Supporting Your Students’ Mental Health and Wellness

Linda Hasunuma & Cliff Rouder

This month the CAT partnered with the Dean of Students Office, Wellness Resource Center, and the CARE Team to provide a workshop for faculty to learn how they can support student mental health and wellness. Rachael Stark, Senior Associate Dean of Students; Megan McCloskey, Associate Director, CARE Team; Alison McKee, Director, Wellness Resource Center; and Janie Egan, Mental Well-Being Program Coordinator, Wellness Resource Center shared strategies and resources to help faculty be proactive in identifying students who may be struggling–ensuring they get the support they need during this challenging time.

This was an especially valuable workshop as we are still facing the uncertainty and challenges of an ongoing pandemic on top of the many other stressors of the past year and a half. We share the highlights of the workshop in a question and answer format.

How can you support your students’ mental health and wellness in class?

  • Include a mental health syllabus statement. A sample is available in the Student Safety Nest Guide. (You’ll see the link to this resource at the end of the blog.)
  • Include periodic reminders about resources beyond the first week of class.
  • Talk openly about well-being and self-care (and the connection to academic performance). This can help normalize help-seeking.

What are possible signs of students’ mental distress?

Students may still hesitate to reach out for support, so in addition to the suggestions above, another thing you can do is to be aware of possible signs of mental distress, including

  • Physical signs: Significant changes in energy, worrisome changes in hygiene, regularly sleeping in class
  • Emotional signs: Emotional outbursts, written/verbal expressions of hopelessness, exaggerated personality traits
  • Behavioral signs: Verbally aggressive, verbal/written threats, demanding a lot of time
  • Academic signs: Repeated absences, seeking of special provisions, ranting emails

If you do see these signs, reach out to your students and invite them to come talk to you.

What if a student does come to talk to me?

One helpful approach for providing informal, yet skillful support, is to use the Validate, Appreciate, Refer (VAR) model, developed by Active Minds. Here are examples of what you can say using the VAR model:

VALIDATE Feelings

Example response: “I’m sorry to hear that you’re struggling. You have a lot going on.”

APPRECIATE Vulnerability

Example response: “I know it isn’t easy to talk about this with an instructor. I really appreciate that you shared this with me.”

REFER to Services

Example response: “How familiar are you with campus resources? Is it okay if I share some info that might be relevant?” It’s helpful to share several resources and let the student decide based on their comfort level.

What campus resources can I suggest?

Crisis, Assessment, Response, Education (CARE) Team

If you have a concern about a student based on something they may have said or done, or if they’re not showing up and have not communicated with you after reaching out, we recommend you contact the CARE Team. If you are not sure the concern merits a CARE Team referral, they would still like you to reach out to them, and they will advise you. The CARE Team is composed of a diverse group of representatives from key student support offices across the University, e.g.,Tuttleman Counseling Services, Disability Resources and Services, and the TUPD, who evaluate the referral and determine the next course of action.

Tuttleman Counseling Services

If a student is in need of counseling, Tuttleman provides valuable resources for mental health support. Students need to register for services by filling out a form on their website M-F 10 am – 1:30 pm. A counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Please visit their website for more information about these and other services:

Disabilities Resource Services (DRS)

It’s important to remember that some students may have invisible disabilities (mental health) or have short term/temporary disabilities or injuries as well. If you have concerns and questions related to how you can best support a student who needs accommodations, please reach out to DRS For your convenience, you can make an appointment for an individual consult with the Director of DRS, Andrea Vassar, through the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at catbooking.temple.edu.

Wellness Resource Center (WRC)

The WRC offers intentional learning opportunities to promote student well-being and cultivate community. As Temple’s health promotion office, it provides services for students, such as the HEART Peer Education Program, free safer sex supplies, trainings, campus-wide events, and wellness consultations.

What resources are appropriate in an emergency situation?

Call Temple Police immediately at: 215-204-1234 (1-1234) if you are worried about your student’s safety or if they have already been harmed or need medical attention. Officers are trained in Mental Health First Aid and also use a referral call line to determine the best course of action for mental health emergencies. If the emergency is related to sexual assault, harassment, stalking, and dating or domestic violence, these must also be reported to the Title IX Office, which serves as an ally against discrimination, harassment and assault on the basis of sex, gender identity or gender expression.

What if I’m not sure whether it’s an emergency or not?

Refer to the guidance contained in the Faculty and Staff Referral Guide for information about what constitutes an emergency.

