Welcome to our August newsletter! As the buzz of summer cicadas gives way to the buzz of student life, 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 first newsletter of the academic year! We offer a full program of events to enliven and enrich your fall professional learning. Register now to join the Teaching Academy’s Fall Retreat. Join a Fellowship with the Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring. Sign up now for the Discussion Project Virtual. Clinical educators: Take a course from the Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP). Grad students: Sign up for a course from the DELTA Program in the Grad School’s Office of Professional Development. Attend invited lectures by the Language Institute or a webinar from EDUCAUSE. And…take a moment to congratulate our newest members!
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?
Fall Retreat: Using AI Critically and Creatively
- Friday, 9 October, 9 am – 11:30am, DeLuca Forum (Discovery Building) & online
Doors open at 8:30 am for light breakfast and conversation
Zoom opens at 8:45 am
REGISTER - Join us at our Fall Retreat, where we bring instructors, TAs, and those who support instruction to connect and learn together. Invited panelists from across campus will share examples of using AI both creatively and critically, helping students express their ideas, develop problem-solving skills, and hone their critical thinking while centering the human side of AI. Together, we will consider important questions such as: When is AI an enhancement to expression, creativity, and idea generation? How can we build students’ AI literacy and use AI to develop intellectual curiosity and critical inquiry?
- Whether you are new to AI or already experimenting with it in your teaching, this session offers ideas, insights, and real-world examples to inspire meaningful student engagement. Join the conversation and explore how AI can be a powerful partner in teaching and learning.
- Names of the panelists and further details about the format will be shared later.
Questions about the Retreat?
Contact Dan Pell & Kate Rotzenberg retreats-uwta@g-groups.wisc.edu
Welcome our Newest Members!
These individuals have been recognized for outstanding commitment to teaching and learning. Welcome to the Teaching Academy!
Fellows
- Colleen Conroy, Assistant Professor, Theatre & Drama
- Amber Epp, Wilbur Dickson-Bascom Professor in Business and Professor, Marketing
- Starr Cameron, Clinical Associate Professor, Medical Sciences
- Leah Kechele, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Nursing
Future Faculty Partner
- Carol Spoehr, Doctoral Student, Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education
Leadership Opportunities in the Teaching Academy
The Executive Committee seeks to fill multiple leadership positions:
- up to three Faculty Executive Committee Members
- up to five 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. The Executive Committee hopes to elect a future faculty partner co-chair this fall. | Learn more
Questions about membership? Interested in applying?
Contact teachingacademy@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
Pre-semester Teaching Toolkit
A one-stop shop for resources and events, including the UW–Madison syllabus template, a pre-semester checklist, and guides for effective collaboration between instructors and TAs. | Learn more
Apply Now for CTLM Fall Teaching Fellowships
Expand your knowledge of teaching and learning in the company of supportive colleagues and CTLM specialists.
- AI Teaching Fellows is open to any instructor interested in considering innovative responses to generative AI in their teaching.
- CTLM Teaching Fellows is for academic and clinical instructional staff
Join the Reflection Space | Enhance your teaching through reflective practice
The Reflection Space is a unique writing community which encourages you to think deeply about your teaching and your students’ learning. The Reflection Space is open to instructors teaching in any discipline or modality—at all career stages—and is ongoing throughout the fall & spring semesters. | Join
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 Virtual (online)
The next Discussion Project Virtual will run in Fall 2026, with a September start date. | Learn more | Register)
- Wednesdays, 1-3 pm: 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28
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. The Discussion Project Virtual, the online version of the course, is cameras-on and interactive; the skills learned in this online version are highly applicable to the in-person classroom
Questions about the Discussion Project?
Contact discussion-project@education.wisc.edu
The Delta Program: Active Learning Laboratory
For graduate students and postdocs: Check out this fun course on using active learning! Discover how active learning can transform the college classroom into a dynamic, engaging environment where students actively construct knowledge and develop deeper understanding. Through hands-on activities and reflective practice, you will explore evidence-based teaching strategies and develop your own approach to creating meaningful learning experiences within higher education contexts. No teaching experience needed, and this course also counts as an elective towards the graduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning.
- Mondays, 10am—12pm, starting Sept 14 (2 credits)| Register
Questions about the Delta Program?
Contact Jess Maher jessica.maher@wisc.edu
The Language Institute | Invited lecture series on identity and language learning
- The Emotional Turn in Second Language Teacher Education
- Invited Lecture by Peter De Costa, Michigan State University
- 3-4pm, Fri, Sept 11, 1418 Van Hise Hall | RSVP
- When Difficulty Motivates (and When It Doesn’t): What Identity-Based Motivation Theory Can Offer to Second Language Acquisition
- Invited Lecture by Sophia Strietholt, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- 3-4pm, Thu, Oct 8, 1418 Van Hise Hall | RSVP
EDUCAUSE Webinar | Developmental Evaluation for Adaptation and Innovation in Higher Education
- Tues, Sept 15, 11–12pm (FREE) | Learn more & Register
- Charmagne Campbell-Patton, Director of Organizational Learning & Evaluation and
Dan Pell, Sr. Teaching, Learning and Technology Consultant, UW-Madison
Higher education is operating in conditions of uncertainty and rapid change: shifting policy and funding landscapes, changing student populations, and the rapid arrival of technologies that reshape teaching and assessment faster than most evaluation cycles can accommodate. Whether your primary focus is teaching, learning support, technology, or administration, this webinar introduces developmental evaluation (DE) as an approach suited to innovation and complexity. Participants will leave with a clearer sense of how developmental evaluation can support innovation and adaptation at every level of the academic institution.
Questions about EDUCAUSE?
Contact Dan Pell: dan.pell@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 Teaching Academy, please contact the editors (below). Messages received by the second Monday of the month may be included in that month’s newsletter.
Contact Dan Pell & Sarah Pultorak, teachingacademy@wisc.edu
Learning Community Update | Clinical Teachers’ Corner
Participate: SACME Annual Meeting (Abstract submission deadline is September 21, 2026). The Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME) 2027 Annual Meeting will take place in Montréal from May 2-5, 2027. The meeting offers opportunities to share scholarly work, learn about emerging practices and innovations in continuing professional development, and connect with colleagues from across the field. Consider contributing your work! | LEARN MORE
Articles For Discussion. Participate in the discussion of articles featured in the Clinical Teacher Learning Community. Topics include integration of theory in continuing education, adaptive expertise, exceptional teaching, active learning strategies, learner assessment, precision education, serious games, and artificial intelligence. This online community also offers connections, news, and resources for clinical teachers.
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. | Learn more & 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