Welcome to the weekly UTLC Newsletter supporting teaching and learning at UNCG.
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This section is full of timely and evidence-based practices to apply in your teaching.
Office hours can be a new experience for many students, especially first-generation and international students, and availing of them can sometimes be viewed as weakness or failure. Some simple ways to do this are:
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Demystifying office hours. Taking time to explain the importance of office hours, and encouraging their use throughout the semester is essential. Some students perceive office hours as a time when you’re not available and working on other tasks! Reinforce to students that office hours are not just for asking questions about assignments or course but for getting to know their instructors, discussing a topic in more depth, exploring career paths, or simply to pop in and say "hello!"
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Making office hours more accessible. Consider using more student-friendly terminology for your office hours like: drop-in hours, student hours, check-in chat, open space, free for all, afternoon tea, morning coffee, bat cave, around the campfire, design studio, a walk in the park, etc. You can even move out of the office to a more neutral and relaxing environment for example meeting at a coffee shop, somewhere outside under a tree, or even taking a walk around campus together. Vanderbilt University gives additional tips on how to make office hours more accessible and less intimidating for all students.
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Offering scheduling options. It can be helpful to get students' availability for the best meeting times if your usual office hours are not well-attended. If you offer office hours by appointment, consider using digital sign up options like Starfish or Microsoft Bookings, which both offer the ability to schedule appointments and send reminders of appointment times. Western Washington University offers additional tips on how to reclaim and diversify office hours.
Lastly, this slightly more humorous article from the Chronicle describes “the subspecies of North American professor” in terms of how they run their Office Hours: the early bird, the door closer, the counselor, the chatterer, and the fugitive. Which one are you? Which one would you like to be?
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UTLC FEATURED ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Check out the latest updates and offerings from the UTLC.
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| Upcoming Guest Speaker Visit on Feb. 5 | Dr. Shawn Simonson on Teaching Effectiveness Frameworks
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Join the UTLC and the Teaching Effectiveness Policy Workgroup for a morning with Dr. Shawn Simonson, Director of the Human Performance Laboratory and a Professor of Kinesiology at Boise State University. In his workshop, Simonson will share some common best practices for evaluating teaching, how we can use reflection to better understand our own teaching, and how we can solicit effective feedback on our own teaching.
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Reminder | Register for ACUE micro courses this Spring
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There is still time to sign up for ACUE micro course offerings later this spring. To thank faculty and staff who have completed the ACUE micros, the Provost is providing participants with a $250 professional development stipend per completed micro course to be used prior to the end of this academic year. This includes both the ACUE Teaching Certificate courses and Fostering a Culture of Belonging. Contact Laura Pipe (lmpipe@uncg.edu) directly if you have any questions about the ACUE course offerings.
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| Reminder | Faculty Burnout Book Club Meetings
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In partnership with the Provost Fellows, the UTLC is hosting a book club focused on Unraveling Faculty Burnout: Pathways to Reckoning and Renewal by Rebecca Pope-Ruark. The group will meet five times during the semester with hybrid and face-to-face meeting options. Faculty do not need to attend all meetings or read the chapters in advance to participate in this experience.
Please complete the interest form to receive more information about the book, Canvas link, times and location of the meetings (offered virtual and in-person).
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FACULTY ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
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Check out these upcoming opportunities from the UTLC and other partners on campus. Additional training opportunities are available at workshops.uncg.edu.
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Upcoming Events, Training, and Workshops
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| ☕️ UTLC Coffeehouse | Co-hosted by the School of Health and Human Sciences in the Nursing and Instructional Building, Room 124
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Coffeehouses are a space to gather with colleagues. No set agenda, just coffee (or tea), snacks, and great conversation.
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| 📣 VOISES Panel | Black and African American Student Experiences
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Join the UTLC and Office of Intercultural Engagement for a student panel discussion centering the experiences of Black and African American students.
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| 💻 Faculty Fellows Workshop on Avoiding Faculty Burnout and Finding True Work-Life Balance
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In conjunction with NCFDD, we are hosting a 2-hour virtual workshop with optional in-person watch party to help faculty develop strategies for prioritizing and building momentum for their research and creative activities while maintaining work-life balance along the way.
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This segment features instructors who exemplify excellence and innovation in teaching at UNCG.
We are pleased to announce our next nominee, Dr. Selima Sultana!
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.
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