Welcome to our March newsletter! As you stumble across the first shoots and blooms of spring, we hope you find time to read and enjoy this month’s newsletter, which includes updates, and multiple ways of staying connected with the Teaching Academy.
Questions or comments about the newsletter? Contact Dan Pell, Editor dan.pell@wisc.edu.
This month, read insights from undergraduates who took part in a U-Class event on Flexibility in Instruction. Engage with an exciting program of workshops offered by the Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring. Join the conversation on the Teaching Academy’s Facebook group. And revisit the Winter Retreat on Fostering Belonging through Equitable Assessment: video now available!
Upcoming Events | What’s happening in the Academy?
Teaching Academy Facebook Group
Are you on Facebook? So is the Teaching Academy!
Join the Teaching in Higher Education public Facebook group to mingle with other Higher Ed teaching and learning enthusiasts for thought-provoking questions, shared resources, and asynchronous community connections. Pop in when you’d like. Share a thought or two. See what others think. Learn something new about teaching in higher ed — all in your own time, in the comfort of your favorite pajamas! Share with colleagues who aren’t in the Teaching Academy (yet…)! See you there! Questions? contact johnmartin@wisc.edu.
Member FYI | News, Events, Training, and Learning Opportunities
Teaching Academy Winter Retreat Recap: Assessment and Belonging
Did you miss the Teaching Academy’s Winter Retreat on Assessment and Belonging?
Next month, the newsletter will share written responses by panelists to many of the questions posed by the audience.
Feedback from U-Class: Flexibility in Instruction
On February 24, 2022, six Teaching Academy members met with 12 campus student leaders in an event organized by ASM and the Teaching Academy. This list results from the prompt to the students to “Reflect on course flexibility practices — what works and what doesn’t?” See the write-up here: U-CLaSS — Flexibility in Instruction (Feb 24, 2022).
What Works:
- Timely access to recorded lectures, lecture slides, and/or lecture notes.
- Built-in course flexibility, such as allowing all students a set number of excused absences (without needing to provide documentation or share trauma) or allowing all students to drop a set number of assignments.
- Multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery (rather than a midterm exam, final exam, and a paper being the only opportunities to demonstrate mastery).
- Variety in assignments (e.g., modality or materials).
- Opportunities, scaffolded by the instructor, for students to connect with one another during the course.
- Remote synchronous office hours (via Zoom, phone call, or other synchronous form of communication) and mechanisms for students to engage with instructors via asynchronous modes of communication (email, text chat, and the like).
What Doesn’t Work:
- Expecting students to get lecture notes or other information about a missed class session from fellow students rather than the instructor.
- Relying solely on teaching assistants for one-to-one student-instructor interaction.
- Night exams, because they are challenging for students due to their work or family schedules and due to having already completed a full day of classes.
- Timed exams, time-limited quizzes, and other assessments that cause anxiety, as well as test surveillance software (e.g., Honorlock) that can be biased.
- Assigning students to use technology that the instructor themselves hasn’t used.
- Providing disability-related accommodations only when requested by the McBurney Center (and only for students who are registered with McBurney) rather than building accommodations into the course and making accommodations available to all students.
Have something to share? Academy members work in diverse roles and learning environments across our university. If you have an event, training, or opportunity you would like to share with the Academy, contact Dan Pell, editor (dan.pell@wisc.edu) Messages received by the second Monday of the month may be included in that month’s newsletter.
Join us! Honor a colleague! | The Academy is seeking nominations
Now is the perfect time to honor a colleague or nominate yourself! Our mission is to promote, recognize and support excellence in teaching and learning among faculty, staff and students across campus and beyond. The Teaching Academy welcomes nominees who work in traditional classrooms, clinical practice, field instruction, or instructional support with learners at any level.
There are three types of membership: Future Faculty Partner (FFP), Fellow, and Affiliate. Read about how to become a Member.
Are you an FFP who has moved on to another position in the University? Contact teachingacademy@provost.wisc.edu to discuss changing your status from FFP to Fellow.
CTLM Updates | Engage with the Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring
TeachOnline@UW
TeachOnline@UW is accepting applications for Spring’s Facilitation & Management course: May 16-June 10, 2022. Explore techniques, strategies and practices to help identify and hone a plan for connecting with students and managing an online course. Apply by May 6, 2022.
Teaching at UW: Semester Sessions
Teaching at UW is a fully online and interactive workshop series designed to help instructors improve their course design and instruction:
- Teaching at UW: Designing Effective Discussions – March 25, 10-11:30am. Three takeaways:
- All discussions are influenced by the relationship and level of trust that discussants have with each other. Prompts need to be well-structured to overcome that barrier, engage students, and connect to their individual and group interests.
- Canvas Discussions (and other asynchronous forums) are different from face-to-face ones so must be designed differently.
