Teaching Academy
Promoting, Recognizing and Supporting Excellence in Teaching and Learning

April 2025 Newsletter

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Teaching Academy: Promoting, Recognizing and Supporting Excellence in Teaching & Learning

Welcome to our April newsletter! Whether spring for you means petals or pollen counts, 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 a spring feast of community events and learning opportunities from the Teaching Academy and our partners. Sign up now to share at the August Best Practices Showcase! Learn from your colleagues at the annual Teaching and Learning Symposium and the Teaching Academy’s May Members+ Event.  Plan ahead with options from the Discussion Project, attend a brown bag with the Language Institute, or explore new resources from the Delta Program. Consider embedding nature connection in your curriculum, and perhaps most importantly, spend some time outdoors, which enhances productivity, learning, and wellbeing.

Questions or comments about the newsletter? Contact Dan Pell & Sarah Pultorak, Editors editor-uwta-newsletter@g-groups.wisc.edu 

Member Shout Out | Teaching Academy Announces Service Award

The Teaching Academy has established a new award: the Daniel Pell Service Award. The award honors individuals for their outstanding service to promote, recognize and support excellence in teaching and learning. The award is named after its first recipient, Daniel J. Pell, Senior Teaching, Learning and Technology Consultant in UW–Madison’s Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring and co-editor of this very newsletter.

Since becoming a Fellow in 2018, Dan has added a long list of contributions to the health and growth of the Teaching Academy. In 2018 he founded the newsletter you’re reading right now and continues to serve as its co-editor. He has chaired or co-chaired Teaching Academy Retreats since 2019—the same year he joined the Executive Committee.  In 2020, when administrative support for the Teaching Academy was not available, Dan took on management of the Academy’s membership list, tracking expenses for the retreats, maintaining the Academy’s communications and email list, and whatever else was needed…from preparing certificates, to tracking how the Academy recruits new members, to rebuilding the membership application form when it suddenly disappeared! In more recent years, he has also joined the Membership Committee. Dan appreciates the grassrootsy, volunteer nature of the Teaching Academy and finds joy in sharing volunteer opportunities with other members (and non-members). Most satisfying of all, he has had the honor of nominating more than two dozen of our current members.

Congratulations, Dan!!

Upcoming Events | What’s happening in the Academy?

Spring Members+ Event | “But will it benefit the students?” Lessons from flipping the classroom in a large, undergraduate STEM course

  • Tuesday, May 6, 1130-1230 (on Zoom) | REGISTER

Flipped classroom models promise more time for students to engage in discussion and ‘productive conflict’ with class material. But shifting content-delivery out of the classroom requires a leap of faith: Will students engage? Will they learn? Will they be able to get help? Will they like it?   In this virtual roundtable discussion, we’ll draw on first-hand experience and direct evidence as we discuss practical techniques for designing effective mini-lessons, engaging and supporting students, and overcoming resistance to change. Bring your own experiences and questions, and discover how the flipped model can transform teaching practices and student success in your own courses!

Featuring: 

  • Andrew Lokuta, Teaching Faculty, Anatomy and Physiology Director, Kinesiology
  • Eric Walsh, Teaching Faculty, Kinesiology
  • Julie Collins, Instructional Designer, Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring
  • Dan Pell, Teaching, Learning and Technology Consultant, Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring

Questions about Members+ Events? Contact Claire Barrett claire.barrett@wisc.edu

 

Teaching Academy Best Practices Showcase 2025

Do you have a unique assignment idea, active learning example, interesting teaching method, or any other learning-by-doing activity that works well with your students? Could it be applied to other courses/subjects or spark new ideas for your colleagues? Come together to share our best teaching and learning ideas applied in the classroom. We would love to highlight your work!

Questions about the Best Practices Showcase? Contact Jamie Henke jamie.henke@wisc.edu 

 

Teaching and Learning Meetups

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 john.martin@wisc.edu

 

Member FYI | News, Events, Training, and Learning Opportunities

The Discussion Project | Sign up for in-person Summer 2025 and online early Fall 2025

Registration is open for The Discussion Project in person courses in August 2025. The Discussion Project is a professional learning course to support instructors in designing, implementing, and facilitating high-quality classroom discussion. The course is designed to support instructors teaching classes of up to 40 students although many instructors who teach large classes have taken the course and found it effective for considering how to run interactive lectures and how best to prepare their TAs to run effective discussion sections. | REGISTER

In Person Cohort Dates

  • 2025.08A: August 11, 12, 13, Education Building (on Bascom Hill, Room 159) – for Faculty & Academic Staff
  • 2025.05B: August 11, 12, 13, Educational Sciences (1025 W Johnson St) – for Faculty & Academic Staff
  • 2025.08C: August 18, 19, 20, Education Building (on Bascom Hill, Room 159) – for Graduate Student Teaching Assistants

Registration is also open for The Discussion Project Virtual, which starts in early September 2025.  A free online course, The Discussion Project Virtual supports UW-Madison instructors and leaders in designing and implementing high quality discussion. The focus of the course is online synchronous video conference discussion, and the skills are also relevant and transferable to in-person teaching and facilitating discussions in meetings. | REGISTER

Virtual Cohort Dates

  • Wednesdays, 1–3pm CST: 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22
  • Each virtual session is preceded by 1 hour of asynchronous work in Canvas.

