Welcome to the weekly UTLC Newsletter supporting teaching and learning at UNCG:
Week of April 29, 2025
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Teaching Tips: Who benefits when we use Universal Design for Learning, and what is the cost? |
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Thank you to Dr. Laura Gonzalez with Integrative Community Studies for authoring this week's teaching tips!
Happy end of the semester, and congratulations on wrapping up your classes.
While it is fresh in your mind, we encourage you think back about what worked well and what you might like to revise the next time you teach. Take a look at the teaching tips in the April 22 newsletter for a basic outline of UDL and consider whether those concepts might help you. For example, here are some groups of students who might benefit from UDL teaching strategies (providing for multiple means of engaging, representing content, and expressing what has been learned).
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Students with a variety of learning style preferences and intellectual gifts benefit from UDL. Did you have any students in your class who were more comfortable with visual learning, and connected less with written/spoken content? Any students who had a hard time organizing their writing on the page but could talk about their ideas with ease and fluency? Did you notice students who grasped concepts better when they could interact with classmates or do something active with the ideas? UDL has strategies to support all of those learners.
- Students who do not resemble the old image of “traditional students” benefit from UDL (e.g., students who are returning adults, who are parents, who have jobs, who experience financial stress, who speak more than one language, who are first generation college students). UDL can help you consider how to generate relevance and motivation for all students by allowing for some voice/choice.
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Students who are not currently earning A’s in all of their classes benefit from UDL. Universal Design reduces barriers to learning with an atmosphere that lets learners show what they have learned in ways that are aligned to their strengths. This can also reduce their desire to skip class or generate disruptions, as their investment in the learning environment is greater.
Why consider updating some of your teaching practices? Per our website, “UNC Greensboro provides students from all walks of life an excellent education in a welcoming community where all belong, all are supported, and all are challenged to achieve.” We need to stay responsive to our students.
The cost to the instructor does not have to be much at all – faculty can use UDL to reorganize what is on the “plate” in their classes, rather than having to create a whole new course. There are “low effort” ways to start incorporating UDL into your existing classes, as well as “medium” or “high effort” strategies, so everyone can find a good place to start. For example, as you revise your syllabus for next semester, consider inserting one extra choice that you didn’t give students before (in their assignments, in content, in the ways they can engage with each other). Next week’s Teaching Tips will share more low/medium/high effort strategies for implementation.
Remember: UDL is also great for graduate students who are being trained as new instructors (through an orientation or a teaching seminar)! Please contact the UTLC if you are interested in putting your department or program on the list for a UDL training in the fall!
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Changes to Teams Integration
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Are you teaching a Civics and Community Class in Fall 2025? Are you teaching a MAC class in one of the other 10 competencies and want to share ideas and explore ways to enhance your class? Join us on May 19th for a day of MAC training and discussion. Sign up to attend the workshop at this form: https://forms.office.com/r/eyBdii7XW7
From 9:00-12:00PM we will focus on the new Civics and Community competency. Hear from fellow faculty that have experience teaching the Foundations of American Democracy documents and work collaboratively with colleagues to finalize your plans for fall. There will also be a virtual listening option if you cannot attend in person.
From 1:00-3:00PM you can join facilitated breakout groups discussing different competencies in MAC and providing a space for discussion and community development.
Feel free to attend part or all of the day!
Are you teaching this summer or otherwise unavailable on May 19? Join us for a quick conversation on May 5th from 11:00-12:00 on Teams. We will review the SLOs and requirements and share ideas for teaching in the summer.
Join us on Teams at: https://go.uncg.edu/svhc02
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Are you teaching a 100/200 level course? A student’s first semester is critical to their academic success – courses that are “In the First!” inning of the academic career set up the whole game.
This daylong institute on May 14 (8:30AM - 4PM) focuses on the unique teaching needs of 100/200 level courses. Participants will learn more about our incoming students, how to prepare for their unique needs, and the tools available to you for supporting them. Lunch and snacks are provided.
Space is limited so please register early!
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Drop-In Adjunct Support Hour
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The UTLC will be offering a drop-in support hour for adjunct instructors every Tuesday from 12pm - 1pm (Teams link) through May 6. This time is meant to be drop-in for questions or just connecting with the UTLC and other adjunct instructors.
This time may not fit in your schedule! Please don't forget that consultations are available to all UNCG faculty and staff with teaching responsibilities, and we're also available at utlc@uncg.edu.
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Sustained Dialogue Facilitation Training
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The Office of Intercultural Engagement invites participation in Sustained Dialogue Facilitation Training. This opportunity is open to all faculty and staff, including professional and graduate. Participants will learn more about the art of difficult conversation and have the opportunity to facilitate their own discussion groups. Training is May 15th & 16th.
To register, go to http://go.uncg.edu/sditraining25
If you have questions, please email Marisa Gonzalez at mggonzal@uncg.edu.
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Course Accessibility Checklists and Support
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Updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires that all campus digital content (public facing websites, digital course materials, digital campus resources – including campus trainings) meet the WCAG 2.1 (level A and level AA) standards for accessibility by spring 2026.
UNCG has several campus resources that you can utilize now to make the transition easier, with more tools and resources on the way.
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FACULTY ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
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Upcoming Events, Trainings, and Workshops
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2025 AI Conference: Educate, Innovate, Iterate
UNCG’s second AI event will be held in-person on May 12, 2025 and offers the campus community an opportunity to come together to engage in critical dialogues, learn from one another, and explore emerging concepts for AI literacy. Register at the link above!
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MAY
14
8:30AM AM - 4:00 PM
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In the First Institute
Are you teaching a 100/200 level course? A student’s first semester is critical to their academic success – courses that are “In the First!” inning of the academic career set up the whole game. This daylong Institute focuses on the unique teaching needs of 100/200 level courses. Participants will learn more about our incoming students, how to prepare for their unique needs, and the tools available to you for supporting them. Register at the link above!
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MAC Institute
Are you teaching a Civics and Community Class in Fall 2025? Are you teaching a MAC class in one of the other 10 competencies and want to share ideas and explore ways to enhance your class? Join us on May 19th for a day of MAC training and discussion. Sign up to attend the workshop on May 19th at this form: https://forms.office.com/r/eyBdii7XW7
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Accessibility Incubator Day 1
The UTLC and campus partners will offer a Course Retrofit Incubator May 22 -23, 2025. As a one-stop option for instructors, this event will provide guidance and support as you retrofit your current courses to meet accessibility guidelines. Bring your course and we will bring the technical support (and snacks!!). Register at the link above! Location and precise times TBD.
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Accessibility Incubator Day 2
The UTLC and campus partners will offer a Course Retrofit Incubator May 22 -23, 2025. As a one-stop option for instructors, this event will provide guidance and support as you retrofit your current courses to meet accessibility guidelines. Bring your course and we will bring the technical support (and snacks!!). Register at the link above! Location and precise times TBD.
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TEACHING EVALUATION PILOT
UNCG is administering a pilot of a new teaching evaluation system. The pilot and the current system (Class Climate) will run in parallel for two years; when the Class Climate contract expires, administration will make a decision about which or neither system to keep.
Anthology uses research validated common questions, along with offering units the chance to add custom questions. It’s mobile friendly, which may increase response rates. You can see more information here: Evaluation of Teaching Pilot Project.pptx
If you are interested in participating in the Summer or Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 Cohorts, please click the button below to fill out the interest form.
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