Welcome to the weekly UTLC Newsletter |
Week of September 2, 2025
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We are starting week three, and the beginning of the semester honeymoon phase is nearing its end. The excitement of the start of the semester has settled. The first few quizzes and projects are due soon (if not already), and students start bringing other parts of them to the classroom. How do we support the continued enthusiasm and success of our students? We have created a list for you to consider which could also help gauge your students’ initial progress.
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Quick pulse check – Course evaluations are not just for the end of the semester. Real-time assessments or check-ins can provide you with valuable information on how the course is going for your students thus far. Questions could range from “What’s going well in our classroom?” or “What’s one thing that could make our learning better?” to simply “How are you?” Students could appreciate this last question the most, as it demonstrates your care for not only their progression in the course but also their well-being.
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These check-ins could take different forms and modalities (e.g., on Canvas, or at the beginning or end of class using tools such as email or Poll Everywhere). See Stanford Education and NC State Teaching Resources for more information.
- Receive and reflect on this feedback, but remember you don’t have to change everything! For example, students may say "there's too much reading!" This may be an opportunity to discuss with them the conventions of your field (which is part of what we're teaching) and how much reading scholars in your field do.
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Revisit expectations and campus resources – The beginning of the semester is an information overload for students and they may not remember everything from your syllabus. Now that everyone has settled in and you have some feedback, this is a great time to remind students of course expectations. It’s essential to review guidelines, explain why they matter, and why certain things cannot be changed. You may decide to revisit your syllabus and other course guidelines and spend some time mapping the syllabus or doing peer-to-peer syllabus learning (Inside Higher Ed has great information on how to do so).
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At the UTLC, we also offer additional resources that could facilitate these check-ins and revisiting of expectations. Visit our website to learn about additional resources, request a workshop, or schedule a consultation.
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Free Subscription to The Teaching Professor from Magna Publications |
Did you know that 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, like:
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- Planning and designing courses
- 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. The pilot and the current system (Class Climate) are running in parallel; when the Class Climate contract expires, administration will make a decision about which (or neither) system to retain. 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, along with offering units the chance to add custom questions. It’s mobile friendly and can be deployed in the classrooms, 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 Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 Cohorts, please click the button below to fill out the interest form. If you have already indicated interest, we will be in touch with details soon.
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. Additional training opportunities are available at workshops.uncg.edu.
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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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