Check out the latest on the faculty development front from the UTLC.
Check out the latest on the faculty development front from the UTLC.
A Message from Dave Teachout, Associate Vice Provost, UTLC
I am thrilled to welcome the colleagues from UNCG Online that support instructional design, multimedia support, and web accessibility. These additional teammates will support our ongoing efforts to advance student learning by empowering faculty to pursue academic excellence. With their collective expertise, the UTLC can improve upon and expand the ways we help faculty to be as effective as possible with instruction in all modes of delivery. 
This move will be implemented in a phased manner, ultimately bringing everyone together at 1100 West Market Street. 
While there are still many details to finalize, we look forward to serving the campus with an enhanced degree of skill sets and talent.  If you have any questions and need assistance with course development, please contact Dr. Laura Pipe (lmpipe@uncg.edu).
On-Demand Faculty Resources

Teaching Tips

This section is full of timely and evidence-based practices to apply in your teaching. This week's tips focus on approaches to fostering student engagement in the classroom inspired by the recently released Chronicle advice guide on How to Make your Teaching More Engaging.
  • Tap into emotion. We can use the power of emotion to grasp student attention and increase the chance of information being retained in long-term memory. Using an “emotional hook” to tap into student interest before kicking off a lecture or introducing an assignment, for example, can stimulate engagement that lasts throughout the class period. It is also important to identify learning activities that are relevant to your students in the context of contemporary topics and issues. Again, the goal is not to add entertainment value but rather to create connections for new neural pathways to form so that students can remember and master the information at hand. We also recommend this podcast episode from Lecture Breakers if you're interested in continuing to explore this concept.
  • Design for engagement. Incorporating universal design for learning into the design and delivery of your course allows students to engage with learning content in multiple ways. For example, you can design a course assignment with deliverable options ranging from a traditional essay to a podcast or video report. This allows students to exercise agency in choosing a format to represent their knowledge in a way that is authentic for them, which, in turn, translates into greater engagement with the material. Request a consultation to explore ways of incorporating multiple means of expression in your own course! Another example related to delivery is to utilize Google Slides auto-captioning feature to benefit students with or without hearing impairments in the process of note taking and engagement with the lecture.
  • Break the mold. While it is important to maintain a rhythm and routine in aspects such as the course calendar, it can be just as critical to introduce nuance into the way in which content is presented and engaged with during the course. Tell a story. Introduce humor. Bring in a guest speaker. Get creative! Find ways that are authentic to your teaching style to disrupt a traditional lecture that will keep students engaged and motivated to learn more. Our goal here is not to entertain our students, but to capture student attention and create opportunities for them to discover personal connections and interests in the course content that will ultimately lead to their achievement of student learning outcomes.

UTLC Announcements & Opportunities

UTLC Events Calendar

UTLC: TIO Digital Drop Ins for Spring 2022

The TIO team will offer a series of Digital Drop In sessions via Zoom (go.uncg.edu/digitaldropin) to discuss course design and delivery strategies.
  • Thursday, February 10 between 11am-noon
  • Wednesday, February 23 between 10-11am
Minerva Mentions
Minerva Mentions Sllideshow
We are pleased to announce the next Minerva Mentions nominee, Dr. Daniel Coleman! This segment features instructors who exemplify excellence and innovation in teaching. Click the image above to read the nominee's "Words of Wisdom" including what they love about teaching, a favorite tip to share, and a helpful resource to consider. If you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague, please complete the form at go.uncg.edu/minerva-mentions.

Faculty Development Opportunities

Reminder for Online Instructors
Per University policy, please be sure to submit proof of documentation for Initial Professional Development or Continuing Professional Development via this form
Ongoing Opportunities
Web Accessibility 101 now available in Canvas (enroll now). This asynchronous, self-paced course focuses on the fundamentals of making online content accessible.
Workshops and Events
Canvas New Quizzes Virtual Workshops | Various dates and times | Register here.
Zotero Workshops | Various dates and times in February | More information here.
UNCG Libraries Professional Development Webinars | View previously recorded webinars and sign up for Spring 2022 offerings at uncg.libguides.com/webinars.

High Impact Practices (HIPS) Virtual Brown Bag Lunch: CURES in MAC

Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 2 from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm via Zoom (go.uncg.edu/hip-lunch)

Hosted by, Lee Phillips, URSCO Director and Joanne Murphy, URSCO Senior Faculty Fellow, Professor of Classical Studies. This session will provide a basic introduction to Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) and will focus on the common elements of CUREs in the first two years of study.  We will provide some tips for developing research skills in the early years, constructing meaningful research projects that can engage students during one semester and beyond, as well as ideas on how to scaffold learning through research throughout your curriculum.

In Case you Missed It (ICYMI)

View past UTLC Newsletters here.

Let us know what you think of the UTLC Newsletter!

UTLC Logo
powered by emma
Subscribe to our email list.