Scholarly & Innovative Teaching

Our Work

Through our teaching and learning support, we seek to foster scholarly and innovative teaching that engages all students and educators in transformative learning for the purposes of personal and academic growth, the co-creation of knowledge, and the development of solutions to our world’s greatest challenges.

AdvancED offers a diverse array of programs and services that:

Apply research-based best practices and professional development.
Nurture belonging through equity, inclusion, and caring communities of practice.
Promote campus-wide collaboration between leaders, teachers, and learners.
Design thoughtful curricula and organizational structures.

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Educational Design and Development

Consultations

Individual consultations are among the most beneficial services we offer. Each consultation is focused on your needs, allowing targeted approaches to address your teaching context and goals. These one-on-one consultations are designed to be formative, not summative, and therefore our staff or the information we discuss plays no role in any hiring, reappointment, tenure, or other evaluative process.

Consultations can center on any teaching-related question that you have, but they often revolve around several core needs:

Syllabus and Course Design

Course design review is a valuable first step as you plan your courses and can bring an holistic and intentional approach to the development of multiple course components: your teaching philosophy, learning goals, assignments, learning activities, lesson plans, engagement techniques planning, course policies, or writing your syllabus, just to name a few.
Instructional Design

We can help you develop well-designed courses in Brightspace, Vanderbilt's learning management system, that can lead students to experience greater understanding, accessibility, organization, self-efficacy, and success.
Teaching Observation

Observations can be a highly valuable way to identify strengths and possible growth areas in your techniques of lecturing, leading discussions, designing lesson plans, engaging students, fostering inclusion and belonging, and countless other skills. This can be a way to become a more reflective and intentional teacher, and generate new ideas for effectively meeting your goals. This involves scheduling both an observation and a one-hour debrief.
Technology Consultation

Our team can help you think of what, if any, educational technology might help you innovate and better achieve your teaching goals, including Brightspace, Vanderbilt's learning management system, its associated tools, communications and networking technologies, presentation platforms, classroom response systems, audio/video technology, artificial intelligence, and much more.
Teaching Portfolio

We can help you reflect, assess, and develop a teaching philosophy, a self-evaluation of your teaching, or other components of your teaching portfolio that can be constructive for your teaching career.

To set up a consult, complete our partner intake form below. If you prefer to meet with a specific team member review our team profiles below. If you need additional guidance, contact us via email or call us at 615-322-7290 and we will connect you to the right person.

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Collaboration with Departments, Programs, and Schools

In addition to individual consultations, the Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education collaborates with department, program, school, and other unit leaders to support their curricular and organizational development. Our staff support collaborative initiatives that enhance student learning and faculty success. Below offers some examples of how we might be of service to you, but please complete our partner intake form to explore these or other needs and services.

Teaching

We can support a variety of efforts to improve teaching institutionally, such as assisting in the design and implementation of evaluating teaching effectiveness (such as peer review), making sense of student evaluations of teaching, exploring and implementing research on pedagogies relevant to your discipline, developing discipline-specific teaching practices (signature pedagogies), establishing teaching award systems, and facilitating course design institutes, to name a few.
Learning

We can enhance student learning experiences by supporting student-centered design of curricular sequences and programs, facilitating reflection and research on learning, rethinking the effectiveness of learning spaces, and facilitating workshops or learning communities on learning issues, among other work.
Curriculum

Along with the Office of Academic Program Review, Assessment & Accreditation we can help you assess and evaluate your current curriculum or consider possible revisions to existing programs or launching of new programs.
Professional Development

We can support the professional development of your faculty and staff by creating plans for teaching improvement, recruitment and orientation of new faculty, mentoring junior faculty, fostering future faculty development processes for graduate students, and enhancing mentorship processes for instructors at all levels, just to name some examples.

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Programs

Besides our singular events, the Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education has a variety of longer, more comprehensive programs that provide educators with opportunities to learn more extensively about teaching and learning, and to become more effective educators. Learn more by clicking on the programs below which are updated periodically based on availability.

Interested but looking for other solutions? Check out AdvancED's other areas of support and services.

Explore Digital & Lifelong Learning

Dedicated to enabling high-quality, uniquely Vanderbilt programs our team can partner with you to plan, develop, and launch online or hybrid graduate degrees, and certificates.

Learn more about digital & lifelong learning

Explore Educational Technology

Providing technical and pedagogical support for faculty, staff, and students our team is here to help you achieve your teaching and learning goals.

Learn more about educational technology

Our Team

Jennifer Ogg Wilson

Director

Jennifer Wilson is the Director of the Office of Education Design and Development. As a Vanderbilt alumna with a Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science, she is thrilled to be back on campus. A seasoned learning facilitator, she has created and led over 300 educational development workshops and programs for university faculty and staff. Her areas of expertise center around active learning, metacognition, student engagement and belonging, teaching innovation, and educational research. Her two most recent research projects explore the effects of personality on active learning and learning gains experienced by students taught through virtual reality. Prior to joining the OEDD in February of 2024, she was the Director of Teaching Programs at the University of Louisville. She also served for six years an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Tennessee Tech University, where she was the 2016 recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award in General Education. Jennifer holds B.A.s in French and International Studies from the University of Tennessee, which support her favorite hobby of travel. Her other interests outside of higher education include downhill skiing, scuba diving, and cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Brian DeLevie

Associate Director

Brian DeLevie is a digital artist, designer, author, and former Associate Professor of Design at the University of Colorado Denver. During his twenty-year tenure at the university, he served as the Co-Founder and Director of The Comcast Center for Media and Technology and the Center for Arts as Systemic Change, Chair of the Department of Visual Arts, and Head of the Digital Design program. As Associate Director, Brian liaisons with departments and colleges across the Vanderbilt campus and supports consultations, syllabus and course design, experiential education, workshops, teaching observations and programs such as New Faculty Teaching Academy. He also serves as a Senior Lecturer for The Department of Cinema & Media Arts.

