Welcome to our August newsletter! Whether you’re coasting, careening, or catapulting into another academic year, 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.
This month, we share diverse and exciting ways to invest in your professional development, including opportunities from Writing Across the Curriculum, the Delta Program, the Clinical Corner, and the Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring. Craving connection? Join the conversation at the twice-monthly Teaching and Learning Meetups. And register now for the Teaching Academy’s Fall Retreat!
Questions or comments about the newsletter? Contact Dan Pell, Editor dan.pell@wisc.edu.
Upcoming Events | What’s happening in the Academy?
Fall Retreat: Addressing Linguistic Bias to Support All Learners
- Join us on Fri Sept 30, 9-1130 for the Teaching Academy’s 2022 Fall Retreat. This will be a two-track hybrid event. Join us in Gordon Commons OR on Zoom!
The retreat will explore and address linguistic bias to better support all learners. This includes learners for whom a language other than English is their first language, and learners for whom academic standard varieties of English are not their dominant language. Detailed speaker and event agenda to information to follow.
Teaching and Learning Meetups
Open to all! First and Third Thursdays, 4-6pm at the Memorial Union Rathskeller or Terrace if it’s nice out. We’ll grab a table or two for informal conversations! Look for the “T&L Meet Up” table tent(s)! Come connect with other educators who are passionate about teaching and learning. Bring a question or comment you’d like to talk about, or just jump into conversation at hand. Food, coffee, and other beverages nearby. We hope you’ll join us! Questions about the T&L Meet Up? Contact John Martin john.martin@wisc.edu
Welcome! | Recognizing our new members
The Teaching Academy recognizes this individual for his outstanding commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. We welcome to the Academy a new affiliate, Sin Yin Lim, from Pharmacy!
Join us! Honor a colleague! | The Academy is seeking nominations
Let’s make that list a little longer! 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 have your status changed from FFP to Fellow.
CTLM Updates | Engage with the Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring
The Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring is offering opportunities to help faculty, instructors and graduate assistants start the semester strong by exploring evidence-based teaching practices for fostering inclusion, belonging and achievement. Flexible formats are available.
Register now for Teaching at UW: Foundations and Enhancing Online Education.
Looking for 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. An EDUCAUSE an 2022 exemplary program of professional development for hybrid teaching!
- Instructional Resources KnowledgeBase: Find resources that provide a quick introduction and concrete solutions to teaching challenges.
All events are posted on the CTLM Events Calendar.To learn more about these programs or to register, visit the CTLM’s Professional Development Opportunities.
Feedback on Teaching | Seeking peer observers
The Teaching Academy’s Feedback on Teaching (FoT) program is looking for academy members to serve as peer observers for the fall semester. FoT seeks to provide a formative or summative review of a colleague’s instructional approaches, and to actively solicit a peer exchange of ideas on how to improve student learning. Please contact Andrew McWard amcward@wisc.edu if you are interested in volunteering.
Member FYI | News, Events, Training, and Learning Opportunities
Delta Program
What will you say in your job interview about your preparation for teaching or research mentor training? Register now for a Delta course this fall, designed for busy graduate students and postdocs.
Teaching in Science and Engineering: The College Classroom Two sections available! Thursdays, 11:00am – 1:00pm, starting Sept 8 <or> Tuesdays, 1:20pm – 3:15pm, starting Sept 13
Develop foundational knowledge of evidence-based pedagogical practices, explore how excellence and diversity are intertwined, and try new teaching approaches in a supportive environment. ΔΔ
Participants say: “THE best introduction I’ve had to connect best practices and teaching-as-research to the classroom.”
Build an Inclusive Canvas Dream Course Thursdays, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, starting Sept 8
Teach better and more efficiently using inclusive instructional technology. Building on your existing skills, you will hone your teaching style and gain a solid foundation in the learning sciences, while creating an effective Canvas course that is inclusive and equitable for students. ΔΔ
Research Mentor Training Two sections available! Tuesdays, 9:55am – 10:45am, starting Sep 13 <OR> Wednesdays, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, starting September 7
Based on a nationally-recognized curriculum, this course gives you space to explore strategies to become a more effective, culturally responsive mentor and discuss mentoring challenges as they arise. Δ
Participants say: “One of the best classes I took in my PhD. It prepared me to work well with different types of mentees. I feel much more comfortable with mentoring and advising now.”
..See all our fall courses here, or drop in to one of our workshop offerings here (local fall workshops will be up by 9/1).
And: What are those Δ’s? We use Δ’s (deltas) to indicate how a course counts as you progress toward our Internship and Certificate in teaching and learning.
Writing Across the Curriculum – Online Training Modules
Developing and Teaching Effective Multimodal Writing Assignments September 20, 5:00-6:15 PM (Hybrid) This workshop shares strategies for incorporating multimodal readings, discussions, activities, and assignments into your courses. Multimodality – or, the use of more than one mode or format in a piece of communication – can help instructors build a class environment that values diverse literacy skills. Register: https://forms.gle/sj9bF5Jffz87fwgP8
Strategies for (More) Equitable Assessment of Student Writing
Monday, September 26, 12:00-1:30 PM (virtual, synchronous). Both writing and evaluation are such subjective processes—how can you assess students’ writing equitably? Equitable assessment plays an important role in how you design writing assignments as well as how you evaluate them. Register: https://forms.gle/GkcsgJ3ZkEzrZTMU9
(Re)Design a Writing Assignment Tuesday, October 11, 12-1:30 PM (virtual, synchronous). Explore pedagogical approaches to designing inclusive and accessible writing assignments (including transparency, equity, and access). Learn how to design low and high stakes writing assignments to meet your learning objectives. Register: https://forms.gle/QHrT89GPtupyM2gP8
Writing Recommendation Letters for Students (Virtual/Asynchronous – Click here to view in Kaltura MediaSpace). Do you feel unprepared when asked to write letters of recommendation for your students? In this workshop, we’ll look at a sample of letters and we’ll offer advice about writing letters that are honest and effective.
For a full description of these learning opportunities visit the Writing Across the Curriculum Website. Questions about the Writing Across the Curriculum Program? Contact Angela Zito, azito@wisc.edu
Have something to share? Academy members work in diverse roles and learning environments across our university. If you have news, events, training, or opportunities you would like to share with the Academy, contact Dan Pell (dan.pell@wisc.edu) Messages received by the second Monday of the month may be included in that month’s newsletter.
Learning Community Update | Clinical Teachers’ Corner
August Feature
Learner Climate & Orientation from the UW-SMPH Faculty Central Resources
As students are returning to campus, take a moment to reflect on ways to make sure your classroom and clinical spaces are welcoming to students of all different backgrounds. See the following short video for tips on how to create a positive learning environment in your clinical setting. Orienting A Medical Student To Your Office
Explore:
Resources:
Questions? Topics you would like to see? Announcements for the next issue? Contact Sara Scott (sfscott@wisc.edu)
Social Media Update | Join the Conversation!
Join the Teaching in Higher Education public Facebook group. Questions about the Facebook group? Contact John Martin john.martin@wisc.edu
Join the discussion on Instagram: @uwteachingacademy. Questions about the Academy’s Instagram? Contact Bri Meyer blmeyer2@wisc.edu
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
- Member+ Events: 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: 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
- Teaching Academy Facebook Group: Are you on Facebook? So is the Teaching Academy! Join other Higher Ed teaching and learning enthusiasts for thought-provoking questions, shared resources, and asynchronous community connections. Contact johnmartin@wisc.edu