Have you ever wanted a timer in class or a workshop that would help speakers track their time—without the stress … More
Author: cynthiabrame
I am a scientist who loves to teach, to learn more about how we build our knowledge and understanding, and to share resources and ideas with colleagues. I'm associate director at Vanderbilt's Center for Teaching, where I get to work with faculty members and graduate students as they think about how they want to grow their teaching abilities. I'm also a senior lecturer in the Biological Sciences department, where I teach biochemistry and get to challenge myself to do that better.
Before I came to Vanderbilt, I was associate professor in the Biology Department at Centenary College, where I taught cell biology, genetics, cancer biology and where I developed a course-based undergraduate research experience in molecular biology.
Lessons from teaching in Fall 2020: what to keep, what to ditch, and what to change
This fall, I got the opportunity to teach online for the first time. I had been thinking about online teaching … More
Promoting persistence in STEM Learning Community: Bad teaching, weed out courses, the struggle to thrive, and what non-STEM students can teach us
This year, a group of faculty members (and one soon-to-be faculty member) from multiple departments at Vanderbilt are joining together … More
Promoting persistence in STEM Learning Community: What interview data from Talking about Leaving Revisited tell us
This year, a group of faculty members (and one soon-to-be faculty member) from multiple departments at Vanderbilt are joining together … More
Promoting persistence in STEM Learning Community: Understanding switching trends
This year, a group of faculty members (and one soon-to-be faculty member) from multiple departments at Vanderbilt are joining together … More
Promoting persistence in STEM Learning Community: Getting started
Earlier this week, about 20 faculty members (and one soon-to-be faculty member) met to kick off a learning community focused … More
Student motivation journal club: Supporting our students’ motivation in the era of COVID-19
Our student motivation journal club is ending the academic year in the age of COVID-19 and all that implies: working … More
Student motivation journal club: Don’t forget about your strengths when considering ways to improve: The impact of various self-regulated learning strategies on effort intentions
By Heather Fedesco, CFT Assistant Director When we give students feedback on an assignment, we often list what they did … More
Student motivation journal club: What do students say matters for their motivation?
What’s more important for supporting our students’ motivation—autonomy, a sense of relatedness, or a sense of competence? That’s the question … More
Yours, mine, and ours: What effects does a shared self-transcendent purpose have in the classroom?
Why do you do the work you do? What motivates you to persist when it’s tough—when you read a review … More
Science teaching, science learning 