*           *           *

We are very grateful to the facilitators of this workshop. If you have further questions or concerns, we encourage you to reach out to them directly: 

Rachael Stark, Senior Associate Dean of Students (rhstark@temple.edu)

Megan McCloskey, Associate Director, CARE Team (megan.woltemate@temple.edu)

Alison McKee, Director, WRC (amckee@temple.edu)

Janie Egan, Mental Well-Being Program Coordinator, WRC (janie@temple.edu).

These additional online resources can also be bookmarked for your reference.

As always, if you want to learn more about how to support student mental health and wellness in your classroom, please make an appointment for an individual consultation with a faculty developer at catbooking.temple.edu.

Linda Hasunuma, Ph.D. and Cliff Rouder, Ed.D. both work at Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

Beware the Curse of Knowledge

Micheal Wiederman, Ph.D.

How can knowledge be a curse? The term is used by psychologists to refer to the human condition wherein once we know something, or how to do something, it is impossible to re-experience what it was like to be ignorant of it.  The result is that we tend to overestimate how common the knowledge is that we now possess, or how easy it is to be able to perform the activity we now know how to do. This curse of knowledge tends to leave us assuming learners know particular things that we now consider basic yet the learners have yet to grasp.  Learner may be confused by our instruction, which leaves out important information assumed to be “common knowledge,” and we may be frustrated by the learner’s apparent inability to perform at a level we assume to be appropriate.

To circumvent the curse of knowledge you could develop the habit of asking learners what they know about the topic or ability at hand, before providing instruction or guidance that is based on the response.  Be sure to ask the question openly:  “Describe for me what you know about X,” rather than, “Do you know about X?”  The latter is likely to elicit a “yes” response, either out of a sense of performance pressure or because the learner does not recognize what they don’t know about X.

Another approach to address the curse of knowledge is to consistently start your teaching or demonstrating at a bit lower level than you naturally would.  If it seems to you that your starting point is a bit too basic, you likely are starting at an appropriate place.  If it turns out to be a bit below the actual knowledge or ability of the learner, the worst case may be simply that the learner feels somewhat reassured in their recognition of a baseline level of competence.  What might you do a little differently now that you’re aware of the curse of knowledge?

Michael Wiederman is a professor and the Director of Leadership and Professional Development and the Co-Director of Family Medicine Faculty Development Fellowship in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

This article is released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Positive Projects: Cultivating Positive Emotions for Enhanced Learning & Professional Growth

Heather R. Porter, PhD, CTRS, FDRT

Positive emotions, such as joy, happiness, and serenity, are more than ‘feel good’ moments. They can be a pedagogical tool to propel students’ learning and flourishing!

The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions developed by Barbara Fredrickson (2001) explains that when students experience positive emotions, they are more willing to think in new ways and try new things, which builds resources (e.g., knowledge, friendships, self-awareness), leading to upward spirals in their lives. She explains that positive emotions function as an internal sign to approach or continue, thus prompting individuals to engage with their environments and partake in activities. Positive emotions widen the array of thoughts and actions that come to mind; lead to flexible, creative, integrative, and efficient thought patterns; and increase brain dopamine levels that improve focus, attention, goal setting, pleasure, and satisfaction. Positive emotion additionally increases the likelihood of finding positive meaning in ordinary events, improves coping and resiliency over time, and accumulates and compounds, predicting future experiences of positive emotions.

A field of study called psychoneuroimmunology also supports the value of positive emotion, finding that positive emotion correlates with increased antibodies and improved healing; whereas negative emotion correlates with disease, mortality, and decreased healing (Tausk et al., 2008; Yan, 2016).

Consequently, facilitating the experience of positive emotions inside and outside of the classroom can enhance our students’ learning and subsequent professional growth and health!

How can instructors cultivate positive emotions?

In my experience as an instructor at Temple for 20+ years, the secret sauce is the PERMA Theory of Well-Being developed by Martin Seligman (University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center, 2021). The PERMA theory consists of five building blocks that enable flourishing – Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. Although each building block is a separate and distinct component in the theory, I have found benefit in their integration. Specifically, I’ve found that facilitating student projects outside of the classroom that provide Meaningful Engagement that highlights and strengthens Accomplishments and Relationships revs up Positive Emotion . I’ve coined the term ‘Positive Projects’ to reflect this type of project.

How can instructors develop a Positive Project?