- Discussions allow students to actively engage with material, deepening learning, and offer you an opportunity to offer feedback and ensure students are on the right track.
- (Join us for more!)
- Teaching at UW: Diversifying Course Materials – April 1, 10-11:30am
- Teaching at UW: Utilizing Classroom Assessment Strategies – April 8, 10-11:30am
- Teaching at UW: Clarifying Expectations & Grading Using Rubrics – April 22, 10-11:30am
- Teaching at UW: Promoting Student Health and Well-Being – April 29, 10-11:30am
To learn more about these programs or to register, visit the CTLM Website. If you’re not sure which of the above opportunities is right for you or you’re looking for a different kind of engagement or instructional support, you can request a consultation.
Self-directed resources
- Course Success Self-Review: Take this quick, anonymous survey to identify ways to strengthen the design and delivery of your course and receive targeted feedback and resources on the comprehensive Course Success website. Recognized by EDUCAUSE as an exemplary program of professional development for hybrid teaching.
- Instructional Resources KnowledgeBase: Find resources that provide a quick introduction and concrete solutions to teaching challenges.
Visit the CTLM website to view and register for upcoming workshops, TeachOnline@UW and Madison Teaching and Learning Excellence (MTLE), or request a consultation with a CTLM staff member for individualized support. The Teaching at UW program will also continue throughout the spring 2022 semester. More workshops will be added by the start of the semester! To learn more about these programs or to register, visit the CTLM’s Professional Development Opportunities. All events are posted on the CTLM Events Calendar.
Learning Community Update | Clinical Teachers’ Corner
March Feature
Developing Women’s Leadership
From the Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab at Stanford University
Rethinking Time: The Power of Multipliers (also viewable in Faculty Central Resources from SMPH): View on YouTube.
“Instead of giving up on goals, might we rethink time?”
Finding time is the significant challenge for many people. Instead of giving up goals, Stanford Marketing Professor Jennifer Aaker offers a new solution: rethinking time. This module illuminates how to align goals and execute on them by creating “Multipliers” (defined as one activities that fulfill multiple goals), which will enable you to achieve more goals that are important to you.
UW Women & Leadership Symposium — Call for Proposals
The UW Women & Leadership Symposium will be held on June 1, 2022 at Union South. Proposals Due: April 15, 2022. Submit your proposal here.
Sessions should promote the learning and growth of current and future women leaders; possible session topics are provided on the website. The conference registration fee will be waived for accepted presenters. The symposium is open to anyone interested in women’s advancement. Registration details and an event agenda will be announced soon. More information.
ICTR provides many resources for developing your mentor/mentee skills. Check out their website for additional resources and links: https://ictr.wisc.edu/mentoring. On their site you will find a link to the Coordination Center of the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). NRMN is part of a broader NIH consortium serving mentors and mentees that strives to enhance diversity in the biomedical research workforce.
Explore:
Resources:
Questions? Topics you would like to see? Announcements for the next issue? Contact Sara Scott (sfscott@wisc.edu)
The Academy Forum | Share ideas with other members
Where is the Academy Forum?
The Academy Forum is moving to the Teaching Academy’s public Facebook group: Teaching in Higher Education. We hope that this change will encourage direct, lively and meaningful interaction. Watch for a summary of the conversation in future newsletters. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Forum!
Get involved! | Ways to contribute to the Academy’s ongoing activities
Affiliate/Clinical Affiliate: Teaching experiential courses, from clinic to fieldwork? Become involved in growing the clinical affiliate or affiliate program. Contact wenker@pt.wics.edu
Analytics Committee: Help ensure that we are capturing the right information to determine who the Academy’s programs are reaching, whether participants find them valuable, and most importantly, what was learned through participation. Contact teachingacademy@provost.wisc.edu
Fall Retreat | Winter Retreat: Join the committee to plan, organize & facilitate campus-wide teaching development events. Contact dan.pell@wisc.edu
Feedback on Teaching (FOT) Committee: FoT offers an opportunity to participate in scaling up and implementing a new peer observation program across campus. Contact teachingacademy@provost.wisc.edu
Members-Only Roundtables (MOR): We are seeking Fellows who are interested in organizing one-per-semester roundtable discussions among members on issues surrounding teaching & learning. Contact claire.barrett@wisc.edu
Newsletter & Academy Forum: Join the planning committee, contribute to the forum, act as guest editor for the Academy newsletter. Contact dan.pell@wisc.edu
Nomination Committee: We are seeking Fellows (Faculty & Academic Staff) and FFPs to help review nominations. Honor great campus educators & promote excellence by helping to review nominations to the Teaching Academy. Contact wenker@pt.wics.edu
U-Class: Explore teaching and learning from the student perspective by attending our U-CLaSS sessions. Contact jamie.henke@wisc.edu