Symposium Schedule

Room: Varsity Hall

Room: Varsity Hall

Welcome to the Teaching and Learning Community: Opening Remarks

Megan Schmid, Associate Vice Provost and Director, Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring

Room: Varsity Hall

Challenging with Compassion

Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Associate Professor of Practice – Psychology and Senior Associate Director for Teaching & Learning, Simmons University

When you ask people to tell a story about their favorite teacher in their educational journey, they nearly always describe an instructor or coach who was warm, funny, empathetic…but who also challenged them to rise to high expectations of effort and success. We know from motivation research that the best goals are those that are specific and difficult, as setting a low bar for oneself can be enervating rather than energizing. How can we create classrooms that encourage students to set challenging goals for themselves, that mobilize energy and stimulate creativity, while also being compassionate about the many difficulties our students face and nimbly flexible to adjust to their learning needs? In this interactive keynote, Sarah Rose Cavanagh will present some research and food for thought based on her most recent book on creating learning environments of compassionate challenge, ending on practical tips for teaching self-determined seekers of knowledge.

Biography: 

Sarah Rose Cavanagh is the Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence at Simmons University, where she also teaches in the Psychology Department as an Associate Professor of Practice. Before joining Simmons, she was a tenured Associate Professor of psychology and neuroscience at Assumption University, where she also served in the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence as Associate Director for Grants and Research. Sarah’s research considers the interplay of emotions, motivation, learning, and quality of life. Her most recent research project, funded by the National Science Foundation, convenes a network of scholars to develop teaching practices aimed at greater effectiveness and equity in undergraduate biology education. She is author of four books, including: The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion (2016) and Mind Over Monsters: SupportingYouth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge (2023). She gives keynote addresses and workshops at a variety of colleges and regional conferences, blogs for Psychology Today, and writes essays for venues like Literary Hub and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She’s also on BlueSky too much, at @SaRoseCav.

Photo Credit: Katlyn Reilly Photography

Coffee, tea, and water available in Varsity Hall Lounge.

Room: Northwoods: Third Floor

Learning in Connection: Using Assessment to Foster Growth for Students and Faculty

Tim Paustian, Microbiology
Beth Martin & Amanda Margolis, Pharmacy

Sue Wenker, Family Medicine & Community Health

This presentation examines how student learning assessment can meaningfully inform and transform teaching practice through the integrated lenses of assessment for learning, assessment of learning, and assessment as learning, drawing on Schön’s reflective practitioner model. By engaging in continuous cycles of reflection, faculty redesigned assignments and learning activities to promote formative skill development and deeper learner autonomy. This session will describe examples of authentic assessment practices and competency‑based evaluation to illustrate how instructors aligned assessment evidence with course and program outcomes while supporting diverse learner pathways. Participants will explore how assessment data—quantitative, qualitative, and experiential—can be used to refine learning activities (including managing assessment overload), enhance transparency, and strengthen student engagement. This session will engage participants in discussions of how they can use intentional assessment design to not only measure learning but actively shape it, empowering students to monitor their progress and adapt their strategies as reflective learners.

Room: Landmark: Third floor

The AI Continuum

Amanda Renz, Anthony Orzechowski, & Rajkamal Gopinath, College of Engineering – Interdisciplinary Professional Programs

Interdisciplinary Professional Programs in the College of Engineering integrate AI across a continuum of teaching and learning applications for users, builders, and leaders of AI. This session outlines our approach to embedding AI as a specialization and as an integrated element of domain-focused coursework. We will share examples that highlight our strategy, design and technical methods, lessons learned, and vision for what comes next.