Meaning

Start by identifying a gap or need within your profession and subsequently create a meaningful out-of-classroom project that addresses this gap or need. It should be something that you are passionate about and matters to you. When a project is meaningful, it not only excites and motivates you to move the project forward, but your excitement reflects to the students, which sparks and maintains their interest, attention, and motivation for the project.

Students who are new to the profession might not fully understand the meaningfulness of the project. Consequently, include an educational piece where you share the purpose of the project, the benefits that students can experience from participating in the project, and the impact it can have on the greater good (e.g., profession, community). When this information is shared enthusiastically with students, their excitement to participate in the project rises.

Engagement

The project should immerse students further into the profession than what is typical in academia and allow them to ‘give’ something (e.g., to another student, to the profession, to the community). Engagement at this level can help students find meaning and purpose in their career path and promote altruism, driving personal and professional growth. For example, a Positive Project might involve finding and synthesizing the most up-to-date research on a particular topic for students to present at a local conference, assisting in the development of legislative advocacy materials and educating others about how the legislation impacts the profession, writing a systematic review that will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, assessing the needs of a community and subsequently implementing a much-needed service, etc.

It is also imperative that the project builds upon something in which the students already possess a foundation to promote the experience of flow. This is when the challenge of the task is slightly above the students’ ability (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2009). This creates an optimal state of intrinsic motivation. On the other hand, if the challenge of the task is significantly above the students’ abilities, it creates anxiety and worry — and — if the challenge of the task is significantly below the students’ abilities, it creates apathy and boredom. Consequently, carefully consider the students who you accept into the project.

Accomplishment

Using Goal-Setting Theory, each project has clear goals broken down into discrete steps with clear and feasible timelines. This is shared with the students before they commit to the project, so they know the expectations and can determine if it is practical for them to participate. Typically, Positive Projects take one to two semesters to complete to allow sufficient time for student growth and accomplishment.

A level of autonomy is built into the project (e.g., choices), and regular feedback is provided (e.g., weekly). The instructor actively guides, supports, and communicates movements towards success to the project team and recognizes and applauds progress. A sense of accomplishment is also fostered by integrating opportunities for recognition by others and encouraging self-reflection on the personal and professional benefits achieved through project participation. The integration of autonomy and success are two components of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). The third component of SDT is relatedness, or sense of belonging, which falls into the “Relationships” element below.

Relationships

Throughout the project, students work together, and the instructor provides purposeful and frequent guidance and support to build relationships and social capital. This might include group project meetings, intentionally designed opportunities for students to support each other and provide feedback, and collaboration with others outside of the team, such as community members and professionals in the field. Thus, a sense of relatedness and belonging among all project members are constantly promoted throughout the project (we are a team!).

To promote positivity when communicating with the project team, use Active Constructive Responding. Additionally, be aware of the messages you are sending when interacting with the project team and how these messages could potentially influence students’ beliefs about themselves and their subsequent performance (Pygmalion Effect). Consequently, be consciously aware of your communication to motivate and encourage positive growth rather than stunt it.

Positive Emotion

When I structure projects in the above manner, I have found that positive emotions flourish in students (e.g., joy, excitement, pride, sense of belonging). The projects build their self-confidence, enhance awareness of their strengths, and heighten motivation to be a change agent within the profession. The relationships they build with me, their team, other professionals, and the community open new doors to them and inspire those who observe their success, particularly other students, to become involved. Mentoring the students also brings a wealth of positive emotions to my own life. It has enriched my sense of meaning in being able to pay it forward and help propel the next generation of my profession.

Are you looking for more information?

If you are interested in creating a Positive Project, consider using the Positive Guidelines & Worksheet. If you would like additional guidance in creating a Positive Project, feel free to reach out to me (hporter@temple.edu). Lastly, if you are interested in learning more about how positive emotions impact learning, take a look at Emotions, Learning, and the Brain: Exploring the Educational Implications of Affective Neuroscience and Engage The Brain: How to Design for Learning that Taps Into the Power of Emotions.

References

  • Fredrickson, B. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218-226.
  • Nakamura, J. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009). Flow theory and research. In S. J. Lopez & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychology, 2nd edition (pp. 195-206). Oxford University Press.
  • Tausk, F., Elenkov, I., & Moynihan, J. (2008). Psychoneuroimmunology. Dermatologic Therapy, 21, 22-31.
  • University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center (2021). PERMA Theory of Well-Being and PERMA workshops. Retrieved from https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/learn-more/perma-theory-well-being-and-perma-workshops
  • Yan, Q. (2016). Psychoneuroimmunology: Systems biology approaches to mind-body medicine. Springer International

Heather R. Porter is a Professor at Temple University’s College of Public Health. 

