Active Teaching Lab

 

Lab Overview

Active Teaching Lab is a peer-learning program I designed and lead at UW-Milwaukee that accelerates technology adoption and teaching innovation through a combination of peer demonstration, hands-on skill development, and community building. In each lab session a UW-Milwaukee instructor shares how they’ve solved real-world teaching challenges using emerging technologies or innovative strategies. Each presenter shares why they adopted the new innovation, what worked, what was hard, what they learned, and what they’d do differently next time.

The program's architecture maximizes impact through three key components:

  • Faculty-led demonstrations

  • Hands-on technical training and skill development

  • Guided exploration of underlying learning methodologies

This scalable approach has proven remarkably effective in building a community of practice and driving change. Since its inception, ATL has:

  • Trained over 1,400 instructors across multiple campuses

  • Maintained a 96% user satisfaction rating

  • Created a sustainable community of practice

  • Accelerated adoption of new teaching technologies and methods at the University of Wisconsin

 

Reimagining Assessment

Presenter: Mark Sullivan
Date: October 2, 2024

 

AI in Education: Latest Trends and Practical Strategies

Presenter: David Delgado
Date: September 11, 2024

 

Generative AI, Academic Libraries, and Student Research

Presenter: Kate Ganski & Heidi Anoszko
Date: May 1, 2024

 

Writing, AI & Rhetorical Thinking across the Disciplines

Presenter: Shevaun Watson & David Kocik
Date: April 3, 2024

 

Adapting to AI: Teaching Smarter, Not Harder: AI Strategies for Educators

Presenter: Lane Sunwall
Date: March 6, 2024

 

Adapting to AI: Tools and Strategies for 2024

Presenter: David Delgado & Lane Sunwall
Date: February 7, 2024

 

Student Perspectives of AI

Presenter: Alicia Forier, Danielle Harms, David Kocik, & Benjamin Gautsch
Date: December 6, 2023

 

Strengthen Student Engagement via AI-enhanced Assignments

Presenter: Deanna Wesolowski
Date: November 1, 2023

 

Teaching and AI Ethics in Today’s Digital Classroom

Presenter: Lois Scheidt
Date: October 4, 2023

 

AI Technology and its Impact in your Classroom

Presenter: David Delgado & Lane Sunwall
Date: September 13, 2023

 

Earlier Lab Sessions

2023

  • “Modeling Self-Regulated Learning no Matter the Content Area,” with Barbara Lucius, and Leah Elizabeth Johnson, (1 FEB 2023).

  • “Open Resources Exams: Stretch students to enhance learning,” with William Cleveland, (1 MAR 2023).

  • “Students and ChatGPT: Seriously, this is not the end of the world,” with David Delgado (5 APR 2023).

  • “Hypothesis 101: Integrating Social Annotation into Your Canvas Course,” with Stephanie Guedet (3 MAY 2023).

2022

  • “Better Feedback for your Students,” with Christopher Willey (1 FEB 2022).

  • “Improving the Feedback we get from our Students,” with Susan Hersh (1 MAR 2022).

  • “There’s no Back Row when we Jam: Facilitating and documenting collaborative work with Google Jamboard,” with Heidi Anoszko (5 APR 2022).

  • “Transition like a Champ!: Learning to embrace New Quizzes,” with Ed Price and Kathy Pinkowsky (3 MAY 2022).

  • “Microsoft Sway,” with Ann Raddant (5 OCT 2022).

  • “Make Students’ Thinking Visible,” with Shubhangi Stalder, Jill Meyers, Xianwei Van Harpen (2 NOV 2022).

  • “Activate prior knowledge and enhance learnin using the KWLH method,” with Rosemary Stelzer (7 DEC 2022).

2021

  • “Virtual Group Projects Gone Awry,” with Rebecca McAllister (2 FEB 2021).

  • “Facilitating Student Community-Based Service Learning,” with Sarah Riforgiate, Michael Coker, Sierra Kane, and Laurie Marks (16 FEB 2021).

  • “Taking Discussions to the Next Level: Expanding your options to develop critical thinking online,” with Hilary Snow (2 MAR 2021).

  • “Synchronous Presence Beyond the Webcam,” with Sarah MacDonald (16 MAR 2021).

  • “Strategies and Tools to Create Impactful Online Videos,” with Aragorn Quinn (6 APR 2021).

