TEACHING TIPS

This section is full of timely and evidence-based practices to apply in your teaching

 

Although we might want to assume that our students are coming to class prepared to learn every day, that is simply not the case. In a March 2024 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education, It’s time to start teaching your students how to be a student, Dr. Emily Isaacs states, “It’s no secret that a lot of students are coming to campus unfamiliar with skills, habits, and behaviors that are necessary to succeed at college-level work.” While acquisition of these so-called “studenting” skills was hindered by the pandemic, the good news is that it’s not too late! So what are studenting skills and how can they be taught? Read the tips below to find out more: 

• What are studenting skills? Studenting skills are the soft skills that are often overlooked but are essential to student success and achievement. These foundational skills are necessary to navigate adulthood and include things like time management, critical thinking, note taking, organization, oral communication and writing. Read more about these skills in Landmark College’s Reseach and Training Blog about the transition from high school to college.
• Importance of teaching these skills. Teaching the skills that underlie learning and content mastery is an essential part of student success! Another article from The Chronicle emphasizes that, “Too many smart and creative students are doing poorly in our courses, learning much less than they could, in large part because they haven’t been taught what I call ‘studenting’ skills or been convinced of their value for their own success.” Making space in your course to explicitly teach these skills that are often implicitly understood helps to combat the impacts of the hidden curriculum in academia.
• Weekly mini-lessons. Across its campuses, Monclair State University has committed to supporting students in teaching these skills. This resource (shared with permission) shows how faculty quickly introduce the topics each week. To use this with your own students, create a slide with the topic of the week and add the tips! Display the slide as students enter and continue your start-of-class routine as usual. You can spend a few minutes briefly discussing the importance of the skill and how it relates to success in your course.  

Our first ever Spartan Spotlight (see below) features the Academic Achievement Center, which serves as a campus partner in supporting students in mastering studenting skills. Be sure to check out their profile at the bottom of the newsletter to learn more! 

UTLC FEATURED ANNOUNCEMENTS

Check out the latest updates and offerings from the UTLC.

Canvas is reporting an issue that may prevent you and your students from replying to posts in discussions. There is a simple fix. Please read this article to learn more, especially if you require replies in your discussion instructions or have heard from your students that they are unable to reply.

Our team of instructional designers and multimedia specialists in ITS Learning Technology work with faculty to develop innovative and impactful courses. Together, we can:

• Adapt your instructional content for online, hybrid, or HyFlex delivery  
• Connect your course goals, assessments, and materials  
• Apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles   
• Create multimedia elements to enrich your course    

Request a consultation and let’s get started!  

The Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement has trained student Democracy Fellows that are available to facilitate a 30-minute nonpartisan Voting 101 workshop or host a voter registration drive for classrooms, student organization meetings, or campus events. If class time is not available for a workshop, faculty are invited to import the "Voting 101 for UNCG Students" Canvas module into course pages. It can be found in the Canvas Commons. Email lead@uncg.edu to request a workshop, ask questions, or for more information.

There is one final opportunity for faculty and staff to complete the ACUE micro: Designing Learner-Centered and Equitable Courses. The seven-week course will run September 16 - November 3 and will conclude our ACUE/UNCG partnership. Eligible faculty and staff who complete this ACUE course will receive a $250 professional development stipend in spring 2025 (state funds transferred to your unit).

FACULTY ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT

Check out these upcoming opportunities from the UTLC and other partners on campus. Additional training opportunities are available at workshops.uncg.edu.

Ongoing Opportunities

• DiversityEDU | This online module through Canvas offers faculty and staff skills-based development in areas of equity and diversity.

• Indigenous Safe Space Project on Canvas | This student-led initiative helps to prepare the campus community with basic skills for supporting our Indigenous and Native students.

• Level Up: Mental Health Education & Training | Help foster a culture of care by engaging in trainings for suicide prevention, Mental Health First Aid, Spartan well-being, and more.
• UNCG Libraries Webinars | Research and Application Webinar Series (Spring 2024 recordings) | Zotero Webinar Series (recordings)
• New to Teaching | Access this Canvas site to learn about how students learn, preparing for class, grading, office hours, engagement, active learning, and more.
• Safe and Trans Zone Training on Canvas | Enroll in this self-paced online course to complete Safe Zone 1.0, 2.0, and Trans Zone if you cannot attend an in-person workshop.
• Web Accessibility 101 | This asynchronous, self-paced course focuses on the fundamentals of making online content accessible.

Upcoming Events, Training, and Workshops

SPARTAN SPOTLIGHT

This new segment features an academic perspective on campus partners who support student success. This week's Spartan Spotlight is on the Academic Achievement Center! Click the image below to access the full profile and learn how to integrate this resource into your course.

If you would like your office or program featured, please email us at utlc@uncg.edu.

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