Making the Most of Classroom Polling

H. Naomie Nyanungo

Polling tools, sometimes referred to as classroom or student response systems, are great for engaging students in virtual or face-to-face learning environments. Polling tools such as Poll Everywhere, Vevox, Mentimeter and others can help faculty to assess how well students are grasping new concepts. Used effectively, classroom polling activities can create opportunities for students to provide feedback, pose questions and share reflections during class. Teachers also use classroom polls to facilitate collaborative learning. In this blog, we share strategies for effectively using classroom polling activities to enhance active learning and student engagement.

  • Plan for execution and follow-up: It is important to have a plan for what happens before and after each polling activity. The plan should include details on what will happen (e.g., lecture, class activity) before the poll is administered, how student poll responses will be used (e.g., to identify learning gaps), and if student participation will be graded. Also think about how you will follow up (e.g. give feedback or address questions) and integrate the polling activity with other activities in the classes.
  • Communicate with students: It is a good idea to communicate the purpose and plan for classroom polling to students so that they understand how this is contributing to their learning. Articulate expectations for participation in polling activities. Doing a few practice polling activities is a good way to get everyone familiar with the tool and process. Be sure to check if all your students have access to the technology required to participate, and offer alternative ways for participation for those that may not have access. 
  • Consider your learning goals when writing questions: Polling can be used to achieve a variety of learning goals, such as recall of foundational concepts or application of concepts. It is good practice to write polling questions that support specific learning goals. Types of polling questions include those that ask students about content, application, individual perspective and progress on specific learning activities. You can read more about different types of polling questions targeting different learning goals.
  • Vary the types of polling activities: Take advantage of the versatility of polling tools by using different polling activities throughout the semester. This will go a long way toward sustaining student engagement and avoid monotony. There is a wide range of polling activities to pick from such as active lecturing, peer instruction, group work, and learning assessments. Look through this list of descriptions and examples of polling activities for inspiration. Feel free to adapt these activities to your specific context.

We hope that these strategies will help you to effectively use polling to increase student understanding and engagement with you, their peers and course content. Should you need any support, the team of consultants at the CAT is here to help. Please visit our website to book an appointment with a consultant or visit our virtual and on-site educational technology labs.

Happy polling!

References

H. Naomie Nyanungo is Director of Educational Technology at Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

What’s New in Zoom?

Ariel Siegelman

As we get closer to the beginning of the semester, you may be wondering if there are any new Zoom features that you can use in order to provide a smoother and more engaging online learning experience for your students. Over the past several months, Zoom released some great new features that you can use right away as you dive into teaching your fall courses!

Before you go into Zoom and test out these new features, make sure that you have the most up-to-date version of Zoom, otherwise these features may be unavailable. To do so, you can go to the Zoom program on your computer, click your profile picture in the upper right corner of the window that appears, and select “Check for Updates” from the drop-down menu.

Here are nine of our favorite new Zoom features:

1. Share screen to all Breakout Rooms

If you’ve ever facilitated a breakout room activity where you’ve all had students evaluating the same questions or content, you may have wished that you could share your screen to the breakout rooms while they are in session. Now you can! While the breakout rooms are open, clicking the Share Screen button in Zoom will give you a “Share to breakout rooms” option. You can use this feature to share multimedia or a common list of questions for students to discuss. Note that sharing your screen will interrupt any student screenshares in the breakout rooms.

2. Focus Mode

For instructors who facilitate and proctor quizzes and exams on Zoom, this new feature is an absolute godsend! Enabling Focus Mode will allow only hosts to see participants’ videos and screenshares, and the host can easily switch between different participants. Additionally, they can choose specific co-hosts and participants to also see these screenshares if they wish. This means that instructors can require students to be sharing their screens simultaneously while taking an exam, and then the host can review each student’s screen, without the students seeing each other’s screens. This is also useful if a student wants to share or troubleshoot something on their computer privately with the instructor, without sharing their screen with the entire class. In order to use Focus Mode in a Zoom meeting, you first must go to https://temple.zoom.us/profile/setting and turn on Focus Mode.

