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Welcome to the weekly UTLC Newsletter for September 28, 2021.
Highlights:
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Teaching Tips
This section is full of timely and evidence-based practices to apply in your teaching. This week's tips focus on common neuromyths that may impact your approach to teaching and learning. Full citations for the referenced materials can be found here. If you're interested in this topic, you may enjoy this neuromyths quiz from NPR.
Drop the (graded) pop quiz. Research by Vogel and Schwabe (2016) suggests that stress, fear, and fatigue can impact student performance and inhibit learning as cognition and emotion are strongly linked in the brain. Pop quizzes can easily be reframed into ungraded, low-stakes formative assessments in which students can make and learn from their mistakes without the fear of their performance impacting their grade. You can request a consultation with the UTLC:TIO team to identify specific tools and strategies for creating low-stakes assessments in your virtual or physical classroom.
(Not) saved by the bell. Lecturing until the final moments of class may seem like an efficient use of class time; however, using the last 5-10 minutes to review key concepts can go a long way in helping students to retain information in the long-term. Dunlosky and Rawson (2019) show that spending class time to develop students’ metacognitive ability can positively impact their academic performance. Check out some of these metacognition activities to try in your classes this semester.
Learning styles (myth). For many years, there has been a discussion that students have different learning styles such as auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. Research by Pashler et. al. 2008 demonstrates that learning styles are not only a misconception, but they can actually be harmful to students who believe they can only learn in one manner or another. Rather than focusing on student learning styles, instructors can find ways to incorporate principles of the Universal Design for Learning to ensure that students have varied opportunities to engage in, represent, and express their learning. More information about the learning styles myth is available here.
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Featured UTLC Opportunities
Instructional Support
- Sign up for the next Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) workshop taking place October 15 and 16. Free to all UNCG faculty and staff.
- The UTLC:TIO is currently enrolling instructors for Online Learning Level 1, which begins on October 18. For more details and registration information, please visit our Online Learning Levels webpage.
- Join us at the next CoffeeHouse tomorrow Wednesday, September 29 at 9am at the Faculty Center.
- UTLC:URSCO is hosting a series of workshops for faculty this fall. Dates, locations, and descriptions are available here.
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We are pleased to announce the next Minerva Mentions nominee, Dr. Mariche Bayonas! 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 available at go.uncg.edu/minerva-mentions.
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Other Announcements- New update for Canvas Quizzes! "New Quizzes," is now available to enable in your Canvas courses. This virtual workshop from ITS Learning Technology explains what's happening with quizzes in Canvas and demonstrates how to enable New Quizzes, how to migrate existing quizzes to New Quizzes, how to create a quiz with New Quizzes (including three new question types!), and how to use its exciting new accommodations feature. With plenty of time before Canvas sunsets classic quizzes, now is a great time to get started and make the transition a smooth one.
In Case You Missed It
The International Faculty and Staff Network is a newly formed group at UNCG open to all professional members of UNCG including faculty/instructors, staff, and visiting international scholars.To get involved in the community, please join the network on Canvas to meet other members, receive updates about future events and meetings, and contribute your ideas!
- Apply to a UNCG Online Teaching Fellow! For best consideration, please apply by Friday, October 8 (deadline extended). Please email Samantha Harlow, Online Learning Faculty Senate Committee Chair, slharlow@uncg.edu with any questions. Click the following link for more information and to apply to be an UNCG Online Teaching Fellow.
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| We want to hear from you!Want to highlight excellent teaching? Have a resource or announcement to share? Hope to see more teaching tips related to a specific topic? Click the button below to send your suggestions. We're excited to hear from you!
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