Brian’s body of creative and artistic works investigates themes of technology, memory, history, and Holocaust issues and has been exhibited and screened widely nationally and internationally and led to a Fulbright Fellowship to study the influences of Film, Television, and the Internet on German culture. With a Masters of Fine Arts in Electronic Arts/Design and an Ed.D in Leadership for Educational Equity in Higher Education, Brian has researched, presented, and published numerous papers investigating the confluence of design, memory, innovation, culture change, and experiential educational practices in higher education.

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Bryson McGuire

Manager of Teaching Development and Initiatives

Bryson McGuire, Ed.D. is the Manager of Teaching Development and Initiatives with the Office of Education Design and Development, a subset of the AdvancED team at Vanderbilt University and holds a Secondary Appointment as a Lecturer in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations (LPO). With a Doctor of Education in Learning Organizations and Strategic Change and a Master of Arts in Secondary Education, Bryson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role.

Throughout his career, Bryson has cultivated a leadership philosophy centered on trust, compassion, and collaboration. His diverse background includes roles as Interim Principal, Assistant Principal, Adjunct Professor, and Education Consultant, where he has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead teams, create inclusive learning environments, and improve teaching effectiveness and student achievement. Bryson’s expertise includes leading collaborative initiatives that increased teacher-led activities and student engagement, as well as spearheading staff professional development sessions that enhanced student achievement scores and teaching effectiveness.

In addition to his practical experience, Bryson is also an accomplished author. His publications include The Effective Educator: Research-Based Strategies for Classroom Success (2024), "Cultivating Black Male Educators into School Leadership: A Pathway to Success" in K12 Digest (2024), and a co-authored quantitative study, "Closing the Achievement Gap: A Quantitative Study Measuring Middle School Student's Achievement and Growth in a Middle Tennessee Charter Network" (2020).

Bryson is committed to community service and promoting equity and inclusion. As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and a board member of the Tennessee Pride Chamber, he actively promotes inclusion in professional and community settings.

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Marcy Pedzwater

Instructional Design Manager

Marcy is an Instructional Design Manager with the AdvancED team. With over five years of experience teaching and working in higher education, Marcy is passionate about creating and supporting high-quality learning experiences for students. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, she worked for the Writing and Learning Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from UNC-Chapel Hill and a B.A. in Literature and a B.A. in Spanish from UNC Asheville. Outside of work, you can find Marcy knitting, crocheting, and going on hikes with her dog.

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Meg Pilkenton

Education Development Specialist

Meg Pilkenton is an Education Development Specialist with the Office of Education Design and Development, a subset of the AdvancED team at Vanderbilt University. She leads the Academy of College Teaching and supports AdvancED’s educational development programming. She is passionate about active learning, critically reflective course design, and inclusive pedagogy. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Texas at Austin, where she spent six years teaching undergraduate courses in English and rhetoric as well as training graduate instructors. She’s also really into reading, her giant cats, and the fiber arts.

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Lisa Lei

Instructional Designer

Lisa is an Instructional Designer with the AdvancED team. She is passionate about creating innovative, multimodal learning experiences and leveraging new technologies to promote educational equity. Prior to joining Vanderbilt University, Lisa served as an Instructional Technology Assistant at the Columbia Video Network. She also gained Instructional Design experience from Columbia University and iFLYTEK, a leading AI technology company in China. Additionally, she taught AP Psychology to students from five different countries. Lisa holds a Master of Education degree in Instructional Technology and Media from Teachers College, Columbia University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Bilingual Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Boston University.

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Grace Carlson

Instructional Designer

Grace is an Instructional Designer within the AdvancED team. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Grace worked as a high school chemistry and physics teacher at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Her experience in the classroom has driven her passion for creating accessible and engaging materials for all learners. Grace holds a Master of Education in Secondary Education from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. In her free time, you can find Grace spending time outdoors with her dog, trying out new restaurants across Nashville, or binging reality television.

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Juliet Traub

Administrative Coordinator

Juliet has been with the Office of Education Design and Development, a subset of the AdvancED team at Vanderbilt University (formerly the Center for Teaching) since October 2014. She provides financial and logistical support for the office, which includes scheduling teaching consultations and meetings, managing the center’s budget, tracking participation within courses, and assisting with the planning and implementation of events and programs. Juliet holds a B.A. in Spanish from Middle Tennessee State University. She previously worked at World View, a program at the University of North Carolina, where she served as program manager.

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Contact Us

Have a question about our teaching support services or need assistance with something else? Please feel free to contact our team.

Mailing Address
PMB183
230 Appleton Place
Nashville, TN 37203

Hours
9:00am - 4:00pm CST
Monday - Friday

Phone
615-322-7290

Email
advanced-teaching@vanderbilt.edu

Visit Us

Situated at the corner of 19^th and Edgehill Avenues with the main entrance facing 19^thavenue, our team is located just one block from the 21^st Avenue pedestrian bridge, making it a short walk from central and Peabody campuses.

Campus visitors can find parking near the building by using the campus parking map.

19th Avenue and Edgehill