Student Handbook

1. Apply to Become a UW-Madison Special Student

If you are not a UW-Madison student, apply to become a Special Student at UW-Madison as soon as you are fairly certain that you will attend the program. Detailed instructions are sent with your MEDLI acceptance letter. There is no cost to apply as a special student.

UW-Madison Special student admission will be granted approximately one week after submitting the application. A congratulatory email with your Campus ID# will be distributed. At that time, activate your NetID and password to access your MyUW Student Center.

To forward your wisc email to another email inbox that you check regularly, follow this link for directions.

2. Enrollment

Note that you will need to be declared as a MEDLI student before you can enroll, which requires a Campus ID#.

Once your MEDLI class is confirmed, you will receive specific enrollment instructions for the the two courses in which you will enroll.

3. Tuition

Tuition bills do not come by mail but can be found in your MyUW Student Center under Finances. Do keep an eye on your tuition account to be aware of outstanding charges and due dates.

Bills not paid by the deadline will incur a fee from the UW-Madison Bursar’s Office.

Though MEDLI spans two semesters of classes, all tuition payments and refunds are processed during the first week of the first semester of the program. No tuition/fee refunds will be issued after the first Friday of classes. Through the first Friday of classes, MEDLI will honor a 100% refund. As of the first Saturday of the program, no further refunds will be issued.

Information on third-party payments can be found here.

4. Stay in Touch with MEDLI

All admitted students should maintain contact with the MEDLI program coordinator (medli@lpo.wisc.edu) as their funding and plans to participate in MEDLI develop and as MEDLI follows up with program questions and reminders.

What will classes look like?

• Classes will meet for 20 hours a week for four hours a day, Monday-Friday, for four hours of synchronous class instruction per day. Students are expected to be in class for the entire course period and to budget additional time outside of class for homework, studying, and extra/co-curricular programming.
• Course materials will be organized in Canvas, the learning management system at UW-Madison.
• MEDLI staff and instructors are committed to students’ language development and will provide support to ensure the highest quality learning experience possible.
• Students must receive a passing grade for their first semester at MEDLI to move to the second half of the program. No refunds will be issued for students missing a portion of the program due to academic dismissal.
• Students must meet the academic and non-academic codes of conduct according to the UW Madison Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards to continue to the second semester of the program.

What should I expect from MEDLI?

• Inspiration and encouragement to learn your target language;
• Well-prepared lessons and class activities and worthwhile co-curricular activities;
• Respect, patience, and empathy for the challenges of learning a new language;
• Openness and promptness in dealing with issues and concerns.

What does MEDLI expect from me?

1. Daily attendance in class and openness to participating in MEDLI events;
2. Respect, courtesy, and flexibility toward your instructors and classmates;
3. Full effort in learning a language synchronously and through after-class assignments and study;
4. Promptness in tending to administrative matters (e.g., checking email, registration, payment, scheduling OPIs, etc.).

MEDLI has a strict attendance policy and expects all students to attend class daily, with the exceptions of illness and emergencies. One week in MEDLI is equivalent to 4 weeks during an academic year, so missing even one day can have serious academic consequences. More details on the absence policy are available here.

Should a student experience an extended illness, we ask you to contact your instructor and MEDLI (medli@lpo.wisc.edu) as soon as possible to create an alternative plan.

Students interested in taking their MEDLI course Pass/Fail should follow the steps here. When your form is ready to be signed, please email it to medli@lpo.wisc.edu.

Exceptions include the following:

• FLAS or WISLI Tuition Scholarship students – please contact the MEDLI office before submitting your form, as additional processing will be required for approval.
• Students currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program at UW-Madison – please contact the MEDLI office before submitting your form, as your process will be slightly different.

For a full list of the accessibility resources available to UW-Madison students, visit this page: https://accessible.wisc.edu/guides/students/

McBurney Disability Resource Center

The McBurney Center offers a wide array of services for students with disabilities. If you are in need of any of the services provided by the Center, please feel free to contact the McBurney Center staff directly. For a list of the services provided, please visit the website:  https://mcburney.wisc.edu/.

McBurney Phone:  608-263-2741
McBurney Text:  608-225-7956

In addition, University Health Services (UHS) has mental health, physical health, and well-being services available to all students.

UHS Email: uhs@uhs.wisc.edu
UHS Phone: 608-265-5600

Do the work – Whether face-to-face or online, MEDLI is a lot of work. This summer’s typical workload consists of 4 hours of class time and another 4 hours of homework and review. The review time is critical for solidifying the concepts you cover in class. Still, give yourself some “me time” every day, even if it’s just an hour and get plenty of rest.

Go to Office Hours – Communicate with your instructor if you need help. Your instructors are available to talk you through concepts from class and are an excellent resource for finding ways to review and practice in your own time. Office hours ensure you have control of new grammar or structures before independent study time.

Make a Plan – Make a plan for individual or group study time! During synchronous classes or while doing homework, note what strategies or approaches aren’t working and reach out to your peers and instructors to address those challenges. Think about the script, reading aloud, asking questions, drills, conjugating new verbs, and the various activities and bits of information you’re engaging.

Share What Works – Talk with your classmates. You’re all in this together! Connect to practice your target language and share your strategy for advancing. Connecting with your peers will help develop your language abilities and build a community to support you now and in your future academic and career ventures.

Reflect – MEDLI is a lot of work, but you’re only accountable to yourself. Every few days, reflect on the time and effort you are investing. Don’t worry about making mistakes– they’re part of the learning process! If you are struggling, do not hesitate to reach out to your peers, instructors, or MEDLI staff. We know this is an intense program, and we will do what we can to support you.

MyUW at https://my.wisc.edu/ is where you’ll find almost everything you will need to access during your time at MEDLI, including:

• Canvas (your Learning Management System)
• Email
  • MEDLI will continue using the email address you listed when applying to the program for MEDLI-related information. However, official UW-Madison matters (e.g., tuition bills and enrollment info) will be sent to the wisc.edu email address that you will receive as a part of the enrollment process. Please check your wisc.edu email regularly or forward it to an email address you check frequently. To forward your emails, see these directions.
• Canvas
  • Canvas login: https://canvas.wisc.edu/
  • Canvas student guide: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10701-canvas-student-guide-table-of-contents
• Academic Records (available via Student Center)
• Financial Account (available via Student Center)

If you have any issues related to MyUW or your wisc.edu email address, including forgetting your NetID and password, please get in touch with the DoIT help desk: https://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/