Online Communities: Teaching Digital Literacies Learning Community

Nov. 8, 2018—How can we encourage students to engage in civil and respective dialogue in digital environments? How can we help our students learn to contribute productively to online communities? Join us for a conversation on teaching students to particpate in online communities at the Center for Teaching on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, from 2:00 to 3:30pm....

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November Learning Community Meeting: Classroom Challenges

Nov. 6, 2018—Join a dynamic discussion of the many issues that arise for international students and faculty in the U.S. classroom, and the teaching approaches that may help both to thrive. The learning community meetings involve informal discussions of pedagogical readings, teaching challenges, and practical strategies for improving our teaching and learning. Topics include but are not limited to…...

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Writing as a Design Process: Teaching Design Thinking Learning Community

Nov. 2, 2018—There are some interesting parallels between human-centered design and writing. Just as designers use empathy to understand who they’re designing for, writers try to understand and connect with their audience. And just as writing involves brainstorming and revision, designing involves ideation and prototyping. Join us for a conversation on writing as a design process with...

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