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April 28, 2020In this issue: Online career conference, resources for grad students with children, and more.
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Tips for Grads: Adjusting to remote teachingLeadership
By Kirby Livingston and Lydia Gandy-Fastovich, PhD students
Across most of the world and all levels of schooling, education is being provided remotely. For many graduate students, that has meant teaching remotely for the first time. Online classes have been around for decades now, but teaching online is a specialized skill in which few educators are well-trained. With remote instruction set to continue at least through summer term at UW–Madison, effective online teaching methods will continue to be critical for student learning.
While you may feel underprepared for online teaching, remember that you are not alone, and that many of the principles of effective in-person instruction still apply. The goals of engaging students to co-create knowledge remains, but there are some additional considerations to keep in mind when teaching online. Individual courses and departments will have their own processes and practices, but here are some resources and things to consider:
Get creative with instruction. Keep an open mind about what teaching and learning can be. You may stream videos or documentaries, share eBooks or podcasts, or create virtual classrooms for group projects and collaborations. Connect with communities of practice and take advantage of instructional continuity resources to get ideas for your class and share what did and didn’t work for you.
Be flexible and acknowledge the crisis. As your department or faculty allows, be willing to extend or amend deadlines and other course requirements due to circumstances that may arise due to COVID-19. Acknowledge that we are living through a global crisis and make it clear to students that everybody’s number one priority should be individual and collective physical and mental well-being.
Center equity and accessibility. The COVID-19 pandemic is laying bare inequities in health and other outcomes for historically marginalized groups, and education is no exception. While you should acknowledge that as a teacher there are systemic factors beyond your control, you also should consider equity with every decision you make for your course. Course content also needs to be accessible to every student, and remote instruction creates new accessibility challenges for neurodiverse students. Check out resources from UW’s IT Department on verifying accessibility of your materials.
Communication is key. Keeping open lines of communication and making yourself accessible is more important than ever as many students are feeling disconnected from their courses, instructors, and peers during this time. At the same time, be sure to take care of your work-life balance by setting clear boundaries about when you will be available and finding a mutually agreeable time for virtual office hours or individual meetings with students.
GradConnections Weekly is looking for fresh perspectives on the graduate student experience.
If you have advice, counsel, or tips for UW grad students, you’re invited to write a guest column for “Tips for Grads.”
If you’re interested, check out our infographic for details and email gspd@grad.wisc.edu to let us know.
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DiscoverPD is an innovative tool for UW–Madison graduate students to advance their academic and professional goals. Review the nine facets of professional development, complete a self-assessment, and get a customized report and recommendations.
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| Upcoming Professional Development EventsAll event times and deadlines listed in Central Daylight Time (CDT)
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This conference will provide graduate students with support and advice on job search strategies to launch non-faculty careers through 1-hour instructional webinars and panel discussions with PhDs who have launched successful non-faculty careers. Registration is free for UW–Madison students. To register for the conference, log in to Aurora by entering your UW–Madison NetID and password. Using the dropdown menu, select “Online Career Conference for PhDs - 2020” and click the registration link.
Connect virtually with other graduate student parents and get your tough questions answered by parenting expert Dr. Laura Froyen. Discuss how to get your kids to play independently (so you can work!), productivity and efficiency in the midst of parenting (i.e. tips for working and writing in 30 minute spurts), and how to have candid, yet professional conversations with faculty and supervisors around adjusting expectations and timelines. There will be ample time for your questions. Registrants will receive a link to join the virtual session closer to the event date.
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Special Events & Symposia
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New webpage for graduate students with children
The Graduate School has created a new webpage that gathers parent and family resources and leave policy information into one location. This includes campus and community resources, policies related to taking time away from graduate studies, Title IX protections, programming hosted by and in partnership with the Office of Child Care and Family Resources, and more. In recognition of the unique challenges facing graduate students with children during COVID-19 closures of schools and daycares, the page also includes a section on this topic; further, a recent email from Graduate School Dean William J. Karpus to faculty about graduate student wellbeing encourages consideration for the needs of graduate students with parents.
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UHS services available remotelyUniversity Health Services is committed to supporting you as we navigate the rest of the spring semester and summer term. Many medical, counseling, and wellness services are available by phone and accessible online. Find out more on the UHS Remote Health and Connection webpage.
UW Psychiatry COVID-19 Mental Health Resource Guide
The UW Psychiatry COVID-19 Mental Health Resource Guide offers expert tips, coping strategies, and a variety tools to support the well-being of individuals, parents and families, as well as healthcare providers on the front-lines of this crisis.
Mental Health Resources for Grad StudentsAccording to the 2019 Healthy Minds Survey, 93% of UW–Madison graduate students do not think any less of a peer who seeks mental health care, and 89% of UW–Madison graduate students who used mental health care found it helpful.
- Crisis Text Line is helpful for panic attacks and other emotionally intense moments. Text HOME to 741741; a bot will provide you with their terms of service and put you on a waitlist to text with a real person. Wait times may be long due to current anxiety/panic about COVID-19.
- SAMHSA Disaster Distress Hotline: Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. Dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the U.S. and its territories.
- Healthy Minds Program. Translating pioneering neuroscience into tools for everyday life, this program utilizes a unique framework to guide you through the four pillars of the science of training the mind. You can access lessons and practices through the app.
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The Dean of Students Office provides resources to students struggling with a variety of issues, and can be your go-to spot for assistance as a graduate student. To contact the Graduate and Professional Student Assistance Specialist Elaine Goetz-Berman directly, email egoetz2@wisc.edu.
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Please note: Some graduate students may be ineligible to hold graduate assistantship appointments. Be sure to check with your graduate program coordinator about your eligibility before applying.
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WARF is dedicating resources and a portion of its Accelerator funds to inspire and advance technologies poised to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The $100K fund is designed to speed the development of prototypes and other highly deployable concepts that can be commercialized or implemented in 6-12 months. UW-Madison or Morgridge Institute for Research PIs and their teams are encouraged to submit an Invention Disclosure Report (IDR) to WARF by May 4. Funding and development plans can be included in the message field if you submit the IDR through the website or can be emailed directly to your Intellectual Property Manager (IPM) along with the IDR.
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