Tech for Teaching
UW-Madison supports a variety of tech tools that can aid in your teaching and help students participate in the learning process. Below you can learn more about the most commonly used tech for teaching, links to more information, and resources to help you learn how to use them effectively. If you can’t find what you are looking for you can always submit a Service Request and a member from the team will reach out to you.
UW-Madison Technologies for Teaching
The Learn@UW Tech team manages and supports most tech tools for teaching that are available to you. Here is a list of the most commonly used tech for teaching. Click on the button below to learn about these tools and more!
- Canvas is the learning management system (LMS) on campus. You can use this platform to share course materials, collect assignments, deliver quizzes, host discussions, support group collaboration, and more.
- TopHat is an active learning platform to engage students with lectures, activities and polls using their own mobile devices.
- Piazza is a Q&A tool that allows students to collaboratively create and modify questions. Instructors can post responses and endorse other answers. This tool is built into Canvas.
- Pressbooks is a content authoring and hosting platform that faculty, staff and students can use to create eTexts.
- Engage seamlessly integrates e-texts and publisher-provided content directly into Canvas. Digital content offers greater savings for your students versus print.
- Use this sample language in your syllabus when you incorporate an Engage eText or other Digital learning Tool (DLT) in your course.
- Kaltura is a cloud-based video hosting platform that can be used for lecture capture, training videos and countless other instructional purposes.
- Zoom is a web conferencing platform that can be used to deliver (or record) virtual lessons, meet with students, support group collaboration, and more.
- View these tips to minimize distractions while presenting in Zoom: Zoom meeting management tips.
WSB-Specific Teaching Technologies
Harmonize is a suite of collaboration and discussion tools that strengthen student engagement, and simplify an activity’s management and grading. Learn more about Harmonize.
Included Features:
- Student Engagement And Outlier Insights.
- Multiple milestones/due-dates.
- Streamlined Grading via Canvas SpeedGrader.
- Canvas-based polling.
- Multimedia embedding (images, video, audio or text).
- Comment-based annotations and whiteboard.
FeedbackFruits allows students in Canvas to improve their group work experience, by structuring the process through which they can provide feedback on their peers’ skills. Learn more about FeedbackFruits.
Included Features:
- Easy to configure and use.
- Canvas groups, grade-book and rubrics integration.
- Feedback activity monitoring and outlier detection. Customizable grading criteria and rubrics.
- Robust configuration options (anonymity, self-assessment, AI feedback coach).
Learning Opportunities & Resources
There are several ways to learn more about the various tech tools for teaching available to you:
- Learn@UW trainings: Campus-wide tech training is available throughout the semester.
- UW-Madison KnowledgeBase: Explore technical documentation about campus tools.
- LinkedIn Learning: On-demand training videos for most tech tools available on campus.
- Canvas Instructor Guide: These guides offer step-by-step directions about all the Canvas tools (you can also provide directions that are student facing from the Student Guide).
- WSB Professional Programming: Explore learning opportunities offered by the Teaching, Learning & Assessment team right here at WSB.