Welcome to the weekly UTLC Newsletter supporting teaching and learning at UNCG:
Week of April 22, 2025
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Teaching Tips: What is UDL, beyond technological access? |
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Thank you to Dr. Laura Gonzalez with Integrative Community Studies for authoring this week's teaching tips!
Although we all define and enact teaching in different ways, there are some common goals that unite our work as instructors. For example, we hope to create an accessible and engaging learning environment that offers something for each student, we hope to promote content acquisition and overall development, and we seek to document or demonstrate that growth (for ourselves and our gradebooks, but also for the students themselves).
How can we keep improving and refining our teaching to meet the needs of new generations of students? We’d like to (re)introduce you to Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and in the next few Teaching Tips, we will expand upon its usefulness and benefits (https://udloncampus.cast.org/home).
Some people think of UDL as the guidelines that help us create online materials that are accessible to all (e.g., videos with captions, high contrast slides, text that is screen-reader friendly). While UDL does encompass those points of access, we’d like to turn your attention to its pedagogical applications. How can the foundational principles of UDL help you optimize access to each learning moment in your classroom? Let’s start with the idea of “multiple means.”
In UDL, we want to create learning experiences that allow each and every learner to engage fully, regardless of any particular attribute of that learner. Again, the focus is on crafting a learning environment that removes obstacles and barriers for all, not on making accommodations for one particular learner. This means designing many different ways for students to interact with course material, also known as “multiple means.” Let’s explore:
- Multiple means of engagement – Does your learning environment motivate students to explore what is relevant to them about the topic? Does it foster collaboration among students, leaving no one out? Does it provide feedback for learners about how they are engaging and encourage them to persist when challenged?
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Multiple means of representation – Does your learning environment allow students to access content in a variety of formats and ways? Does it encourage learners to connect new material to their existing knowledge? Does it support many ways of making meaning of the content?
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Multiple means of action/expression - Does your learning environment vary the ways that learners can respond to demonstrate their knowledge? Does it support choices of tools used for completing assignments? Does it teach them several ways to organize and express their ideas, so all learners can find one that works for them?
In the next newsletter we will explore the benefits and costs of using universal design, and we encourage you to keep thinking about how to create “multiple means” of learning in your course!
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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.
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! Do you need assistance with a MAC class sooner? Please contact us at utlc@uncg.edu.
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2025 AI Institute: Call for Participation
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The UTLC announces the 2025 AI Institute: Educate, Innovate, Iterate. This free institute is open to all educators at UNCG regardless of rank, discipline, or prior experience using Generative AI tools.
The Institute will be held 8:30 am to 4:00pm on Monday, May 12; more details may be found at this link. Lunch and snacks are provided. Space is limited so please register early! Registration for the conference may be found at the registration form.
If you have any questions, please contact us at utlc@uncg.edu.
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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! If you have any questions, please contact us at utlc@uncg.edu.
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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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Spring 2025 UTLC Biergarten
The UTLC holds Biergartens at the end of each semester to celebrate instructors’ dedication to teaching, learning, and student success. This is an opportunity to gather with colleagues and relax with hors d’oeuvres and beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic).
Weatherspoon Art Museum
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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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