Questions about the Discussion Project? Contact discussion-project@education.wisc.edu 

Language Institute | Workshops & Brown Bags for Language Educators

Second Language Acquisition Graduate Student Symposium: Belonging in SLA: Locating the Researcher and the Researched in a Transdisciplinary Field

  • Friday, April 18, 12:00 – 8:00 pm
  • Saturday, April 19, 2025, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
  • Memorial Union and on Zoom | LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Questions about the Language Institute? Contact Jana Martin, jcmartin4@wisc.edu

DELTA Program | New communication tools for use by departments and programs

We are happy to introduce communication tools for use by departments and programs to help educate graduate students and postdocs about the Delta Program. As part of the Graduate School, the Delta Program supports professional development in teaching and mentoring for graduate students and postdocs. | ACCESS THE MATERIALS

The KnowledgeBase (KB) includes:

  • A 2-minute overview video about the Delta Program.
  • Information about the Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, a new initiative that fulfills the breadth requirement.
  • Details about the Research Mentor Training Program.
  • Descriptions of the new digital badges related to teaching and mentoring.

We encourage you to use these resources to inform and engage graduate students and postdocs about the opportunities available through the Delta Program!

Questions about the DELTA Program? Contact Jules Whitaker, jawhitak@wisc.edu 

Nature Connection Across the Curriculum

Do you teach course content related to the natural world, human behavior and culture, or health and wellness? Do you recognize a need for humans to connect with themselves, each other, and the land in order to ensure the longevity of our planet? If you’re curious about ways to foster students’ connection to nature in and beyond the classroom, check out this free eBook from Dr. Steffanie Scott at University of Waterloo, Nature Connection Across the Curriculum: Resources for Post-secondary Educators.

What to learn more? Watch this 2 minute video

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 & Sarah Pultorak  editor-uwta-newsletter@g-groups.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 new members

Now is the perfect time to honor a colleague or nominate yourself! For over 30 years, the Academy’s mission has been 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.

There are three types of membership: Future Faculty Partner (FFP), Fellow, and Affiliate. Learn how to become a Member. 

Questions about membership?  Are you an FFP who has moved on to another position in the University?  Contact uwta-membership@g-groups.wisc.edu

 

CTLM Updates | Engage with the Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring

2025 Teaching & Learning Symposium

View the lineup and register for the biggest annual teaching event on campus! Keynote speaker Christina Katopodis, co-author of “The New College Classroom,” will present the latest science of learning and share teaching strategies that anyone can adapt easily and effectively in every field. | LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Enhancing Online Education Summer Programs

Designed specially for instructors teaching online and hybrid courses, these programs explore six foundational topics to promote student engagement and success. Sign up for as many topics as you like and choose from webinars, micro-courses or both. The series kicks off May 20 with our newest topic, developing instructional materials. | LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Madison Teaching & Learning Excellence

This two-semester fellowship for early career faculty provides personalized support in teaching from a cross-disciplinary community of peers and teaching and learning experts. Apply now for the fall 2025 cohort. | LEARN MORE

If 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.

 

Learning Community Update | Clinical Teachers’ Corner

Clinical Teacher Learning Community: Network, Explore, Build. "Furthering Clinical Education"

Medical Education Day 2025

This event features learning and networking opportunities for faculty and staff educators who teach health professional students, residents, or clinicians at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, and across the state of Wisconsin. | LEARN MORE

Wisconsin Medical Journal call for papers

The WMJ invites manuscripts that explore teaching, learning, and assessment of learners at all levels across, and adjacent to, medical education for a special themed issue to be published in December 2025. Manuscripts are due July 15. | LEARN MORE

Articles for Discussion

This event features learning and networking opportunities for faculty and staff educators who teach health professional students, residents, or clinicians at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, and across the state of Wisconsin. It will occur on May 29, 2025, at Health Sciences Learning Center. | LEARN MORE

Articles for Discussion

Participate in discussion of articles featured in the Clinical Teacher Learning Community. Topics include adult learning theories, medical education and artificial intelligence, building growth mindset, and measuring learner engagement. This online community also offers connections, news, and resources for clinical teachers. | LEARN MORE

Courses

Registration is free and these courses can be completed at your own pace.

Explore

Questions? Topics you would like to see? Announcements for the next issue?  Contact Marianna Shershneva marianna.shershneva@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 

 

Get involved! | Ways to contribute to the Academy’s ongoing activities

Get Involved! in bold letters beside images of a pile of I Am UW stickers.