Welcome to the Weekly UTLC Newsletter:
Week of October 20 |
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Teaching Tips: Universal Design for Learning |
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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) helps make lessons accessible by planning for different ways students learn and participate. This week, we bring a few tips from Taylor to help implement in our courses:
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Present ideas in varied formats: Pair reading with visuals, video, audio, or hands-on activities.
- Offer choices for showing learning: Let students respond with a short essay, presentation, speech, or demonstration.
- Build in accessible supports: Use tools such as text-to-speech, adjustable text, captions, and graphic organizers.
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Start small: Try one new option in a lesson, then notice what helps students participate and learn.
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A few flexible choices can help more students reach the same learning goals. The UTLC offers many UDL resources to support you, or you can request a consultation to learn more.
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Alumni Teaching Excellence Awards Call for Nominations |
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The Alumni Teaching Excellence Awards offered by the University 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 must be submitted by 5 pm on Tuesday December 1, 2026 through the nomination form.
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Community Engagement Discussion Group |
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The University Teaching and Learning Commons, the Institute for Community and Economic Engagement, and the University Community Engagement Council are pleased to collaborate and sponsor the Fall 2026 Community Engagement discussion group. Instead of discussing a single long text, we will provide long form, short form, and multimedia resources, and look forward to discussing community engagement and teaching with you. Our next gathering is October 28th (we will also be running spring dates and will get information out about that later this fall).
This group is open to faculty, staff, and graduate students. Please register, and we'll send you a calendar invite. And, don't keep us a secret; please spread the word!
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This fall, we are pleased to continue the Anthology Course Evaluation System pilot, which is testing out a new course evaluation system. So far, feedback is that the system is easier to use for faculty and students; that it's more mobile friendly; that the reporting is more robust; and that evaluations are easier to do in class (for those teaching in-person), raising response rates.
If you would like to participate in the pilot for Fall 2026, please fill out this form by Monday, October 26 for full term and POT2 classes. Please send any questions to Joyce Clapp, jfclapp@uncg.edu.
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The UTLC and the University Libraries are happy to collaborate on our fall coffeehouse! Please join us on Thursday, October 29, from 9 to 11am in the main library lobby for fellowship and refreshments (caffeinated and decaf coffee, juice, and tea; muffins, bagels, GF muffins, vegan coffeecake, and other pastries; hard-boiled and deviled eggs; fruit; and other treats!)
In addition, visitors will have early viewing access to a special Halloween-themed exhibit in the Special Collections and University Archives, located on the second floor, in the Hodges Reading Room! We will also be creating our own Dia de los Muertos altar. We look forward to taking a break with you all at the end of October.
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Join the UTLC and the Office of Intercultural Engagement for a conversation about student experiences in the classroom and beyond. This student panel is scheduled for November 10 at 2 pm and focuses on first-generation students. VOISES panels provide a venue for faculty to hear students' perspectives on their experiences on campus. These moderated panels give faculty the chance to ask questions while reflecting on ways they can support student success and learning.
Please register to receive full event details and location.
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| Mark your calendars for our Fall Biergarten, 4:00 to 5:00 pm on Wednesday, December 2, at the Weatherspoon Art Museum! More details to follow.
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Student Health Services is offering open flu clinics for students, faculty, and staff. Stop by and get your flu shot! You can call (336) 334-4086 to schedule your shot.
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Resources for You: Faculty Engagement & Development Opportunities |
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Faculty Engagement & Development 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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Tech Tip: Improve Access with Canvas Immersive Reader |
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Are you looking for an easy way to make course content more accessible to all students? Canvas Immersive Reader helps students customize how they read course pages by providing text-to-speech, translation, adjustable text settings, and reading supports. Check out the step-by-step below and this guide from Instructure for more detail.
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- Open a Page in your Canvas course.
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Locate and click the Immersive Reader button when available.
- Choose Play to have the content read aloud.
- Adjust Text Preferences to change font size, spacing, and contrast.
- Use Reading Preferences such as Line Focus to reduce distractions.
- Select Translation to view content in another language
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Open Office Hours & Training with ITS |
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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.
Information Technology Services has a robust training schedule for the fall. In particular, we'd like to draw your attention to https://workshops.uncg.edu/event/student-self-assessment-strategies-canvas-tools-2/, tomorrow at 1:30pm.
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