Room: 5th Quarter: Second floor

Real Problems, Real Partners, Real Learning: Cross-Campus Collaboration in the Computer Science Capstone

Leah Ujda, School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences

Amber Field, Computer Science

Amber Samdahl,  PBS Wisconsin

This breakout session showcases how intentional collaboration with campus partners can deepen student learning and promote success through real-world, interdisciplinary capstone projects. The Computer Science Capstone course partnered with faculty and professionals from the Wisconsin School of Business, the Department of Neuroscience, and Wisconsin Public Media to co-mentor student teams on authentic, high-impact projects. In Fall 2025,teams addressed challenges from two new partners: developing an AI chatbot that simulates family members to help finance students practice wealth-management client meetings (mentored by Prof. Mark Fedenia), and creating an iPad app using eye-tracking to support diagnosis of autism subtypes (mentored by Prof. Ari Rosenberg). A multi-year partnership with Wisconsin Public Media continued, with students building an automated podcast quality-assurance tool in class while their mentors were also launching a prior capstone project that automates program transcripts into production. Beyond technical deliverables, students developed skills in teamwork, stakeholder communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, and agile development. The session will outline the partnership model, co-mentorship structure, and course design choices, and invite discussion on sustaining campus collaborations that enhance relevance, engagement, and professional readiness.

Contributors: Mark Fedenia, Wisconsin School of Business and Ari Rosenberg, Neuroscience  

Room: Industry: Third floor

Relationship-Rich Learning in the Large-Enrollment Undergraduate Classroom

Ellen O’Brien, Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring

Jennifer Detlor, Mechanical Engineering

Andrew Lokuta, Anatomy and Physiology 

Kristin Branch, Marketing, Wisconsin School of Business

In Relationship-Rich Education: How Connections Drive Success in College (2021), Peter Felten and Leo Lambert invite us to “place relationships at the center of undergraduate education for all students.” Tracing “relationship-rich environments” across many sites in higher-ed, they highlight the centrality of the classroom in creating robust and motivating learning interactions. Through “course design, formal pedagogy, and informal interactions with students,” instructors and their classrooms “shape the quality and quantity of both student-faculty and student-student relationships.” These relationships function as an essential and renewable learning resource. This session places Felten and Lambert’s concept of “relationship-rich education” in dialogue with three instructors of large-enrollment courses who have increased student connections and improved student outcomes through relationship-based pedagogical change. Session panelists are collaborative partners in multi-year course transformation projects with CTLM’s Include, Engage, Challenge(IEC) Program, and the session will engage attendees in exploring the relational nature of learning, considering effective instructional designs and classroom practices, and evaluating options for implementation in their courses. The session is structured as a facilitated dialogue featuring a moderator from CTLM and three instructors discussing their courses: EMA 201, ANAT&PHY 335, and MKT 300.

Room: Marquee: Second floor

Session details pending

Room: Agriculture: Third floor

Empowering Badgers: Connecting Wellness & Brain Science for Student Success

Heidi Evans & Andrea Poulos, English as a Second Language

Participants will explore practical strategies for designing courses that motivate and connect with students by integrating identity, wellness, and learning science. They will engage with authentic materials and open educational resources (OER) fostering belonging and equitable access. Presenters will share adaptable activities that promote self-awareness, resilience, and effective study habits, along with techniques for creating a supportive classroom environment. Attendees will also consider how results from the i2i Microgrant action research, including findings on explicitly incentivizing purposeful Canvas can support engagement and learning. They will leave with actionable ideas to help students build confidence and thrive academically and personally.

Room: Varsity Hall

Grab lunch and join a table. This is an informal time to network with campus colleagues.

Room: Northwoods: Third Floor

Partners in Participation: Ways to Engage Class Participation, Motivation, and Success

Rachel Truitt, Art – Graphic Design

In this session, I will explore several ways in which educators can connect with their students and make classrooms a more immersive, informative, and insightful experience. This will include prompts for student engagement, suggestions for ways to begin the semester on strong footing, and ideas to bring students along with you in the teaching process. I will ask attendees how they engage with students now, what struggles they have with student motivations or participation, and anything that is currently working in class. I picture this session as a mix between presentation and facilitation. Through additional discussion, the room can share additional strategies that are working for them in their disciplines.

