Welcome to our May newsletter! Amidst the swirl of gowns and mortars, 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: Welcome to our last newsletter of the academic year! Congratulate the 2026 winners of the Teaching Academy’s annual awards. Welcome our newest member. Nominate a student or colleague to the Academy. Are you a Faculty or Grad Student member? Support the health and impact of the Academy by taking a place on the Executive Committee. Fill your summer with growth and learning, with multiple professional development opportunities from our partners. And…connect with other members at our first Induction Ceremony in more than 5 years!
Questions or comments about the newsletter?
Contact Dan Pell & Sarah Pultorak, Editors: editor-uwta-newsletter@g-groups.wisc.edu
Updates & Events | What’s happening in the Academy?
Announcing Recipients of 2026 Academy Awards. The Executive Committee is pleased to honor two recipients who have demonstrated sustained excellence in teaching and learning on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and dedicated service to the Teaching Academy:
- Ailea Merriam-Pigg | 2026 Distinguished Future Faculty Partner Award
Ailea is a Lecturer and PhD candidate in Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture in the Department of Communication Arts. Ailea has served as Future Faculty Partner Co-Chair on the Teaching Academy’s Executive Committee since August 2023. Her service to the Teaching Academy has been dedicated, thoughtful and unwavering – her expert leadership skills and personal kindness have been on display in the ways she has chaired and facilitated Teaching Academy Executive Committee meetings and has communicated Academy’s business.
- Kelly Copolo | 2026 Daniel Pell Service Award
Kelly is an Academic Program Specialist in the Division for Teaching and Learning, and she was the Teaching Academy’s key administrative support partner from 2023 through 2025. Kelly assisted with the organization of the Fall and Winter Retreats, with membership, with the Academy’s newsletter, with the mailing list, and with administrative tasks of the Executive Committee – she worked efficiently and effectively, and with a mindset that was positive, enthusiastic, gracious, and kind.
Questions about Awards or the Executive Committee?
Contact teachingacademy@wisc.edu
Welcome our Newest Member! This individual has been recognized for outstanding commitment to teaching and learning. Welcome to the Teaching Academy!
- Cassidy Rempel, Communication Arts | Future Faculty Partner
Leadership Opportunities in the Teaching Academy. The Executive Committee seeks to fill multiple leadership positions:
- Faculty Executive Committee Members
- Future Faculty Partner (Graduate Student) Executive Committee Members
The Executive Committee is composed of elected Fellows and Future Faculty Partners who work actively to better teaching and learning. The Executive Committee elects faculty, academic staff, and future faculty partner co-chairs from its membership. A future faculty partner co-chair position is open. | Learn more
Questions about membership? Interested in applying?
Contact teachingacademy@wisc.edu
2026 Induction Ceremony & Member Meeting (Thursday, May 14, 4–5 pm, Landmark Room (3rd floor), Union South). The Teaching Academy will be holding a member meeting and induction ceremony during the Teaching & Learning Symposium.
Questions about the Induction Ceremony?
Contact Kate Rotzenberg katherine.rotzenberg@wisc.edu
Seeking New Members | Join the Teaching Academy. 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, academic staff and graduate students across campus and beyond. The Teaching Academy welcomes nominees who teach or support instruction for face-to-face, online, and hybrid classes, clinical practice, field instruction, and more. | Learn how to Become a Member
Questions about membership?
Are you an FFP who has moved on to another position in the University?
Contact teachingacademy@wisc.edu
CTLM Updates | Engage with the Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring
Teaching resources | Investing to transform high-priority courses. Include Engage Challenge offers funding and staff support to instructors and departments for course transformations. Create comprehensive, sustainable improvements in courses that are integral to a curriculum and/or seeing enrollment growth, shifts in student population, or other changes. We’re recruiting now—contact CTLM by June 1 to receive priority. | Contact us
Apply Now for CTLM Fall Teaching Fellowships. Expand your knowledge of teaching and learning in the company of supportive colleagues and CTLM specialists. Each program is designed for a particular instructional audience:
- CTLM Teaching Fellows is for academic and clinical instructional staff
- Madison Teaching & Learning Excellence is for early career, tenure track faculty
Exploring AI in Teaching (sessions begin June 10). Gather ideas for purposeful writing assignments, AI-supported problem set creation, and more through three webinars in June. | Register
Pre-Semester Teaching Institute. Teaching this fall? Register now for the Pre-Semester Teaching Institute on August 26. You’ll come away with evidence‑based teaching strategies, course design ideas, and campus resources to support effective, inclusive learning from day one. | Register
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.
