Learning and Teaching For Wellbeing | Instructional Methods

Teaching Methods To Support Wellbeing

Increasing awareness and deepening knowledge about the extent and intensity of the many wellbeing challenges facing our students can motivate educators to seek out recommendations and methods to better support them.

This section of the "Learning and Teaching About Wellbeing" resources provides a collection of instructional methods designed to support students' mental health. They are compiled from multiple resources, including the JED Foundation. Most take very little time and are not difficult to implement yet maintain the rigor of a course. The collection will continue to grow, including with recommendations and examples contributed by inspired faculty.
 

Before the start of the quarter...

1. Convey in your syllabus (and Day 1) that you care about students' wellbeing

• Among the many recommended syllabus statements that you might consider, include one that expresses your interest in their wellbeing and that reminds them of the many campus resources available to them. Click here to review recommended Syllabus Statements.
• Call students' attention to your wellbeing syllabus statement whenever you conduct your syllabus review the first day of class -- when this is emphasized with sincerity, your students are more likely to see you as a source of understanding and support and thus be willing to connect with you about wellbeing challenges affecting their coursework.

2. Inform yourself about campus resources for student wellbeing

• To enhance your ability to refer students to professional support and expert resources on campus, familiarize yourself with what is available.
• Get to know and bookmark the Faculty Guide: Assisting the Emotionally Distressed Student
• Explore resources available through Campus Health and Wellbeing and consider including links in your syllabus or Canvas site such as those below with your wellbeing syllabus statement:
  • Crisis Services
  • Counseling Services
  • Wellbeing Workshops
  • End of Quarter Workshops
  • Food Pantry
• Get to know the Cal Poly version of the Red Folder and its extensive set of resources and contact information for faculty about dealing with students in distress. Bookmark it in your browser and add it to your Cal Poly Portal list of apps for ease of access.

3. Make modest course policy adjustments

• Provide greater flexibility for due dates and offer makeup opportunities before imposing point deductions. This isn't a recommendation to do away with all deadlines, but to offer relatively greater leeway as many faculty were encouraged to do during the pandemic. These are for instances when incidences or accumulations of physical and psychological distress would otherwise result subpar performances when meeting strict deadlines, which may not accurately reflect a student's actual level of achievement and mastery (and contribute to their stress and anxiety). 
• Build in a modest number (perhaps 2-3) of “grace days” (you may prefer a different term) that each students can use to miss class without penalty if they have a bad day and need to attend to their wellbeing. Include clear guidelines such as:
  • No explanation or excuse required (although certainly welcome).
  • Advance (or day of) notification to instructor could still be required.
• Provide greater flexibility for makeups of exams and tests (e.g., at least one makeup of a major assessment without penalty).

4. Offer adjustments in learning assessments

• Design into your course a greater number of lower and mid-level stakes assessments rather than a few high-stakes assessments. For example, instead of the traditional two mid-terms and a final that may count for 80% of a grade, provide 5-7 more modest-scale tests. They would still accumulate to account for 80% of the grade but each test will be lower stakes and thus likely generate less anxiety.
• Design into your course increased opportunities for formative assessments (no-stakes activities designed for practicing skills and then learning how to improve) as a way to improve preparation for (and reduce stress for) the higher stakes summative assessments. Information about formative assessments (benefits and specific methods) can be found here.
   

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At the start of the quarter ...

1. Provide students an opportunity to share their challenges

• Before the term starts (or very early in the term) invite students to share with you confidentially any challenges that could affect their classwork.
  • This could be part of a simple "Tell me about yourself" request to students, who could respond to a Canvas survey or send an email.
  • In addition to asking such things as preferred name, major and minor, year in school, reason for taking the course, ask "Is there anything that you wish to share with me confidentially that could affect your ability to succeed in this class?" This is an opportunity for students to share confidentially about job obligations, housing or food insecurity issues, transportation challenges, health challenges (self or loved one), recent episodes of trauma, etc.
• Review students’ "Getting to know you" submissions to look for patterns in the the challenges that they face. This review will enhance your awareness about students in your classes, suggest some specific ways that you can respond most appropriately and effectively, and increase your empathy for the many things that can diminish their capacity to learn if they don't have your support.
• Share a summary of what you learn from their submissions with the whole class.
  • This will confirm for them that you read what they shared and help them to understand that you now better understand their challenges.
  • It will also help your students better understand their classmates.
  • It can also help students gain perspective on themselves and their own struggles (e.g., they are not alone).

