NEWS FEEDJanuary 21, 2004. The VITAL environment has been adapted for use in five sections of the course Clinical Practice with Couples, taught by Tazuko Shibusawa and Susan Oppenheim of the School of Social Work. VITAL was originally designed for Professor Herbert Ginsburg's Development of Mathematical Thinking course at Teachers College. VITAL has become a strategic technology for CCNMTL given the adaptability of the pedagogy and methodology for pre-professional and clinical training.
Students use VITAL to generate weekly essays based on video recordings of clinical sessions. In their personal workspace, students construct essays that can include video quotes to support their arguments. The linked video annotations within the essay allow faculty to follow student observations. Additionally, once completing an assignment, students have access to the essays submitted by their peers.
In Clinical Practice with Couples, Professors Shibusawa and Oppenheim focus on relating concepts and theoretical frameworks studied in course readings to professionally produced recordings of couples' clinical sessions. Using VITAL, students identify and analyze different theoretical models and clinical techniques as well as consider their own intervention methods.
For more information regarding VITAL contact ccnmtl-vital@columbia.edu
QT Video: Prof. Herbert Ginsburg Demonstrates 