Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL)

Instructors are asked to take the following steps in October to ensure Spring 2026 course materials are digitally accessible:

Clean Up Course Files with TidyUP. Use the TidyUP tool in Canvas to identify and remove duplicate or unused files. This helps streamline course content to focus accessibility efforts on materials used by students.

Identify Key File Types and Register for Targeted Training. Review the remaining course materials most important for Spring courses. Determine which file type (e.g., PowerPoints, Word docs, videos) appears most frequently, then register for the associated digital accessibility training session(s).

Run UDOIT Advantage in Your Canvas Course. Use the UDOIT Advantage tool to scan courses for accessibility issues, provide actionable feedback, and help prioritize updates to Spring 2026 courses to ensure course materials meet accessibility standards.

Vevox is a live polling, Q&A, quiz, and survey platform now available to all UWM instructors and staff, for fostering engagement in classes, large lectures, meetings, conferences and more. Sessions can host up to 5,000 participants, and Vevox integrates directly with Canvas and PowerPoint for use in courses.

Instructors interested in exploring how classroom response systems like Vevox intersect with student success and student engagement are invited to contact cetl@uwm.edu for more information on how to get involved in research opportunities. 

The 11th annual Teaching and Learning Symposium will take place in-person on Thursday, January 15, 2026. CETL invites proposals that offer practical strategies instructors can implement in alignment with the theme of Engaging Today's Students.

Submit your proposal by Friday, November 7, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.  

The UW Office of Online and Professional Learning Resources (OPLR) 2025 Faculty Symposium is a free, virtual, professional development opportunity for faculty teaching in online programs. Register for the Sep. 29 event. 

UWM recognizes outstanding undergraduate instructors by granting the Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award. Nominations for Awards may be submitted by the nominee, students, faculty, academic staff, and departments. Submit nominations by Oct. 27. 

Register for an Oct. 24 event from 1:00-2:30 p.m. to engage with colleagues in a dialogue on different perspectives on AI. As AI becomes more present in classrooms, offices, and daily work, many are navigating uncertainty, curiosity, and concern. Some feel excited, while others feel unprepared or left out of the discussion. Join this dialogue to share your perspective.

Review this Instructor Guide to Academic Progress Reports to learn how to use Navigate360 to help students receive additional support or individualized attention and identify areas of mid-semester course adjustments to foster student success. 

Receive a letter regarding accommodations for a student? Review this training module that provides an overview of how disabilities are verified, how accommodations are determined, and what responsibilities there are for supporting students with disabilities.

Please note the textbook selection deadline for Spring 2026 courses are due by Nov. 10. Review the guide to textbook and course content selection for more information.

Register for the Oct. 1 Active Teaching Lab from 12:00-1:00 p.m. on Preparing UWM Students for Careers in an AI-enabled World, led by Brian Thompson, UWM Chief Innovation & Partnership Officer. 

Register for in-person or virtual sessions on high-impact practices from 12:30-1:00 p.m. including: 

Watch recordings and review resources from past trainings or register for a digital accessibility training during the month of October including: 

Renewing Our Civic Culture is an initiative designed to demonstrate how respectful dialogue across differing perspectives can help to bridge divides, reduce affective polarization, and foster empathy. Register for the Oct. 17 lecture and dinner, hosted by the Division of Community Empowerment and Institutional Inclusivity and Division of Student Affairs. 

Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning
414-229-4319
2033 E. Hartford Ave., B50
Milwaukee, WI 53211