  • “Canvas Analytics and Student Report Information,” with Vipavee Thongpriwan (20 APR 2021).

  • “Lessons Learned from COVID Teaching,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (4 MAY 2021).

  • “Improving Online Discussion and Student Interaction,” with Sarah Riforgiate (5 OC 2021).

  • “UWM’s New Lightboards,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (2 NOV 2021).

  • “Using Rich Media to Revamp Online Group Work and Module Design,” with Rachel Baum (7 DEC 2021).

2020

  • “Canvas Gradebook: More than points,” with Ed Price (29 JAN 2020).

  • “First-Year Student Projects & Experiential Learning,” with Phillip Owens (5 FEB 2020).

  • “Improving your Classroom Climate via Effective Communication,”with Lisa Bradford (12 FEB 2020).

  • “Stacking the Odds in your Students’ Favor,” with Rachel Baum (19 FEB 2020).

  • “Improving Student Engagement with TurningPoint,” with Renee Calkins (26 FEB 2020).

  • “The Kolb Cycle,” with Bill Cleveland and Connie Schroeder (4 MAR 2020).

  • “The Tools Students Use,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (11 MAR 2020).

  • “The Art of Breakout Groups,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (15 SEP 2020).

  • “Lessons from Spring,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (22 SEP 2020).

  • “Students’ first 60 seconds in Canvas,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (29 SEP 2020).

  • “Improving Our Online Discussions,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (6 OCT 2020).

  • “Assessment,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (13 OCT 2020).

  • “Online Feedback,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (20 OCT 2020).

  • “Collaborations in Canvas,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (3 NOV 2020).

  • “UWM Lightboard and More,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (10 NOV 2020).

  • “Online Evaluations,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (17 NOV 2020).

  • “Building Community,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (2 DEC 2020).

  • “Syllabus,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (8 DEC 2020).

2019

  • “Module Course Design in Canvas,” with Carol Klingbeil (6 FEB 2019).

  • “Tools to Improve Student Time Management: Canvas Syllabus, Calendar, and Dashboard,” with Susan Stalewski (13 FEB 2019).

  • “ePortfolios,” with Nathan Jung (20 FEB 2019).

  • “Canvas Gradebook,” with Joseph Retzer (27 FEB 2019).

  • “Strategies for Effective Discussions in Canvas,” with Sarah Riforgiate (6 MAR 2019).

  • “Canvas Page Design,” with Aragorn Quinn (13 MAR 2019).

  • “Online Teaching Strategies,” with Yael Ben-yitschak (27 MAR 2019).

  • “Quizzes in Large Lecture Courses,” with Michael Newman (3 APR 2019).

  • “Rubrics and SpeedGrader,” with Ann Raddant (10 APR 2019).

  • “Canvas Communication and Student Engagement,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (17 APR 2019).

  • “Student Collaboration and Peer Instruction in Canvas,” with Ester Suarez-Felipe (24 APR 2019)

  • “Formative Assessment with Canvas Quizzes,” with Thomas Best (1 MAY 2019).

  • “Design your Next Canvas Course,” with Jonathan Bruce and Vipavee Thongpriwan (8 MAY 2019).

  • “Blackboard Collaborate Ultra,” Active Teaching Lab, UW-MIlwaukee (4 SEP 2019).

  • “Crafting Meaningful Feedback in Canvas,” with Sarah Riforgiate (18 SEP 2019).

  • “Canvas Gradebook,” with Kristin Sziarto (25 SEP 2019).

  • “Online Strategies for Canvas,” with Dylan Barth (2 OCT 2019).

  • “Student Podcasting,” with Christopher Cantwell (9 OCT 2019).

  • “Canvas Analytics,” with Susan Stalewski (16 OCT 2019).

  • “Module Design, Prerequisites, and Requirements,” with Mark Sullivan (23 OCT 2019).

  • “Canvas Mobile App,” with Simone Coneição (30 OCT 2019).

  • “Canvas Outcomes,” with Shelley Lund (6 NOV 2019).

  • “Rubrics for Active Learning,” with Christopher Willey (20 NOV 2019).

  • “Student-Centered Course Design: Three Design Strategies Inspired by Canvas,” with Rachel Baum (4 DEC 2019).

  • “Organizing a Canvas Course,” with Nathan Jung (11 DEC 2019).