Welcome to the weekly UTLC Newsletter supporting teaching and learning at UNCG.
|
|
|
This section is full of timely and evidence-based practices to apply in your teaching.
|
This week’s teaching tips provide insights into the upcoming celebration of Ramadan. First, we hope you will begin by watching the video above created by the UTLC in collaboration with students from the Muslim Students Association. Please keep the following strategies in mind throughout the month of Ramadan each year!
-
Learn about Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is anticipated to take place from March 22-April 21, 2023 ending in the celebration of Eid al Fitr on April 21-22 (dates may vary slightly based on lunar sightings). See the local Greensboro calendar for daily prayer and fasting times during Ramadan 2023. It is important to remember that the dates for Ramadan change by approximately 11 days on the Gregorian calendar each year. Ramadan includes many traditions and practices in addition to fasting (abstaining from any food or drink including water) from sunup to sun down, so take a moment to learn more about how Ramadan and Eid al Fitr are observed and celebrated.
-
Acknowledge Ramadan. Acknowledgement of the holiday and that some of our students may be fasting can go a long way. Sending an announcement or beginning class by saying Ramadan Mubarak or Happy Ramadan to all students is a great and simple way to raise awareness about the holiday. It is important to not single any one student out, but acknowledging that now is a time of fasting and worship for many members of our campus and surrounding community is a way to show support and educate others. You may also consider using this time to share information about Ramadan and adding the dates of Ramadan to a course calendar as a way to counter Islamophobia.
-
Be Flexible during Ramadan. Ramadan features many traditions that can impact students in your class who observe this holy month. For example, fasting during hours of sunlight can affect students’ energy levels, and students may need to leave or adjust their class times due to prayer. As Lasell University notes, students have different thresholds when fasting so you may want to consider when projects are due or exams take place. This may include reaching out to the University Proctoring Lab to see how you can offer alternative times for testing during Ramadan, and/or extending assignment deadlines to 11:59 pm. You may also notice that students are more tired or less engaged in class discussion than normal, especially during late afternoon or evening classes. It can be helpful to provide alternative ways to contribute to class discussions when students are experiencing fatigue, and you may notice that a lot of your students like having this option!
Ramadan Mubarak to all who celebrate!
|
|
|
UTLC FEATURED ANNOUNCEMENTS
|
Check out the latest updates and offerings from the UTLC.
|
|
|
|
Call for Proposals | Adapt Conference: Making Connections
The fourth, annual Adapt conference will be May 8th and 9th (Add to Google Calendar). This year, our focus is making connections. As we work through times of change, it’s important to take a moment to connect with why we do this important work, with our support systems, and with each other.
This conference will offer sessions focused on four different tracks (see call for proposals for full details). We invite anyone from the UNCG community to submit proposals for this conference. The priority deadline for proposals is March 24. If you have questions, please contact the planning committee at adapt@uncg.edu
|
|
|
| Help Improve Support for Accessibility Accommodations
The UTLC is creating resources that demonstrate a pathway for how instructors can provide student accessibility accommodations in a timely, effective manner in any mode of teaching. To better understand how instructors currently implement academic accommodations, we have developed a 5–10 minute anonymous survey for instructors to share their experiences. Please help us by taking the survey and spreading the word! The survey deadline is Friday, April 7.
|
|
|
|
New Episode | Small Steps, Big Impact Podcast
Episode 17 of the Small Steps, Big Impact podcast features a discussion with host, Nodia Mena, on bridging EDI work between higher ed and community. Our guest is Josette Ferguson, Narrative Coordinator at Progressive Organization in North Carolina.
|
|
|
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.
|
Upcoming Events, Training, and Workshops
|
|
|
| Gather with colleagues in the Faculty Center located centrally on campus (College Ave.) to enjoy a warm beverage and great conversation.
|
|
|
| 🧑💻 HIPs Virtual Brown Bag | Recording High-Impact Practices (HIPs) in Faculty Success (formerly Activity Insight)
|
Bring your lunch to our virtual roundtable discussion to learn more about recording your High-Impact Practice activities into Faculty Success.
|
|
|
| 🏛 Weatherspoon Art Museum Faculty Workshop | Using an Essential Question to Activate Learning
|
Join us for a special faculty workshop on using museum collections in teaching. Open to all faculty, staff, and graduate teaching assistants. RSVP required (see link below for details).
|
|
|
| 🧑💻 Instructional Support Virtual Drop-In
|
Drop-in any time during the session to ask your questions about teaching and technology: go.uncg.edu/ISNdropin. Be sure to login to Teams with your UNCG credentials before attempting to join. No RSVP or registration needed.
|
|
|
| 📣 VOISES Panel | Online and Non-Traditional Student Experiences
|
Join us for our next Viewpoints of Inclusive Student Experiences (VOISES) panel featuring the perspectives of online and non-traditional students.
|
|
|
| 🌐 Fulbright Student Program Virtual Info Session
|
Join Dr. Maria Anastasiou to learn more about the Fulbright Student Program application process and how students can receive support at UNCG. The Zoom link for each of the three sessions is go.uncg.edu/fulbright_info.
|
|
|
This segment features instructors who exemplify excellence and innovation in teaching at UNCG.
We are pleased to announce our next nominee, Dr. Anne Parsons!
Click the image below to read the nominee's Words of Wisdom.
To nominate yourself or a colleague, please complete the form at go.uncg.edu/minerva-mentions.
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
1100 West Market St., Suite 100F None | Greensboro, NC 27412 US
|
|
|
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
| |
|
|
