What’s happening

Blue – Transition project continues

The university is continuing its transition to a new digital course evaluation tool called Blue. Groups are moving to the new tool in phases this year, with the goal of completing the transition by summer 2027. The Course Evaluation Tool Transition Project page provides updates, timelines and resources.

Top Hat – Preparing for your semester

Top Hat provides toolkits and how-to guides to help instructors prepare for the upcoming semester. In addition, this short introduction video provides an overview of how Top Hat serves in a modern classroom.

Learn@UW – Training opportunities in August

The month of August is chock-full of learning opportunities for users of UW-Madison’s centrally supported learning technologies. Details on these sessions can be found below, along with other training offerings from vendors, the Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring (CTLM), and more.

Upcoming events

Cidi Labs Webinar – August 6

Cidi Labs is the developer of UDOIT, DesignPLUS and TidyUP. On August 6, from 1:00 p.m. (CT) to 2:00 p.m., Cidi Labs is hosting a webinar, The Magic Behind Engaging, Accessible Canvas Courses. It is free to all, and will focus on:

• Building engaging Canvas courses in minutes instead of hours
• Transforming existing content without starting over
• Simplifying accessibility remediation with smarter workflows
• Scaling course quality and consistency across Canvas

Learn more and register for Cidi Labs’ “The Magic Behind Engaging, Accessible Canvas Courses”.

(This event is hosted by the vendor.)

Learn@UW – Fall 2026 Training Blitz

Learn@UW is proud to present our Fall 2026 Training Blitz. Listed below are 29 sessions covering the most useful functions and features of several of the supported learning technologies. All sessions will be facilitated by your friendly Learn@UW team, remotely, via Zoom. The sessions are open to all UW-Madison faculty and staff. We look forward to seeing you there.

Canvas training

Canvas Fundamentals

Wednesday, August 19, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Wednesday, August 19, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 27, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Student Assessment in Canvas

Thursday, August 20, 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Thursday, August 20, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 27, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Managing the Canvas Gradebook

Thursday, August 20, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 20, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Friday, August 28, 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Canvas – Things You Might Have Missed, Part 1

Monday, August 24, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Monday, August 31, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Canvas – Things You Might Have Missed, Part 2

Monday, August 24, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, September 1, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Canvas – Making Sure Your Course is Ready

Tuesday, August 25, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, September 1, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Other tools training

Overview of Learn@UW Tools

Wednesday, August 19, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, August 27, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Using Kaltura MediaSpace to Share Media in Canvas

Friday, August 21, 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Friday, August 28, 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Fundamentals of Gradescope

Friday, August 21, 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Friday, August 28, 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Using Zoom in Canvas

Tuesday, August 25, 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Monday, August 31, 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Top Hat

Tuesday, August 25, 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Monday, August 31, 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Making Your Canvas Course Accessible with UDOIT & TidyUP

Tuesday, August 25, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Monday, August 31, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Fundamentals of DesignPLUS

Tuesday, August 25, 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Monday, August 31, 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

UDOIT Advantage Summer School 2026

Cidi Labs is hosting two hours of UDOIT training this summer. All educators and instructional support staff are welcome to join.

• Day 1: Wednesday, August 12, from 12:00 p.m. CT to 1:00 p.m. Learn how to identify and remediate common accessibility issues in Canvas pages, assignments, discussions, and other course content using UDOIT Advantage.
• Day 2: Thursday, August 13, from 12:00 p.m. CT to 1:00 p.m. Learn how to scan your Canvas course files for accessibility issues and create alternate formats that improve accessibility and support different ways students engage with course materials.

Click here for more information and to register for the UDOIT Advantage Summer School 2026.

(This training is provided by the vendor.)

Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring

Enhancing Online Education summer programs

Enhancing Online Education helps instructors adopt evidence-based methods for successful online teaching. This summer’s topics are:

• Instructional Materials
• Fostering Community
• Cultivating Inclusivity

Click here for more information and to register for these CTLM sessions.