U-CLaSS Recap (April 2026)

Teaching Tips from UW-Madison Undergraduates

• Students say they would prefer less technology in their classes when not really necessary. They told us that students engage more with what they are learning, and with each other, in classes that don’t use as much technology. They also suggested paper-based assignments, not just technology-based assignments. Recorded audio and slides alone do not provide enough engagement in the material to help students learn.
• Students also suggested that instructors have even less tolerance for Al. Please make sure that students aren’t using it. They suggest more time spent on writing in class.
• Students said they don’t want to just listen in class. They said to us that it is helpful to talk and do! They would also like more chances to learn from mistakes while in class. They suggested having actual worksheets to do in class. These worksheets help them know what to focus on and give them a chance to learn from mistakes.
• Students suggested that for math classes it is helpful to present both the specifics and the general aspects of the math material. Being aware of both the specific and general aspects of a concept can often help students understand the material better than if they are only aware of only one part of the concept.
• Students also like guest lecturers who are actually working in the field they are studying, such as researchers. This helps them connect what they are learning in class with the real world.
• Students prefer weekly homework due on either Monday or Friday, not on Wednesday. This works better for their general schedules, especially for students who work weekends. They would also like their homework to be available/unlocked earlier, prior to the due date, especially those students who are putting in a lot of work hours to pay for college and cover their living expenses.
• Be cautious with how much material you are expecting students to learn outside of class versus in class in your flipped classroom. Students say that they feel that they are expected to be able to learn the course material entirely outside of the class in some of their flipped classroom courses. They need more support and chances to work on the material with the instructor during class. This is especially true in large lecture courses. They would prefer that some of the teaching occur in the classroom, even in their flipped courses.
• Grade in a timely fashion. Students really need to see an assessment of their work close to when they turn it in, while it’s still fresh in their mind and before they’ve moved on to too many of their other assignments, especially if those future assignments require a correct understanding of the concepts learned in the previous assignment.
• Provide suggestions for what and how to study for the material in your course.
• Students prefer graduate level Teaching Assistants that know the material rather than undergraduate student assistants.
• Make sure that course textbooks match your course content as closely as possible.