Teaching during a disruption often involves shifting to, and successfully sustaining, a level of remote instruction for a certain amount of time. The disruption may be abrupt and short-lived, or may last longer-term. These factors, along with others, will contribute to your ability to plan and prepare, and continue teaching. Given the breadth of possibilities, the university aims to provide an evolving variety of support opportunities to meet your needs. The opportunities range in length and focus, some designed to be just-in-time support for a particular disruption at hand, while others are long-standing, more comprehensive programs, or ongoing series focused on specific tools and topics. Listed below are currently available support opportunities. Additional opportunities will be added as they are made available.
Looking for Self-Guided Materials?
If you can't make a live event or prefer to view resources on your own time and pace, check out a variety of recorded webinars, quick guides and an instructor toolkit.
OPID 2021 Spring Conference Online
Join faculty and instructors from UW System’s 13 universities to share experiences, knowledge and innovative teaching and learning practices. This year’s conference will be held online to consider “The Joys of Teaching and Learning /refresh/.”
Conference Dates: April, 9, 16 & 23
Preparing to Teach Online Bootcamp
Join this week-long, intensive course built for instructors teaching remotely or online. This course is built around five modules that will help you prepare your course for remote learning. Learn how to strengthen instructor-student relationships and foster learner interaction through practical resources and hands-on experiences. We will meet virtually from 8:30-9:30 each morning (Tuesday-Monday) to discuss content and demonstrate remote learning strategies; additional resources and activities are provided online to help you develop your course. Successfully complete all assignments and receive a digital badge, “Prepared to Teach Online.”
Spring 2021 Sessions: March 23-29; May 18-24
Classroom Assessment Strategies Workshop
During this interactive virtual workshop, you will learn how to create an online activity for your course to assess students’ learning progress using a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) of your choice. Participants will leave with a “course-ready” assessment, as well as ideas for other assessment techniques. This is a unique opportunity to develop an assessment that is designed to improve the quality of learning and obtain useful feedback on the learning process.
Upcoming Sessions: May 10, 1:30-3pm; May 12, 9 -10:30am
The Discussion Project Virtual
The Discussion Project Virtual has 6 new sessions open for spring and summer 2021! An online training, The Discussion Project Virtual supports instructors in designing and implementing synchronous video conference discussion for classes of 40 or fewer. The training consists of seven two-hour synchronous sessions in Zoom, each preceded by an hour of asynchronous work. The application is open to UW instructors (faculty, academic staff, and graduate students).
Honorlock Sessions
Honorlock sessions are available from both campus and the vendor. View upcoming sessions for details on what is covered in each session.
Active Teaching Labs
Grounded in inclusive learning, infused with research, and connecting to the Wisconsin Experience, these virtual Active Teaching Labs will help instructors learn more about teaching tools and equitable practices, and hear how UW-Madison instructors motivate, engage, and more effectively teach the diverse range of students we encounter. Open to all faculty, instructors, instructional staff and teaching assistants.
TeachOnline@UW-Madison
This long-standing, comprehensive, faculty learning community is intended for instructors who are new to – or want to explore and apply more in-depth best practices – designing (or re-designing) and teaching fully online, credit courses. Participants experience what it is like to be an “online student,” while applying research-based online course design and teaching best practices. The program offers two free courses: “Plan & Design” and “Facilitation & Management.” You can take one or both courses, in any order, depending on your needs.
Upcoming Sessions
- Plan & Design: May 17 – June 25 | Register by May 12
- Facilitation & Management: July 26 –August 25 | Register by July 21
DESL Foundations Training
Join a virtual session to discuss how to get the most from the Direct Evidence of Student Learning (DESL) integration in Canvas. These sessions are designed to focus on supporting instructors in using the DESL tool. Topics covered include: identifying key assignments, linking key assignments learning outcomes from Lumen, and using reports to evaluate and observe student learning through assessments.
Learning Analytics Community of Practice
Held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 11:00am-12:00pm, the Learning Analytics Community of Practice is designed to connect colleagues in sharing learning analytics experiences, including the use of the Learner Engagement Analytics Dashboard (LEAD). View upcoming meetings as well as LEAD trainings.
Learn@UW Trainings
This webinar series focuses on centrally supported digital teaching and learning tools within the Learn@UW suite, which includes Canvas, Kaltura MediaSpace, AEFIS, Top Hat, Blackboard Collaborate, Pressbooks, Piazza, Atomic Assessments, Turnitin, Learner Engagement Analytics Dashboard (LEAD) and Honorlock. Appropriate for all faculty, instructors and teaching assistants.
Delta Program Workshops, Courses & Learning Communities
The Delta Program offers a variety of workshops and courses to address the challenges of remote teaching while designing inclusive and effective learning experiences. They provide teaching professional development primarily for graduate students, teaching assistants and postdocs, but faculty and instructional staff are welcome.
- Check out Delta’s events page to see upcoming workshops
- Visit Delta’s courses page to find learning communities and classes
- Sign up for the Delta newsletter to be notified as more events are added
Madison Teaching and Learning Excellence
Madison Teaching and Learning Excellence (MTLE) is a two-semester professional development program in teaching designed to support early-career, tenure-track faculty in applying evidence-based practices proven to enhance student learning. Guided by an expert MTLE facilitator, small cohorts (10-12 members) of Faculty Fellows hold weekly, 90-minute sessions throughout each semester and advance through curriculum modules typically spanning 3 weeks; module topics are carefully selected based on longstanding pedagogical principles and the latest teaching and learning literature. MTLE Fellows develop their teaching skills through a robust program curriculum, making meaningful connections with early-career faculty peers and building a strong support network with the teaching and learning community along the way.
Eligibility: Assistant professors on tenure-track – applicants within their first three years on campus are prioritized.
Upcoming Opportunities
- April
- April 27
- April 28
- April 29Active Teaching Lab ChatFlexible & fair course design — applying lessons to your learning environment1:00 PM, Online
- May
- May 5
- May 6Active Teaching Lab ChatBuild equity and belonging into your course — applying lessons to your learning environment1:00 PM, Online
- May 10
- May 12
- May 12Foundational Training for Direct Evidence of Student Learning (DESL) Learn the Basics of Direct Evidence of Student Learning1:00 PM, Online
- May 25Foundational Training for Direct Evidence of Student Learning (DESL) Learn the Basics of Direct Evidence of Student Learning3:00 PM, Online
- May 26
- June
- June 22Foundational Training for Direct Evidence of Student Learning (DESL) Learn the Basics of Direct Evidence of Student Learning10:00 AM, Online
- July
- July 28Foundational Training for Direct Evidence of Student Learning (DESL) Learn the Basics of Direct Evidence of Student Learning9:00 AM, Online