science, math, and engineering grad students engage in teaching-as-research
as part of the cirtl network activities at vanderbilt, the cft co-sponsors the teaching-as-research (tar) fellows program for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the stem (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields at vanderbilt. cirtl defines tar as follows:
“teaching-as-research involves the deliberate, systematic, and reflective use of research methods to develop and implement teaching practices that advance the learning experiences and outcomes of students and teachers.”
each fall, a number of tar fellows are selected to conduct projects exploring aspects of undergraduate education in their disciplines. each fellow works with a faculty mentor, and each project typically focuses on an undergraduate course taught by that mentor.
each january the tar fellows share their projects with the campus in a poster session hosted by cirtl-at-vanderbilt. below are links to some of the posters from the 2009-10 cohort.
- tara davis & anneliese spaeth, mathematics (jo ann staples) – the effect of journal writing upon mathematical learning
- ayla pamukcu, earth & environmental sciences (guilherme gualda) – the influence of student diversity and the effectiveness of flowcharting on student success: a case study from an upper level geology course [vunetid req.]
- nicholas roberts, mechanical engineering (greg walker) – investigation of computational and visual modules to enhance learning in undergraduate heat transfer
- brian robertson, biological sciences (steve baskauf) – evaluating the effectiveness of clickers in a biology lab
- elizabeth vargis, biomedical engineering (anita mahadevan-jansen) – implementing and assessing a challenge-based module for spectroscopy in a biomedial optics class
- jonathan wellons, computer science (julie johnston) – novice programmer planning: a grounded theory approach
three of these students (nicholas roberts, elizabeth vargis, and jonathan wellons) have had presentations accepted at national conferences being held this summer.
see the cft’s teaching-as-research fellows page for information on 2008-09 projects, as well as more detailed program information. look for the call for proposals for the 2010-2011 cohort soon!
leave a response