Teaching at Vanderbilt: An Orientation for New Faculty

Monday, August 16th, 2010
3:00 - 5:00pm

Center for Teaching
1114 19th Avenue, 3rd Floor

Register for this event.

At the beginning of every academic year, the Office of the Provost and the Center for Teaching host “Teaching at Vanderbilt,” an orientation for junior and senior faculty new to Vanderbilt. This year's event will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. on Monday, August 16th, 2010, at the CFT. CFT staff will be available for teaching consultations throughout the following week, and a series of hands-on workshops addressing a variety of teaching topics will be offered during the week, as well.

• TaV Schedule of Events
• Resources for New Faculty
• August Workshops
  • Just-in-Time Course Design: A Syllabus Clinic
  • Assessment of Student Learning: Grading Effectively and Efficiently
  • PowerPoint Makeover Clinic
• Traveling to the CFT

PLEASE NOTE:  "Teaching at Vanderbilt" features specific strategies for launching your teaching career at Vanderbilt, and is distinct from and complementary to the more general New Faculty Orientation sponsored by the Provost’s Office in August. Thus, faculty who will play an instructional role at Vanderbilt are encouraged to attend both events.  

Schedule of Events

3:00 - 3:30p.m.
Welcoming Remarks
Welcome from Richard McCarty, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychology
Introduction to TaV and an overview of CFT resources by Allison Pingree, Director, Center for Teaching

3:30 - 4:30p.m.
Getting to Know the Vanderbilt Teaching World
During two consecutive sessions, various aspects of teaching at Vanderbilt will be discussed. Participants may choose which topics they would like to learn about, and attend that session accordingly.

Documenting and Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness at Vanderbilt
Facilitators: Timothy McNamara, Associate Provost for Faculty and Professor, Psychology
Allison Pingree, Director, Center for Teaching

This session will address the teaching expectations for faculty at Vanderbilt and the idea of “highly effective teaching.”  It also will address when, how and why teaching is evaluated and what materials faculty should collect and prepare for documenting their teaching effectiveness.

Getting to Know VU Undergrads
Facilitator:  Richard Iannelli, Associate Director, Vanderbilt Institutional Research Group

Explore the rich information available to faculty about Vanderbilt undergraduates provided by the Vanderbilt Institutional Research Group (VIRG).

Reflections from Faculty Teaching Award Winners
Facilitator: Kat Baker, Assistant Director, Center for Teaching

This session will feature a panel of award-winning Vanderbilt faculty who will share their best practices and lessons learned through experience.  What do they know now that they wish they knew when they started?  Join us to find out, and ask your own questions.

4:30 - 5:00p.m.
Academic Resource Fair and Reception
An Academic Resource Fair and Reception at the end of the event will give participants a chance to socialize with each other and with other Vanderbilt faculty, as well as get practical questions answered by representatives from various services across campus.

For more information about TaV, contact Derek Bruff, Assistant Director, at 322-7290 or via email.

Resources for New Faculty

All faculty new to Vanderbilt and those teaching for the first time are encouraged to explore the Center for Teaching's website, including resources for faculty new to Vanderbilt.

You are also encouraged to explore Getting Started Teaching a Vanderbilt, a site sponsored by the Center for Teaching and the Office of the Provost designed to address many of the questions new faculty ask. Here you will find quick and useful answers to your questions, as well as resources to consult.

August Workshops

Just-in-Time Course Design: A Syllabus Clinic

Date & Time: Tuesday, August 17th, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: CFT Experimental Classroom
Facilitator: Joe Bandy, CFT Assistant Director
Audience: New and Returning Faculty

With classes starting next week, now is a good time to finalize the learning goals you have for your students, align the learning activities in which your students will engage with those goals, and communicate your expectations to your students in a final syllabus. This workshop will feature a 30-minute introduction to course design (including some tips on good syllabus design), followed by time for participants to work in small groups on syllabi for upcoming courses. Participants will be encouraged to provide feedback on each other’s ideas, and CFT assistant director Joe Bandy will be available for additional consultation.

Assessment of Student Learning: Grading Effectively and Efficiently

Date & Time: Thursday, August 19th, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: CFT Experimental Classroom
Facilitator: Derek Bruff, CFT Assistant Director
Audience: New and Returning Faculty

Whether the assignment is a semester-long project or a one-paragraph essay, student work should be assessed appropriately. That means aligning your assignments with your learning goals, using grading schemes that motivate students, and making good use of your time when grading. This workshop will include a 30-minute introduction to assessing student learning, followed by time for participants to work in small groups on grading schemes and rubrics for upcoming courses. Participants will be encouraged to provide feedback on each other’s ideas, and CFT assistant director Derek Bruff will be available for additional consultation.

PowerPoint Makeover Clinic

Date & Time: Friday, August 20th, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: CFT Experimental Classroom
Facilitator: Rhett McDaniel, Educational Technologist
Audience: New and Returning Faculty
 
We have all experienced the pain of a bad PowerPoint presentation. And even though we promise ourselves never to make the same mistakes, we can still fall prey to similar PowerPoint traps.  The good news is that your PowerPoint presentation doesn’t have to be boring. By keeping in mind a few guidelines, your classroom presentations can stand above the crowd! In this session, you will learn how to identify some of the common pitfalls and how to correct them. You’ll also discover tips and tricks for keeping your PowerPoint presentation visually appealing and interesting. CFT educational technologist Rhett McDaniel will be available for additional consultation.

Traveling to the Center for Teaching

For those walking:

The Center for Teaching (CFT) is conveniently located at 1114 19th Avenue South. Situated at the corner of 19th and Edgehill Avenues, the CFT is just one block from the 21st Avenue pedestrian bridge, making it only a 7 minute walk from Central Campus and just 3 minutes from the Commons.

For those driving:

Visitors will find four Zone 1 parking lots within two blocks of the CFT. Adjacent to the building on 19th Avenue is Lot 111 (please do not park in the spaces designated for the Child Care Center); on Edgehill Avenue there are two lots: Lot 80 and Lot 82; and across from the Commons Center is Lot 77 (18th Avenue South).

Zone 2 permit holders may park on levels 4 and 5 of the Wesley Place Garage, which is just two blocks away. After 2:30 p.m. vehicles with any university commuter permit may park in any zoned lot. There are also a number of metered spots available in front of the building on 19th Avenue.

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