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Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning

Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning

CIRTL Network Events

The CIRTL Network

In addition to local Vanderbilt CIRTL events, the CIRTL Network presents a wide variety of events to help graduate-through-faculty prepare for teaching through a variety of topics.  Every semester, CIRTL offers a variety of online courses that leverage the expertise and diversity of faculty from across our network.  Below is information on CIRTL MOOC and Courses.

Massive Open Online Courses

CIRTL is running two MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) in the spring semester, both designed to advance evidence-based STEM education at the college level. They start January 30, so sign up before then to take part. A summary of each MOOC, as well as links for more information, are provided below.

1. An Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate STEM Teaching

This course is designed to provide future STEM faculty, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows with an introduction to effective teaching strategies and the research that supports them.

The goal of the eight-week course is to equip the next generation of STEM faculty to be effective teachers, thus improving the learning experience for the thousands of students they will teach.

The course draws on the expertise of experienced STEM faculty, educational researchers, and staff from university teaching centers, many of them affiliated with the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), a network of research universities collaborating in the preparation of STEM graduate students and post-docs as future faculty members.  Register here.

2. Advanced Learning Through Evidence-Based STEM Teaching

At the core of improving teaching and learning is the need to accurately determine what students have learned as a result of teaching practices. This is a research problem, to which STEM instructors can effectively apply their research skills and knowledge.

In this course, you will learn about the “teaching as research” framework. This framework is a deliberate, systematic, and reflective use of research methods used to develop and implement teaching practices that advance the learning experiences and outcomes of both students and teachers.

Participants will learn about effective teaching strategies and the research that supports them, as well as how to collect and analyze evidence of student learning.

This course is targeted to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows within STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) that are seeking faculty careers at college and university.

The “Teaching as Research” framework is a core idea of The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), which is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded network of research universities committed to preparing outstanding future faculty in STEM disciplines, with the ultimate goal of improving undergraduate STEM education in the U.S.  Register here.

2016-17 CIRTL Courses

Teaching-as-Research
On Mondays from January 30 to April 3. Weekly online meetings at 11AM-12:30PM ET/10-11:30AM CT/9-11:30AM MT/8-9:30AM PT

Want to develop a Teaching-as-Research (TAR) project and be ready to implement in summer or fall? This course is designed to cover basic concepts, techniques, and procedures of conducting TAR in the undergraduate classroom. Students will develop a full TAR proposal and will be poised to conduct their research in the summer or fall of 2017. Available for 1 optional credit. Open to 30 students.

Developing a Teaching Portfolio (Almost full as of 12/19)
On Tuesday, January 31 and March 21 at 3-5PM ET/2-4PM CT/1-3PM MT/12-2PM PT

Portfolios don't just help you in the job search, they can help refine and advance your teaching in the classroom, too. In this class students will explore model teaching portfolios, write a personal philosophy of teaching, assemble evidence of their teaching, develop and present their own teaching portfolios, and use peer review rubrics to evaluate their own and peers' portfolios. Prior teaching experience is helpful, but not required. The majority of this course takes place asynchronously, outside of the two sessions on January 31 and March 21. Available for 1 optional credit. Open to 20 students.

The College Classroom
On Tuesdays from January 31 to April 18. Weekly online meetings at 11AM-12:20PM ET/10-11:20AMCT/9-10:20AM MT/8-9:20AM PT

Students will learn the basics of effective teaching as well as ideas at the forefront of college education, including digital approaches to teaching and learning. Students will explore their teaching philosophy, design a course curriculum, learn how to monitor and investigate the effectiveness of the learning environment, and learn what it means to create an inclusive classroom environment that engages all learners.  Available for 1 optional credit. Open to 30 students.

Diversity in the College Classroom
On Wednesdays from February 1 to March 29. Weekly online meetings at 12-1:30PM ET/11AM-12:30PM CT/10-11:30AM MT/9-10:30AM PT

The course is designed for STEM educators interested in considering diversity issues in college-level teaching. We will explore definitions of diversity, consider ways that instructor and student diversity and implicit biases can influence how we teach and learn, and work together to develop effective techniques and strategies for teaching inclusively. Students will create their own inclusive teaching plan and present it to the class at the end of the semester. Available for 1 optional credit. Open to 32 students.

Basics of Online Learning and Teaching
On Thursday February 2, March 16, and March 30-April 20 at 1:30-3:00PM ET/12:30-2:00PM CT/11:30AM-1:00PM MT/10:30AM-12:00PM PT

This course is designed to help graduate students and postdocs new to teaching online learn how to design and run an effective course. From February 2 through April 20, students will attend 6 online sessions and, on weeks without sessions, students will complete assignments to help develop their own materials for a sample online course. At the end of the semester, students will present those materials to the class. Available for 1 optional credit. Open to 30 students.

Research Mentor Training
On Thursdays from February 2 to April 20. Weekly online meetings at 3-4:15PM ET/2-3:15PM CT/1-2:15PM MT/12-1:15PM PT

In this seminar-style class, participants will work with a community of peers to develop and improve their mentoring skills. By the end of the seminar, participants should be able to clearly articulate a personal mentoring philosophy to anyone inside or outside their discipline, and describe multiple strategies for dealing with mentoring challenges. Available for 1 optional credit. Open to 25 students.

Service-Learning in STEM Classrooms: Introduction to Pedagogy and Practice 
On Tuesdays from February 7 to March 28. Weekly online meetings at 2-4PM ET/1-3PM CT/12-2PM MT/11AM-1PM PT

Service-learning is a high-impact pedagogy that engages students in applying what they are learning about in their class to a real-world community need or issue, and includes reflective activities to demonstrate and deepen the service and learning connections. This course will introduce best practices, research, and examples of the pedagogy, with a special focus on STEM disciplines. Not available for credit. Open to 20 students.