Room: Landmark: Third floor

Swipe Right for Science: Using “Bug Tinder” to Gamify Evolutionary Biology

Ann Marsh, Entomology

In traditional classrooms, technical content can feel dry and disconnected. This 50-minute session demonstrates how “Creative Translation” transforms student engagement from passive listening to active collaboration. We will model two specific activities: “Bug Tinder”—where students synthesize biological traits into dating profiles—and “LinkedIn for Elements”—where students translate chemical properties into professional career skills. By mapping academic data onto familiar social frameworks, we lower the “affective filter” and encourage peer-to-peer synthesis. Participants will not just hear about these methods; they will experience them. We will spend the majority of the session in a “Live Design Lab,” where attendees work in small groups to build a sample profile, simulating the student experience. The focus is on facilitation: how to spark group discussion, manage the “creative chaos” of group work, and ensure students move beyond humor to demonstrate conceptual mastery. This approach is highly adaptable across disciplines, from STEM to the Humanities, proving that when students “play” with content, they own it. This session is designed for educators looking to increase “buy-in” and foster a vibrant, collaborative classroom culture. Session Engagement Plan (50 Minutes): 05 Mins: Introduction to the “Creative Translation” pedagogical framework. 10 Mins: Showcase of student work and the “Bug Tinder” / “Element LinkedIn” concepts. 25 Mins: The Design Lab: Participants form small groups, receive a “mystery subject,” and collaborate to build a profile using provided templates. 10 Mins: Facilitator debrief on managing group energy and assessing the learning.

Room: 5th Quarter: Second floor

*WI Exchange

Improv for Design, Learning, and Creative Collaboration

Rachael Shields & Erin Hamilton, School of Human Ecology – Design Studies

Improvisational performers generate 20% more ideas and 25% more creative ideas than designers, and a single improv workshop can increase idea output by 37% (Kudrowitz, 2023). This interactive breakout session translates these findings into practical strategies any educator can use to cultivate connection, creativity, and productive dialogue in the classroom—whether in design, business, engineering, the humanities, or the sciences.

Participants will engage in a curated set of low-risk, high-impact improv activities adapted for educational contexts. Activities include a modified “Yes, And” exercise for collaborative idea generation; rapid association exercises that challenge participants to transform abstract prompts into concrete directions; and structured constraint-based games that treat limitations and failure as launch points rather than obstacles. While these methods are widely useful in design, they are equally powerful for discussion-based courses, project-based learning, research teams, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The exercises are intentionally structured to foster psychological safety—encouraging risk-taking, active listening, questioning, thinking aloud, and productive recovery from mistakes. Rather than positioning improv as performance, the session frames it as a practical pedagogy for strengthening engagement, trust, and creative confidence across learning environments.

The activities have been implemented and refined in courses at UW–Madison, including What Is Design?, Human-Centered Design and Business, and Fundamentals of Improv. Aligned with the symposium theme Cultivating Connection, the session models embodied participatory teaching and includes structured small-group reflection to help participants adapt the techniques to their own disciplines, assessment strategies, and collaborative practices.

Developed and refined in UW–Madison courses including What Is Design? Human-Centered Design and Business, and Fundamentals of Improv, this session models embodied participatory teaching aligned with the symposium theme Cultivating Connection. Structured reflection time will help participants translate these techniques into their own disciplinary contexts, assessment strategies, and collaborative settings.

Participants will leave with adaptable, research-informed tools they can immediately implement to energize classrooms, deepen collaboration, and expand idea generation—regardless of discipline.

Kudrowitz, B. (2023). Sparking Creativity: How Play and Humor Fuel Innovation and Design. Routledge.

Room: Industry: Third floor

Cultivating Engagement and Belonging in Large Lecture Courses

Jonathan M Gallimore, Psychology

Brendan Scherer, Biology

Lisa A. Vinney, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Jim Williams, Computer Sciences

Molly Harris, Letters & Sciences Instructional Design Collaborative

Connect with colleagues around large-enrollment teaching! Large and increasing class sizes pose their own challenges and opportunities for student learning, community connection, and instructor course management. This interactive session features a panel of four large-enrollment instructors from a variety of disciplines who have been active contributors in UW-Madison’s Large-Enrollment Community. Together, panelists and participants will delve into questions around engaging students through active learning, fostering an atmosphere of belonging, supporting a collaborative teaching team, and efficiently managing a course at scale. 