3. New annotation tool: Vanishing Pen

This new feature in the Annotation toolbar, which appears when screensharing or using the Whiteboard, allows hosts and participants to use a pen tool whose drawings slowly vanish. This is helpful if you only want to circle or underline something temporarily–instead of having to erase the marking, it will slowly disappear after a few seconds. You can activate the Vanishing Pen by clicking on the Spotlight button in the Annotation toolbar, and then selecting Vanishing Pen.

4. Share and play video files directly into meeting

This feature, located in the Advanced tab of the Share Screen window, allows you to directly choose a video file from your computer to play through screensharing. Instead of having to share your desktop and bring up the file, or share a specific video playback program, the video file will play directly in Zoom for all meeting participants to watch.

5. Full emoji suite & “away” coffee cup for Reactions

If you click on the Reactions button in Zoom, you’ll notice that you have a full array of emojis to choose from in order to express your emotions! When an emoji or icon is selected, it will appear in the corner of your video, as well as next to your name in the Participants window. These Reactions will remain active until you decide to turn them off. Additionally, you will also find the coffee cup icon, which will display an “away” status for you. You and your students can use this coffee cup to include when you’ve stepped away from the computer for a moment.

6. Request Live Transcription enablement as participant

A new feature that Zoom added last year was live speech-to-text transcription, which when enabled by the host, participants can turn on in order to view live generated subtitles of the meeting’s audio. Participants can now click a button to request for the live transcription to be turned on. The host will be notified of this request and then be presented with a button that allows them to enable the transcription immediately. These features are all located in the Live Transcript button in a Zoom meeting. Consider enabling the Live Transcript in order to make your Zoom classes more accessible!

7. Immersive View

Wish a Zoom meeting felt more like a classroom? Immersive View was designed to do just that: Present a virtual space that feels more like everyone is sitting together in-person. To enable Immersive View as the host, click the View icon in the upper right corner of a Zoom meeting, and then click “Immersive View.” You’ll be presented with several options for virtual immersive “rooms” for up to 25 participants.

8. Mute and Video Off when joining a recorded/live streamed Meeting

When participants join a meeting that is currently being recorded or livestreamed, they will be notified, and their audio and video will automatically be turned off. This will allow them to fully opt into being recorded or not, without their face or voice accidentally being recorded if they do not consent to it.

9. Post-meeting survey

Finally, hosts now have the ability to have Zoom prompt participants to take a survey after they leave a Zoom meeting, including through third-party survey tools such as Canvas surveys or SurveyMonkey. After students leave a Zoom meeting, the survey will automatically load in their browser. Hosts can then review the survey results via the Reports feature at https://temple.zoom.us/account/report or through the third-party website. This is a great opportunity to ask students about their experience in your Zoom class and use their feedback to continuously improve as an online instructor. It’s also a great way to facilitate end-of-class active learning activities, such as the Exit Ticket, where students are prompted to provide any questions they currently have about the course, or to answer a series of short questions checking their understanding of the day’s content. To apply a post-meeting survey for a Zoom meeting, you first must go to https://temple.zoom.us/profile/setting and turn on Meeting Survey. Then, after scheduling a Zoom meeting, the Survey feature will be available at the bottom of the meeting confirmation page.

To learn more about how to use these features, you can visit our in-person Educational Technology Labs, our Virtual EdTech Drop-in Lab, or book a consultation with an Educational Technology Specialist. Information and links to these services are available at catbooking.temple.edu.

Happy Zooming!

Ariel Siegelman is Senior Educational Technology Specialist at Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Use the Pronouns Right For Thee!

Cliff Rouder, Ed.D.

A nod to the late, great Aretha Franklin for inspiring the subject line of this post. Notice I used the pronoun “she” to refer to Aretha. Without giving it much thought, we typically refer to people by the pronouns we think match their appearance. Historically, these chosen pronouns have been the singular “she/her/hers” for women and “he/him/his” for men, and the plural “they/them/theirs” for more than one. Tidy and grammatically correct, the singular pronouns have created what’s referred to as the “gender binary.” The problem is, one’s sex assigned at birth may not reflect one’s internal sense of self, better known as gender identity, and that misgenders those whose gender identity is outside of that binary or is fluid.

In its commitment to providing a welcoming, inclusive environment for all students, faculty and staff, Temple is introducing two new initiatives to allow our community to indicate their pronouns and gender identity.