Member FYI | News, Events, Training, and Learning Opportunities
The Discussion Project. The Discussion Project will be running the following courses in June and August at UW-Madison. Register here | Learn more
- June 9, 10, 11; 8:30 am – 4:30 pm each day (open to all instructors: faculty, academic staff, and TAs)
- August 12, 13, 14; 8:30 am – 4:30 pm each day (for faculty and academic staff)
- August 18, 19, 20; 8:30 am – 4:30 pm each day (for faculty and academic staff)
- August 18, 19, 20; 8:30 am – 4:30 pm each day (for TAs)
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.
Questions about the Discussion Project?
Contact discussion-project@education.wisc.edu
Teaching & Learning Reading & Resources | Share your Favorites. There are so many teaching and learning substacks, podcasts, listservs, forums, YouTube channels, etc. that it’s hard to find them all and to sort through which ones are worthwhile. Help the campus T&L community and share your favorites here.
In addition to being able to see responses from others after you submit, we’ll share results out to membership on the website and newsletter.
Questions about the survey?
Contact John Martin john.martin@wisc.edu
The Delta Program:
- Research Mentor Learning Community. Want to be an effective and inclusive mentor, now and in the future? Summer registration is open to join a Delta Program’s online or in-person Research Mentor Learning Community, for graduate students and postdocs. Multiple sections are held throughout the summer, May through August. | Learn more & register
Questions about the Research Mentor Learning Community?
Contact Jules Whitaker jawhitak@wisc.edu
- Courses in Teaching & Mentoring. Graduate students and postdocs: Considering a career in academia? Looking to build your skills as an instructor or mentor? Take a Delta Program course and/or begin your Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning! Summer and fall courses now enrolling, including: Teaching in Science and Engineering: The College Classroom. Develop foundational knowledge of effective and inclusive pedagogical practices, explore the literature in higher ed teaching and learning, and try new approaches in a supportive environment. | Register
- Active Learning Laboratory. Explore how to effectively use active learning, with opportunities to examine, experience, and try out various active learning instructional methods in the college classroom. | Register
- Expeditions in Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning. Use experiential learning to explore evidence-based and inclusive teaching approaches within different higher education learning contexts. | Register
Questions about the Delta Program?
Contact Jess Maher jessica.maher@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 & Sarah Pultorak, teachingacademy@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
Save the Date: Medical Education Day (May 28th, 2026, Health Sciences Learning Center, Madison, Wisconsin). This free, in-person program will offer engaging learning sessions and networking opportunities for faculty and staff from around the state. | Learn more
Articles For Discussion. Participate in discussion of articles featured in the Clinical Teacher Learning Community. Topics include learner assessment, precision education, serious games, and medical education and artificial intelligence. This online community also offers connections, news, and resources for clinical teachers. | Join the discussions
Courses | Education Essentials. Education Essentials is a collection of 8 modules aimed at developing key skills for all interprofessional health science teachers, in various teaching settings. Registration is free and these courses can be completed at your own pace. | Register
Resources. UW-Madison Libraries offer a compilation of resources on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Academic Health Sciences. This includes definitions of important concepts for understanding the AI landscape, and use of AI in teaching and learning.
Explore:
- Clinical Teacher Learning Community
- SMPH Faculty Central
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education (UW CIPE)
Questions? Topics you would like to see? Announcements for the next issue?
Contact Marianna Shershneva: marianna.shershneva@wisc.edu
Ways to contribute to the Academy’s ongoing activities
Induction Ceremony. Want to help plan an event honoring our newest members?
Contact Kate Rotzenberg katherine.rotzenberg@wisc.edu
Fall & Winter Retreats. Join the Retreat Planning Committee to organize & facilitate campus-wide teaching development events.
Contact Dan Pell dan.pell@wisc.edu
Members+ Events. The Members+ Committee seeking Fellows who are interested in organizing one-per-semester roundtable discussions among members and guests on issues surrounding teaching & learning.
Contact Claire Barrett claire.barrett@wisc.edu
U-CLaSS. Take part in U-CLaSS sessions to explore teaching and learning from the student perspective.
Contact jamie.henke@wisc.edu
Membership Committee. The Membership Committee seeks Fellows (Faculty & Academic Staff) and FFPs to help review nominations. Honor great campus educators & promote excellence by helping to review nominations.
Contact uwta-membership@g-groups.wisc.edu
Newsletter. Have ideas or events to contribute? Want to add someone to the mailing list?
Contact Sarah Pultorak & Dan Pell teachingacademy@wisc.edu