What’s happening?
Canvas – Scheduled maintenance, November 13
Instructure, the vendor for Canvas, will be conducting Canvas maintenance on Thursday, November 13, at 2:00 a.m. (CST). The primary focus will be “database optimization” as it relates to New Quizzes. The event will take approximately one hour, and users will be unable to access New Quizzes during this time. All other Canvas functionality will remain operational.
Honorlock – Fall virtual meet-up, November 20
Learn@UW is hosting its first Honorlock Virtual Meetup on Thursday, November 20, at 3:00 p.m. Instructors and other interested parties are invited, as we explore:
- Honorlock and DoIT updates
- How this user group can support your teaching
- Open floor for questions & shared experiences
- Planning for a spring 2026 meeting
Instructors currently using Honorlock will receive invitations via email. Please send questions and feedback regarding Honorlock or this event to Kris Olds (klolds@wisc.edu).
Top Hat – Release notes for October
Below is a summary of Top Hat’s October release notes that most directly impact UW–Madison.
- Page-level search on mobile – released in October
- Lecture Insights – expected in November
- Offline Mode in Courses (for students) – expected in December
- Weak Connection Banner – expected in December
To see the entire release notes, click here.
HelioCampus AC – Survey deadline, November 19
Most HelioCampus AC surveys will run during the last two weeks of classes, which begins on Wednesday, November 26 (the day before Thanksgiving). To ensure instructors receive system-generated communications, Learn@UW recommends all HelioCampus AC surveys be set up and finalized by end of day Wednesday, November 19.
Department or school administrators needing assistance may contact learnuwsupport@wisc.edu or visit us during our one remaining Q&A session on November 12 (details below).
Engage – Spring ordering period now open
The Engage ordering period spring 2026 is now open and runs through Monday, December 1.
To explore the tool and how it all works, refer to Learn@UW’s extensive library of Engage KnowledgeBase articles.
To review what resources (i.e. textbooks) are available in digital form, open the Engage order tool and browse the catalogs.
Upcoming events
Learn@UW demystifies AI
Get introduced to the basics of two UW–Madison generative artificial intelligence tools in our one-hour overview workshop. No registration required. Click the links below for Zoom room links.
Mid-semester Canvas training
Using Canvas to Prepare for Next Semester
It’s that time of the semester when some instructors start looking towards the next iteration of their Canvas courses. This one-hour session will help you think through some good strategies, and will introduce several Canvas functions and features that will make that process more effective.
Faculty Center Grade Prep Tool
This is a 30-minute introduction and demo to a nice time-saving tool that will facilitate your transference of grades from Canvas into the Faculty Center.
- Thu, Dec 4, 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Fri, Dec 5, 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Mon, Dec 8, 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Thu, Dec 11, 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Wed, Dec 17, 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Top Hat – Fall Refresh, November 20
Top Hat (vendor) is hosting a Fall Refresh session on November 20, at 2:00 p.m. “Join us for an energizing look at the future of teaching and learning. Explore new innovations from Top Hat that make personalized, accessible learning easier to achieve. Plus, hear how faculty are using Top Hat and AI to spark discussion, streamline course prep, and make learning more interactive.”
HelioCampus AC – Q&A session
To all departmental and school HelioCampus AC administrators: If you need any final help, we offer the following courses to help you prepare for this semester’s post-course evaluation. Click on any of the links below to attend.
Top Hat – Skillbuild Training Series
Top Hat (vendor) is offering a Skillbuild Training Series, described as “a series of live and on-demand training workshops designed to help you bring active learning to your course—and get you comfortable using Top Hat’s most impactful features.” If interested, you can explore options and details here.