Welcome to our December newsletter! With another semester behind you and a new year ahead, 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 invite you to un-mute or take the podium at the Teaching Academy’s February Winter Retreat! Share how you, your colleagues, or your students are using Generative-AI, and discuss its potential to transform the academy, our lives, and our disciplinary practices. Sign up today – the floor is yours! And … start the new year with learning communities and opportunities and from our partners in the Delta Program, Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring, the Discussion Project, and the Academy’s own Feedback on Teaching program!
Questions or comments about the newsletter? Contact Dan Pell and Sarah Pultorak, Editors, editor-uwta-newsletter@g-groups.wisc.edu
Upcoming Events | What’s happening in the Academy?
- Teaching Academy 2024 Winter Retreat | Generative-AI: Teaching & Tools. Fri Feb 2, 9–1130am, DeLuca Forum, WID and on Zoom. Doors open at 8:30am for light breakfast, Zoom opens at 845am. | REGISTER. We want to hear from you! Come share how you, your colleagues, or your students are using AI-tools. Talk about how you and your students have been trying out AI. Share an anecdote, story or experience. You can have up to 5 minutes of stage-time at the event (in person or on Zoom), or you can record a short video. | SIGN UP TO SHARE. This will be a hybrid event featuring an in-person and online experience with plenty of opportunity for collegial discussion. Questions about the Retreat? Want to help plan? Contact Angela Kita & Dan Pell retreats-uwta@g-groups.wisc.edu
- Teaching and Learning Meetups. Open to all! First and Third Thursdays, 4-6pm at the Memorial Union in the Rathskeller. We’ll grab a table or two for informal conversations. Look for the “T&L Meetup” table tents. 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. Join us! Questions about the T&L Meetups? Contact John Martin johnmartin@wisc.edu
Recognizing our new members
These individuals have been recognized for outstanding commitment to teaching and learning. Welcome to the Teaching Academy!
- Fellows: Beth Fields, Kinesiology, Josh Pultorak, Plant Pathology, Sarah Pultorak, Kinesiology.
- Future Faculty Partner: Steffenie Williams, Curriculum & Instruction.
CTLM Updates | Engage with the Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring
2024 Teaching & Learning Symposium | Call for Proposals
Are you exploring practices that will shape the future of teaching and learning and improve students’ experiences? Share your work in a presentation or poster at the 2024 UW–Madison Teaching & Learning Symposium on May 16. Through the theme, “Shaping the Future,” this event will highlight innovative teaching approaches and technologies. Proposals are due by Jan 19 | SUBMIT A PROPOSAL
Looking to reflect on your teaching? Want self-guided 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 | LEARN MORE
- Instructional Resources KnowledgeBase: Find resources that provide a quick introduction and concrete solutions to teaching challenges.
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, please contact CTLM with your request – we look forward to working with you! To learn more about these programs or to register, visit the CTLM’s Professional Development Opportunities.
Feedback on Teaching | Want to be observed in your teaching?
The Teaching Academy’s Feedback on Teaching (FoT) program offers a formative review of your instructional approaches from an invited observer, followed by a peer-to-peer conversation on how to improve student learning. | LEARN MORE
Want to observe? The Teaching Academy’s Feedback on Teaching (FoT) program is looking for academy members to serve as peer observers. | REGISTER AS A PEER OBSERVER. Please contact teachingacademy@provost.wisc.edu if you are interested in volunteering.
Member FYI | News, Events, Training, and Learning Opportunities
DELTA Program | Learning Community for Graduate Students & Post-Docs
Spring registration is open for the Delta Program’s 10-week Research Mentor Learning Communities, focused on becoming an effective and inclusive research mentor. Sessions are open to graduate students and postdocs. Delta is also excited to introduce a 6-week mini-course this spring, Navigating Mentorship, for graduate students to develop proactive skills as a mentee! Learning communities begin in late January and early February 2024. | READ MORE & REGISTER
The Discussion Project | Sign up for Winter
The Discussion Project has online courses open for Winter 2024! A free online course (seven two-hour zoom sessions), the Discussion Project supports UW-Madison instructors and leaders in designing and implementing high quality classroom discussion. Over 850 UW instructors have taken The Discussion Project from every school and college on campus. We hope you can join us! | REGISTER. Questions about the Discussion Project? Contact discussion-project@education.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 (editor-uwta-newsletter@g-groups.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
New Course: Education Essentials is a collection of modules aimed at developing key skills for all interprofessional health science teachers, in various teaching settings. How modules are utilized is flexible–one or more modules to all of them–to meet the various needs of our teachers based on their activities, schedules, and priorities.
Registration is free and modules can be completed at your own pace.| LEARN MORE & REGISTER
Explore:
Questions? Topics you would like to see? Announcements for the next issue? Contact Sara Scott (sfscott@wisc.edu)
Get involved! | Ways to contribute to the Academy’s ongoing activities
- Leadership Opportunity | Executive Committee Seeks Members. The Executive Committee of the Teaching Academy is looking for Future Faculty Partner (FFP) members and Faculty members. ExComm membership is evenly divided between Faculty, Future Faculty Partners and Academic Staff. Executive Committee members do not need to be long-term members of the Academy before joining the ExComm. The ExComm meets monthly. FFPs: take advantage of this opportunity to engage in leadership, networking, and collaboration with other active members of the Academy! Contact Ailea Merriam-Pigg (FFP Co-Chair) merriampigg@wisc.edu and John Martin (Academic Staff Co-Chair) john.martin@wisc.edu for more information.
- 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. Learn 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 change status from FFP to Fellow.
Committees
- Affiliate/Clinical Affiliate: Teaching experiential courses, from clinic to fieldwork? Become involved in growing the clinical affiliate or affiliate program. Contact teachingacademy@provost.wisc.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 retreats-uwta@g-groups.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 editor-uwta-newsletter@g-groups.wisc.edu
- Membership 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 johnmartin@wisc.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