Participant interests will guide the discussion as panelists share successful strategies and practices that they have implemented in their classrooms, as well as resources that others can adapt for their own teaching. In keeping with the practices of the Large-Enrollment Community, we will reserve ample time for questions and lightly structured discussion with participants. During the session, participants will also have the chance to experience Top Hat, an effective tool for large course engagement. Attendees will leave with resources to help them with course planning and management, a connection with a new colleague, and concrete, applicable ideas for their courses. 

Room: Marquee: Second floor

* WI Exchange

From Discomfort to Dialogue: Classroom Strategies for Reading Across Difference

Aretina Rochelle Hamilton, English

Undergraduate Students, English

Undergraduate classrooms have long been spaces of difference, but today’s students encounter a constant stream of diverse—and often divisive—perspectives through digital media, AI-assisted tools, and public discourse, frequently without shared context or guidance for interpretation. Instructors are increasingly asked to support thoughtful engagement across difference while navigating their own uncertainty about how to foster dialogue that is ethically grounded, intellectually rigorous, and pedagogically sound. This interactive breakout session introduces Reading from the Edge, a classroom-tested approach that frames reading as a shared practice of attention, listening, and dialogue rather than a search for immediate answers or ideological alignment. Drawing on teaching experience and peer learning models, the session offers concrete strategies for guiding discussion when texts, histories, or viewpoints provoke discomfort. Participants will work through short, adaptable exercises that model how to slow down reading, distinguish reaction from interpretation, and treat discomfort as a productive part of learning rather than something to avoid. The session explicitly addresses the dual challenge instructors face in the age of AI and heightened sensitivity around public discourse: supporting students through difficult conversations while also recognizing and working through their own discomfort as facilitators. Aligned with the Wisconsin Exchange emphasis on pluralism and civil discourse, participants will leave with ready-to-use discussion prompts and facilitation strategies adaptable across disciplines and class sizes.

Room: Agriculture: Third floor

Master the Slide Master: Customize PowerPoint Templates to Cultivate Connections and Save Time

Katy Wong & Carrie Kerska, McBurney Disability Resource Center

Design is not just decoration—it is a signal of belonging. When the learning environment has been intentionally designed to be welcoming, students are more likely to connect with the Instructor(s), the content, and each other. 

Join us for this Workshop where we will explore how to use Power Point’s Slide Master to build accessible, consistent, and professional looking templates. Participants will have time to implement these practices and walk away with customized, time-saving templates that align with their preferred instructional style. Our focus is on creating equitable access for all users by emphasizing intentionally designed content. Key points include: 

• Slide Master – Skill Building and Best Practices
• Factors to consider when selecting a template
• Evaluating and customizing design elements such as theme, layout, color, and font.
• Spend time implementing these practices on your own slides and enjoy the support of two very capable, passionate professionals.

If you’d like to practice, please bring a laptop and have PowerPoint installed. We encourage you to have a sample presentation to allow for hands-on experience practicing the strategies and approaches we will be covering in the presentation.

Coffee, tea, and water available in Varsity Hall Lounge.

Room: Northwoods: Third floor

#WI Exchange

Connection, Engagement, & Learning through High Quality Classroom Discussion

Emma Cabrera,  Discussion Project & the Deliberation Dinners, Wisconsin Center for Education Research

Mariana Castro, Multilingual Learning Research Center & Wisconsin Center for Education Research

This interactive session explores techniques to facilitate high-quality discussion across diverse perspectives. Using UW-Madison’s The Discussion Project and Deliberation Dinners models, you’ll learn to design equitable, student-led inquiry that strengthens academic skills and strengthens your classroom community.

