Welcome to the Weekly UTLC Newsletter |
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Week of November 18, 2025
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Teaching Tips: Incomplete Grades |
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Incomplete grades can be a powerful tool to help students who suffer personal difficulties towards the end of the semester, but there are considerations before assigning an “incomplete” to a student.
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Did the student agree to the incomplete? It may seem like a kindness to assign a student who has disappeared an incomplete, but please have them consent to it so they understand the grade and their obligations.
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Do you have a plan? Faculty sometimes agree to an incomplete but do not set up a plan in collaboration with the student, often out of the best of intentions (the student is still in the middle of the situation that’s causing the incomplete, for example). An incomplete is most likely to be settled successfully with an action plan and continued support from the faculty member. If both the student and the faculty member are unable to commit to these items, an incomplete may not be the best option. Please file the plan with someone in your department – should you leave the university, your department will still know what the student agreed to. (Also, don’t forget to check if your department has specific incomplete policies).
- How much work is left? While there’s no specific policy about how much course work must be completed to be able to assign an incomplete, the more work that is left, the less likely it is that the student will be able to complete the course successfully once outside the bounds of the organized class.
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Is the student already passing? If the student is passing but is hoping to improve their grade with their last assessments, they should have a conversation with their advisor about whether a passing grade is better than dragging out an incomplete.
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Keep in mind that the student has six months to complete the course or the incomplete turns into an F if you haven’t turned in a grade change form, no matter what the student’s grade is at that point. Keeping up with that deadline for the grade change is ultimately up to the faculty member (turning in the work, seeking help, and keeping up with the action plan is ultimately up to the student). Please urge any student who takes an incomplete to discuss the ramifications (including prerequisites and academic progress) of doing so with their academic advisor.
You will need to submit the Canvas course extension form to extend student access to Canvas. GTAs will need to submit a 6-tech ticket.
Thank you for your work in supporting our students in distress. The UTLC is always happy to talk over classroom situations or other teaching needs with you.
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Alumni Teaching Excellence Awards |
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The Alumni Teaching Excellence Awards offered by the University Teaching and Learning Commons at University of North Carolina at Greensboro recognize and celebrate faculty members who demonstrate outstanding teaching, mentorship, and instructional innovation. Nominations are open to everyone, alumni, students, staff, and faculty alike, making this an inclusive opportunity to acknowledge educators who have made a meaningful impact. The awards include several categories (matched to faculty rank and appointment type) and provide a way to shine a light on those who elevate the learning experience through both traditional and blended/online formats. For full details on eligibility, nomination procedures, and past recipients, you can visit the official site. Nominations are accepted until Tuesday December 3, 2025.
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Open Office Hours with ITS and Tech Training! |
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Open Office Hours with ITS: Learning Technology’s Instructional Design Team: Tuesdays 10am–12pm: Drop in for a conversation with an instructional designer! We can assist with course and assessment design, discuss teaching questions, and help with Canvas, Teams, and other learning technology. No registration is needed; you can just join online.
In addition, the November tech training schedule is available! ITS has a lot of great training coming up, including "Refreshing Your Rubrics", the accessibility incubators, Creative Infographics, and more.
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Free Subscription to The Teaching Professor from Magna Publications |
Magna Publications has a weekly newsletter with teaching tips, strategies, and the latest best practices of teaching offering approaches on a wide range of teaching topics, such as:
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- Planning and designing courses
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Promoting academic integrity
- Increasing student engagement
- Responding to course evaluations and feedback
- Developing effective activities and assignments
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| Access to Quick Teaching Workshops with Magna Publications |
Magna Publications offers a series of 20-minute and 40-minute workshops on teaching and learning topics from national experts in teaching and learning.
The UTLC has secured campus access to over 20 trainings on topics such as teaching effectiveness, generative AI, student engagement, course design, and much more.
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Teaching Evaluation Pilot |
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UNCG is pleased to be administering a pilot of a new teaching evaluation system, Anthology Evaluate. Much of our feedback during the 2024/25 academic year was favorable, with users finding the system easy to use and the reporting to be accessible.
Anthology uses research validated common questions; units can also add custom questions. The system mobile friendly and can be used in the classroom, which raised response rates for instructors who opted to do so this past year. Instructors and their heads have access to reporting one to two days after the close of the administration and can access their reports anytime they like online.
We are recruiting more pilot participants for this academic year! If you are interested in participating in the Spring 2026 Cohort, please click the button below to fill out the interest form.
If you have questions, please email the UTLC at utlc@uncg.edu.
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Faculty Engagement & Development Opportunities |
Check out these upcoming opportunities from the UTLC and other partners on campus. Additionally, the university workshop calendar has opportunities.
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- Self-Paced Training Options| Online, research-based workshops cover a range of essential topics.
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UNCG Libraries Webinars | Research and Application Webinar Series (Spring 2024 recordings) | Zotero Webinar Series (recordings)
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New to Teaching | Access this Canvas site to learn about how students learn, preparing for class, grading, office hours, engagement, active learning, and more.
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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.
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Web Accessibility 101 | This asynchronous, self-paced course focuses on the fundamentals of making online content accessible.
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