TEACHING TIPS

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

As we enter the final four weeks of the semester minds are turning towards end of semester assignments and exams which can add stress for everyone. As faculty we need to prepare meaningful ways to measure the students’ learning and support them in preparing for those final assessments. 

• Understanding assessment expectations. UNCG students come from diverse backgrounds and so have varied expectations of the assessment process. University College London provides practical strategies to help faculty support students in understanding assessment expectations and standards, emphasizing the importance of active participation in the learning process. They advocate employment of guided marking as it actively involves students in the grading process and exposes them to samples of different levels of work.
• Peer review. Cornell advocates students produce draft assignments for peer review as it helps overall learning and enhances reading, writing and collaboration skills. It also gives students valuable feedback before final grading.
• Student preparation. No matter how well we have taught a course unless students prepare themselves mentally, physically and cognitively for exams they are unlikely to perform optimally. We need to remind our students of scientifically proven good study habits. We need to be mindful of Metacognition in the classroom and encourage cognitively active study habits that promote working  “smarter not harder”.
• Reduce test anxiety. Anxiety is a big issue for our students so maybe share this resource from University of Northern Colorado on how students can try and reduce their exam anxiety.

UTLC FEATURED ANNOUNCEMENTS

Check out the latest updates and offerings from the UTLC.

UNCG's first AI Institute: Educate, Innovate, Iterate will be held in-person on May 6, 2024. We are excited to announce that the registration form is now open! You can use the registration form to:

• Register for the in-person event on May 6 and access to the Canvas course with supplemental materials (space is limited, so please register if you know you are able to attend in person), or
• Register for access to the AI Institute Canvas course that will contain a link to the livestream of the keynote session, supplemental materials from the institute, and recordings to select sessions.

As a reminder, we will be accepting proposals to present a 10 minute lightning round at the AI Institute on May 6 and for AI Implementation grants through this Friday, April 5. More information about each opportunity is available in the links below. We look forward to receiving your submissions! 

All UNCG Faculty and Staff are welcomed to continue to support the Indigenous Safe Space Network on campus through attendance at the UNCG Powwow on the EUC lawn. Grand Entry begins at noon (official start of the event).  The event is free and will feature traditional storytelling through voice, song and dance. There will be a handicraft auction and Native vendors will also be present.

The event is hosted annually by the UNCG Native American Student Association  with support from the Chancellor's Office, the Office of Intercultural Engagement, and Campus Activities and Programs. Read about Powwows and Powwow Dance here.

Volunteers are also needed! Please share the link below with students or consider signing up to volunteer yourself.

This week's Tip presents an alternative to posting blanket announcements to the entire class – using the "Message Students Who" feature in the Canvas gradebook you can quickly send targeted messages only to those students the message affects. Learn how in less than two minutes in this video: 

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

• ACUE Micro Courses | Learn more about these self-paced microcredentials and enroll using the UNCG ACUE web portal.
• 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 registration and 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

MINERVA MENTIONS

This segment features instructors who exemplify excellence and innovation in teaching at UNCG.

To nominate yourself or a colleague, please complete the form at go.uncg.edu/minerva-mentions.

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