Welcome to teaching at UW–Madison!
We’re glad you’re here! As a new instructor, it can be hard to know what resources exist to support you. We can point you in the right direction.
Getting started | About to teach? | Campus-wide resources | School/College resources
Getting started
Connect with your School/College
As you prepare to begin teaching, get to know the resources within your school or college.
Complete the pre-semester checklist
These 7 steps will help you get organized, create your Canvas course, and welcome your students.
Get to know other instructors
Attending teaching and learning events is a great way to network with peers and gain valuable insights.
About to teach a course?
Sign up for Ready, Set, Teach!
This is CTLM’s program for anyone who is getting ready to teach a course, whether you are new to teaching or returning to the classroom. It’s offered before the start of the fall and spring semesters.
Want to learn more?
Campus-wide resources
Learning Communities and Professional Development
The Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring – Offers learning opportunities for instructors at all career stages, including pre-semester workshops and programs customized for academic units. New instructors may be especially interested in our learning communities: CTLM Teaching Fellows (for academic staff) and Madison Teaching & Learning Excellence (for tenure-track faculty).
The Delta Program – Provides professional development for graduate students and post-docs interested in academic and related careers, supporting their development as inclusive and effective instructors and research mentors.
The Discussion Project – Helps instructors create welcoming, engaging, and academically rigorous environments in which students experience productive discussions.
The Teaching Academy is a volunteer organization which recognizes, promotes, and supports excellence in teaching and learning. It offers opportunities for educators to connect with each other – from drop-in Meet Ups to Fall and Winter Retreats. Most events are open to all.
Partners in Instruction
Classroom Media Support – Offers training and support for instructional technology in General Assignment classrooms across campus.
DesignLab – Helps instructors develop digital assignments that target outcomes in digital literacies and integrative learning.
Learn@UW – Provides information, training, and support for learning technologies, including Canvas, Kaltura MediaSpace, HelioCampus AC, Top Hat, and more. Unizin Engage, part of the Learn@UW technology suite, offers eTexts with the same materials used in print textbooks, often at significantly lower costs for students.
Libraries – Provides a wide range of support for instructors, including library materials, research guides and instructional sessions for your students that are customized to your course or subject. Organizes Go Big Read, the chancellor’s annual common reading program.
Office of the Registrar – Provides guidance and support on entering textbook information, grades, and more in Faculty Center.
Writing Across the Curriculum – Helps instructors develop effective and inclusive writing assignments and assessments at all levels and in all disciplines. WAC is part of the Center for Teaching and Research on Writing, which brings together individuals and units across campus to collaborate on writing research, writing pedagogies, and the most pressing topics and biggest questions facing writing today.
Supporting Your Students
Access and disability accommodations – The McBurney Disability Resource Center works with instructors and students on course-related accommodations. View the Instructor Guide to Student Accommodations for more information.
Personal challenges, classroom behavior, and other concerns – The Office of Student Assistance and Support (OSAS), formally known as the Dean of Students Office, offers a resource page for instructors and can be contacted directly to discuss specific concerns.
Protecting student privacy – The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, (FERPA) is a federal law that governs the privacy of student education records, access to those records, and disclosure of information from them. The Office of the Registrar offers a variety of resources that explain your role in protecting student data, including an online training in Canvas.
Community Engagement
The Morgridge Center for Public Service – Offers numerous programs, resources, services, and grants in community-based learning and community-engaged research.
UniverCity Year – Makes it easy for instructors to link classroom teaching and research interests to issues defined by Wisconsin local governments by finding projects, covering costs, and telling your story of engagement.
Safety and Wellbeing
Staying Safe – Shares information about campus emergency notifications, trainings, and other resources from the University of Wisconsin Police Department (UWPD).
Employee Assistance Office – Offers no-cost, confidential consultation and counseling for personal and work-related concerns.
School/College resources
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Agricultural & Life Sciences
The College of Agricultural & Life Sciences Academic Planning Team in CALS Academic Affairs supports faculty with course planning and development, program design, instructional and academic policy, and degree integrity. Email academicplanning@cals.wisc.edu.
Business
The Wisconsin School of Business Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Team supports faculty in delivering premium student learning experiences through innovative and evidence-based instructional practices. Areas of expertise include course design, media production, pedagogical or assessment questions, student data analytics, and teaching with technology.
Education
Serving the School of Education and community partners, Media, Education Resources, and Information Technology (MERIT) provides library resources, instructional design, and technology support in an inclusive and engaged environment to achieve innovation and excellence in teaching, learning, and research.
Engineering
The College of Engineering’s Center for Innovation in Engineering Education (CIEE) includes the Collaboratory for Engineering Education and Teaching Excellence (CEETE). CEETE partners with faculty, instructional staff, administration, and other areas on campus to support and continuously improve teaching, learning, and the student experience.
Human Ecology
The School of Human Ecology Teaching & Learning Team (Chelsea Martinez and Andrea Johnston) provide teaching and learning consultation and guidance on pedagogy, technology integration, and support for instructional spaces. Contact them at teaching@sohe.wisc.edu.
Law
The Law School shares a number of instructor resources through the Faculty and Staff Resources webpage, including a syllabus template, an adjunct faculty manual, and information about referring law students for counseling. The Law Library provides research guides relevant to teaching, such as Assessment & Student Learning Outcome Resources; iPad Apps for Lawyers, Law Faculty & Law Students; Law Student Wellness: and Readings on Law, Race & Inclusive Teaching. Additionally, a faculty committee organizes a teaching retreat for faculty each semester to address teaching challenges.
Letters & Science
The L&S Instructional Design Collaborative team partners with instructors, offering specialized expertise in evidence-based learning design, instructional technology, and media creation. Meet with an IDC consultant for support with your course.
Medicine and Public Health
The School of Medicine and Public Health offers a website, Developing Educators, to support faculty and preceptors in their teaching and learning mission. Education Essentials, a set of flexible learning modules for interprofessional health science faculty and staff, can be accessed with NetID or guest login.
Nursing
The School of Nursing Academic Technology and Innovation (ACT!) Team provides support for SoN timetable courses and can be reached at blended@son.wisc.edu.