Derek Bruff

Derek Bruff is director of the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching and a principal senior lecturer in the Vanderbilt Department of Mathematics. As director, he oversees the Center’s programming and offerings for faculty and graduate students, helping them develop foundational teaching skills and explore new ideas in teaching and learning. He also consults regularly with campus leaders about pedagogical issues, seeking to foster a university culture that supports effective teaching.

Bruff’s scholarly interests include educational technology, faculty development, and visual thinking. He writes about these topics on his blog, Agile Learning, and his second book, Intentional Tech: Principles to Guide the Use of Educational Technology in College Teaching, will be published in 2019 by West Virginia University Press. His first book, Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments, was published by Jossey-Bass in 2009.

Bruff served on the board of directors of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network from 2010 to 2013. He also served as co-PI from 2013 to 2018 on a National Science Foundation grant supporting two open, online courses on evidence-based teaching practices for future STEM faculty. Bruff has taught at Harvard University and has a PhD in mathematics from Vanderbilt University.