Start the semester with confidence and coordination
Ready, Set, Teach! is offered before the start of the spring and fall semesters. Whether you are teaching for the first time or returning, this one-day workshop will give you:
- Focused time to think about your teaching
- Ideas for new, evidence-based approaches you can apply right away
- Connections with teaching colleagues
Returning August 27, 2025
What participants say
“The syllabus session helped me think about changes I can make to my syllabus to make it more clear and inclusive.”
“The group discussions facilitated learning in action … Great instructors, too!”
“I enjoyed interacting with the folks at my table. They shared a lot of experiences that enhanced my learning.”
Event program
This schedule is from January 2025 – watch for updates as the August 2025 event gets closer.
8:30 a.m. Registration and light breakfast
9 a.m. Welcome and introductions
9:30 a.m. Connecting with students (early and often) – Mary Thompson, Ph.D., Senior Assessment Manager, Student Learning Assessment
The syllabus is an important teaching tool to share your teaching philosophy and how your course works. It provides a necessary overview of your course and discipline to help students who are likely unfamiliar with things that you, as an expert, take for granted. The syllabus also sets the tone for the course and is the first step in creating a welcoming course climate.
Additionally, it’s a planning document and reference tool that indexes the important elements, events, and policies for the course to help both instructors and students stay on track. A well-organized syllabus puts students at ease as it suggests that the professor has been thoughtful in their choices for the course. In this session we will:
- Discuss components of a welcoming syllabus
- Practice ready to go strategies to make your syllabus a learning tool
- Share practical strategies to make your classroom inclusive and inviting
- Explore how course climate supports students learning
10:40 a.m. Break
10:50 a.m. Designing course essentials (opportunities for learning) – Julie Hunt Johnson, Ph.D., Program Manager and Todd Lundberg, Ph.D., Associate Director, CTLM
Whether you are new to teaching or have taught countless times, this session will help you think strategically about the “stuff” in your course – course essentials like readings, assignments, in-class activities, assessments, etc. Building off of “connecting with students early and often,” we will explore ways to clearly map out these opportunities for learning and embed feedback along the way.
12 p.m. Lunch
12:30 p.m. Tour of Canvas Course (please continue eating…) – Cliff Cunningham, M.S., Learning Technologies Consultant & Trainer, Division of Information Technology (DoIT) Academic Technology (AT) – Learn@UW-Madison
1 p.m. Low-stakes writing activities to support student learning and wellbeing – Abby Letak, Ph.D.. Associate Director, Writing Across the Curriculum
Low-stakes writing activities serve a number of important roles in the classroom, whether in biology or sociology or mathematics. Writing before, during, or after class can deepen student learning, provide valuable formative assessment, and contribute to students’ wellbeing and sense of belonging. As a form of active learning, low-stakes writing can help students draw connections among course concepts; practice skills in summary, evaluation, and justification; and reflect on gaps or challenges in their learning. In this session, we’ll consider examples of low-stakes writing activities, both incorporating and not incorporating generative AI. You’ll learn how to design low-stakes writing activities that you can add to your active learning repertoire – without adding significantly more labor for you.
2:10 p.m. Break
2:20 p.m. Engaging learners in the classroom and beyond – Lisa Jong, Ph.D., Senior Teaching and Learning Developer, CTLM
As the semester goes along, your learners want a clear “why” that keeps them interested, engaged, and learning. Humans don’t learn anything unless they are invested in getting to the answers, outcomes, or their desired goals.
We’ll address the ways that learning can fall flat—students aren’t prepared, don’t engage with us during course meeting times, or see our courses/their learning as transactional.
In this session, we’ll explore specific techniques for both in-class engagement and how to reach out to and engage with learners when they are beyond the formal spaces, places, and times of our courses. You will take away concrete strategies for:
- engaging with learners in both small- and large-enrollment courses;
- facilitating engaging discussions;
- building community around course content & ideas;
- motivating students to read, prepare, and practice;
- using assessment as learning (versus assessment of learning); and
reaching students where, when, and how they are via mobile devices.
3:30 p.m. Next Steps & Closing
Meet the facilitators
Cliff Cunningham
Position title: Learning Technologies Consultant & Trainer (DoIT Academic Technology)