2. Acknowledge to students the challenges that they face

• Don't assume that all students are and healthy and ignore the considerable evidence showing that many college students are struggling, stressed and suffering from trauma (whether they show it outwardly or not).
• Care enough about your students' wellbeing to learn what they have been experiencing by educating yourself about recent survey data (review survey results on the "About Students" pages).
• Demonstrate to them what you have learned by sharing some of the recent survey data with your students at the beginning of the quarter (click here to download a set of slides described below that are candidates for sharing with students):
  • Chart showing increases in symptoms of depression among adults during the pandemic.
  • Charts showing the levels of emotional and psychological stress among college students (both national and Cal Poly respondents).
  • Chart showing Cal Poly students' responses on a Fall 2020 survey.
• When you share the data, make sure that students understand what it means: If they have struggled, are struggling now or if they struggle in the future, their experiences are shared by many of their classmates.
• Emphasize there is no shame in experiencing emotional or psychological struggles. Explain that given the nation's pandemic experiences (and whatever additional personal challenges they may have experienced as well), struggling emotionally and psychologically may be an appropriate and understandable human response.
• Consider sharing some of your own struggles, which can help give permission for them to be more open about theirs. Select incidences or examples that are appropriate to the educational environment (e.g., how it felt to be worried when a family member or close friend had contracted COVID, how isolating it felt to be so disconnected from in-person human interaction during the lockdown, etc.)
• Emphasize what you are NOT (their therapist or their counselor!) and what you ARE (an caring ally who can provide referrals to campus experts and resources).

3. Call attention to the course policy adjustments you have made and why

• Explain what you changed from your prior practices or typical practices.
• Explain why you changed what you changed (e.g., reducing their stress, providing them more opportunities to practice and apply knowledge, giving them more frequent feedback on progress, etc.).

 

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During the Quarter...

1. Engage students about their wellbeing throughout the quarter

• Adopt a regular practice of quick check-in with students at the start of class meetings about how they are doing.
  • For example, a no-tech and convenient way is to ask them for "thumbs up" (held close to their chest to provide some level of privacy) if they're doing well (enough), "thumb sideways" if they're not doing very well and a "thumbs down" to signal they are not doing well at all.
  • Scan the responses quickly and provide a quick estimate to the class, e.g., "Looks like more than half are doing OK, about a third are so-so, and about a sixth are not doing well."
  • This moment can be an excellent opportunity to provide a pep talk, characterize where they are in the course timeline and what to expect in the coming week(s), and remind them of wellbeing resources on campus (remind them of the links that you had provided in the syllabus).
• Regularly remind students that to do their best they need to get good sleep and to eat well, and remind them if they should ask for help if they need it -- that's why those resources and services are there; there is no shame in seeking help.

2. Facilitate students’ connections with you and with each other

• Early in quarter provide opportunities for students to introduce themselves to each other and get to know each other.
• Infuse learning activities with peer collaborations during formative assessments (see Angelo & Cross, 1993, for numerous examples).
• Every time students are asked to work with classmates, remind them to reintroduce themselves.
• Consider scheduling every student for a brief (say, 10 minutes) individual conversation with you for a "get to know you" session. Schedule them early in the term to gain the most benefit of encouraging a personal connection and demonstrating your availability. Call it “Student Time” (a.k.a. "Office Hours" but labeled to be more student-centric and welcoming). For larger classes, consider 3-4 at a time.

3. Teach students stress reduction methods

• On occasion (or regularly if they turn out to be popular) start a class session with a brief stress-reduction exercises. This CTLT page offers some ideas and instructions.
• When approaching midterms, project due dates, presentations, etc., acknowledge the likelihood that they are experiencing higher stress and encourage them to learn and practice ways to better cope with/dissipate stress.
• The day of a midterm, final, class presentation etc., again lead a centering, calming exercise.

4. Be attentive to signs of struggle

• Early in the quarter (say, week 2 or 3), review the Canvas activity logs to identify students who have notably low engagement (late or missing assignments, little time spent in the Canvas course).
• Make a note of students who frequently miss class or who indicate "thumbs across" or "thumbs down" at the check-ins.

5. Respond to signs of struggle when you detect them

• Review the Red Folder and its extensive set of resources and contact information for faculty about dealing with students in distress.
• Reach out to individuals showing indicators of distress to express your concern for their wellbeing
  • Remind them that you care about their wellbeing and that you are interested in their success in the course.
  • Invite them to make an appointment to talk about how you could help them get back on track in the course.
  • Remind them of the many services and resource that the campus provides to them; offer to be with them as they call or email to make an appointment with counseling services (for example) right then and there.

Resources

• Faculty Guide for Supporting Student Mental Health (JED Foundation)
• Creating a Compassionate Classroom (Inside Higher Ed, Dec. 1, 2021)