This message was sent to all faculty and instructional academic staff from Provost Karl Scholz. School and college deans, academic associate deans and department chairs were copied.
Dear Colleagues,
With the start of the fall semester just around the corner, it’s with great pleasure that I formally announce the establishment of UW-Madison’s first Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring (CTLM). In collaboration with the crucial work of schools and colleges, the center will provide faculty and instructors more enhanced and coordinated instructional support than ever before.
Bringing together more than 50 professional staff members with extensive and wide-ranging expertise, the center will serve instructors at all career stages by offering campus-level professional development, course design and instructional consulting programs and services. Diversity, equity and inclusion will be at the core of this work. The center aims to support all instructors as we work together to provide equitable learning experiences in the pursuit of inclusive excellence, and to foster a sense of belonging for all students.
How to Connect with the Center
The center will continue to offer some familiar professional development programs — for example, Madison Teaching and Learning Excellence (MTLE) and TeachOnline@UW — as well as some new opportunities to support instructors’ work now and into the future:
- Fall Course Preparation Sessions — starting Aug. 31, these sessions offer instructors the opportunity to drop in and meet with CTLM staff members individually via Zoom to work through questions about a particular course for fall.
- Course Success Series — starting Sept. 1, these one-hour workshops focus on particular teaching topics and related strategies: Creating and maintaining community in the classroom; fostering student interaction; supporting student well-being; creating course assessments (exams, essay assignments, etc.), to name a few.
- Teaching and Learning Forums — starting Sept. 8, these weekly, one-hour forums provide instructors space to meet and talk with one another about what they’re seeing and doing in their courses.
If you’re not sure which of the above opportunities is right for you or you’re looking for a different kind of engagement or instructional support, you can request a consultation.
The center will continue to work closely with school and college partners and will help instructors connect with available local support, as well. The center is also committed to actively seeking and establishing partnerships with colleagues across the university’s vibrant teaching and learning community as we all work together to enhance student learning.
I encourage you to learn more about the center, and find ways to engage and get support. More information and resources will be added to the center’s website over the next few weeks, so please check back regularly.
Thank you for all you do for our students and for the teaching and learning mission of our amazing university.