Room: Landmark: Third floor

Transforming Your Teaching Team: A Workshop for Instructors Working With TAs

Lynne Prost, Letters & Sciences Administration

Joshua Calhoun, English

Morgan L. Henson, Sociology

This hands-on session invites instructors to deeply examine their partnerships with Teaching Assistants (TAs). Research shows that a strong instructor-TA team functions as a lynchpin of classroom success, positively impacting classroom climate, equity, and student learning. Session participants will engage with the new Resource for Instructors Working with TAs, recently developed by the L&S TA Training & Support Team, and then work through an interactive case study analysis with an instructor who has practical experience cultivating these relationships. Attendees will then apply core principles, such as clear communication, structured mentorship, and pedagogical partnership to develop frameworks for their own classrooms. Our goal is to partner with participants to help them move beyond TA management and task delegation to build cohesive, efficient, mutually beneficial teaching teams that actively co-create conditions for successful undergraduate learning.

Room: 5th Quarter: Second floor

Connecting Academics and Mental Health: A First Look at UW-Madison’s New Instructor Training

Val Donovan, University Health Services

Soumya Palreddy, Division of Teaching & Learning

University Health Services and the Division for Teaching and Learning are partnering to offer a new training on supporting student mental health that’s designed specifically for instructors and teaching assistants. This training equips participants with the skills to identify signs and symptoms of potential mental health challenges, respond appropriately, and refer students to mental health professionals and other support services. This workshop will provide a preview of this training. Participants will learn about the impact of mental health challenges on academic outcomes, analyze current data, and brainstorm with colleagues on how to integrate their learning and training opportunities into their practice. Note: This session will run for 90 minutes

Room: Industry: Third floor

Connections in Engineering AI Education

Erica Hagen, Center for Innovation in Engineering Education

Hannah Silber, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Jackie Cooper, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Future engineers need to know how to use AI tools to do their work and do it better. Knowing this, three different instructional teams across Engineering are trying new ways of engaging students with AI tools. Their stories all cross paths in exciting ways to build a foundation for further innovation through the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education. Hear the stories and learn about how and why we are connecting our students with AI tools and in the meantime connect with each other to support the college. We hope our stories spark ideas and support fellow instructors across campus. 

Room: Marquee: Second floor

*WI Exchange

Bridging Across Differences Toward Flourishing: Fostering Student Dialogue

Jennifer Timm, Nursing

Melgardt M. de Villiers, Pharmacy

Sue Wenker, Family Medicine & Community Health

Roberta Rusch, Center for Interprofessional Practice & Education

The session details “Bridging Across Differences Toward Flourishing”, (Bridging) a novel initiative that moves beyond theoretical teamwork to the active practice of navigating sociopolitical discord. By grounding pedagogy in the Kern National Network (KNN) Framework for Flourishing and the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) skill-based course, the curriculum focuses on transforming avoidance culture into one of bridging differences to promote flourishing. Bridging, originally developed for medical schools, was adapted by the UW Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and the UW School of Pharmacy to introduce it as an interprofessional pilot in 2025. At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

1. Analyze the impact of a blended-learning pathway, combining self-study online modules with synchronous facilitated groups, on dialogue readiness.
2. Evaluate how relational virtues, such as curiosity and open-mindedness, can be measured and applied to satisfy interprofessional communication competencies. 
3. Implement strategies that moved 96% of pilot participants toward increased confidence in navigating difficult, divisive conversations. 

Presenters will highlight the pilot’s innovative offering, strong evaluation data, and demonstrate applications of relevant structured learning tools (e.g., learning modules, facilitator guide). Participants will employ these tools and practice exploratory questioning techniques, reflecting on experiences in small groups. Lessons learned and strategies for success will be shared, with an opportunity for audience questions.

Room: Agriculture: Third floor

Inclusive Teaching Methods: Best Practices to Help Students from All Backgrounds Succeed in Your Class

Markus Brauer, Psychology

Kamila Redd, Institute for Diversity Science

Despite recent efforts, disparities in academic outcomes between students from marginalized groups and their non-marginalized peers continue to exist.I will discuss recent research identifying teaching methods that effectively reduce these disparities. The findings from large-scale randomized controlled trials show that instructors should focus to a greater extent on the social aspects of learning. Teaching practices that promote positive connections between peers are crucial for the success of all students, including for students who sometimes experience a decreased sense of belonging in college.

Room: Varsity Hall

Snacks and drinks available in Varsity Hall Lounge.

Poster details coming soon