Our Two Newest Inclusion Initiatives

Faculty, students, and staff now have the option to indicate pronouns that reflect their gender identity, and choose from expanded categories to indicate one’s gender. Instructions for indicating your pronouns and gender identity are available on theTU Portal by clicking on Manage My Account and then Update your Pronoun/Gender. For pronouns, we’re now able to choose from He/Him/His; She/Her/Hers; They/Them/Theirs; Ze/Zir/Zirs; or Refer to me by my name only. For gender identity, in addition to indicating male/female, we’re now able to choose from Nonbinary and Does Not Apply to Me or Prefer Not to Share.

If you add your pronouns, they will now be visible to everyone in these university systems:

  • Cherry and White Directory
  • My Courses application in TUportal
  • Canvas learning management software
  • Residence hall resident lists

If you add your gender identity, it will only be visible to you as well as certain administrators in Self-Service Banner. It will not be visible in the Cherry and White Directory, My Courses, or in Canvas.

Getting the hang of it. If you’re a grammar stickler like me, using the plural pronouns “they/them/theirs,” if someone identifies that way, takes some getting used to. The practice has actually become common enough to warrant Merriam-Webster’s dictionary to give a thumbs up to its use in referring to the singular. That’s the wonderful (albeit challenging-to-keep-up-with) thing about language: it’s ever-evolving.

You can do this! It just takes a little mindfulness and practice. Here are some ways you can use and reinforce the practice in your teaching:

  • Add your pronouns to your email signature. You can also link your pronouns to a resource that explains why pronouns are important. Adding your pronouns may help others feel more comfortable in sharing theirs.
  • Refer to your students by the pronouns you have for them in Canvas. If you misgender someone by using the wrong pronouns, don’t fret. Apologize, let them know you care and are trying, and move on. You can also invite students to rename themselves with their pronouns in Zoom.
  • Remember that you can always call students by name. Giving students table tents on which to write their name and if they choose, their pronouns–especially in large classes–is a great way to get to know and demonstrate respect for your students.

For more information about the what and why of pronoun use, check out this resource and youtube video. If you’d like to learn more about LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the classroom, check out this Guide to LGBTQIA+ Terminology and this video on the CAT website, and watch for our upcoming fall workshop offering: Inclusion in the Classroom: Supporting our LGBTQIA+ students. Don’t forget our Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership (IDEAL) offers a fantastic two-part workshop and certificate called the Safe Zone Certification. After completing the workshops, you are considered an Advocate which indicates acceptance of LGBTQIA+ identities and a commitment to working against discrimination directed towards the community. 

As always, feel free to make an appointment for a 1-1 consultation with one of our faculty developers at the CAT for further assistance.

Cliff Rouder is Pedagogy & Design Specialist at Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

What Our Students Are Saying

During recent semesters many attending college have used social media to share their thoughts on pursuing an education during a pandemic. We went to Reddit, where Temple students were already sharing their stories, and asked for anonymous quotes that we might pass on to you. In this EDvice Exchange entry we’ll be sharing a selection of these posts, to highlight the lengths to which some of our wonderful Temple instructors went as well as how those efforts impacted their students. We extend our heartfelt thanks to these faculty members and the others like them who worked so hard over the last year.

“Dr. Talissa Ford was super understanding about some of us not wanting to be on camera or not being able complete work because of personal reasons.”

“Israel Vasquez is another great professor. Take literally any of his classes and you won’t regret it. He modified his Scene Analysis class in respect to social distancing and the isolation that we were living in. Even when personal issues came up he always made time for us.”

“Professor Michael Klein. I took his honors Soundtrack of the Apocalypse Class and he was super flexible. He didn’t want the class to stress anyone out at all, so he gave out extensions and limited reading assignments in favor of doing more scene analysis in class so that the homework was never oppressive. Even on the final paper he sent us a canvas message the day it was due (after the two day extension he gave us) saying not to stress anyone out but the final paper is due today, so if you have it ready by five that would be great. Felt very little pressure in his class. If you have the opportunity to take a class with him, especially in the foreseeable future, do it. Super chill and super flexible.”

“Professor Roth in psychology. She would take time every class to ask how we are doing and would remind us every class to make time for self care. I loved how on the last day she said ‘I don’t like saying ‘goodbye’ because it sounds so formal, so see you all later.’”

“The man, the myth, the legendary Prof. Mike Hughes. Incredible morale booster and source of motivation. Ended every class with ‘Your friends care about yous, your family cares about yous, and I care about yous.’Genuine gem.”

The theme we pick out from these and many of the other quotes we’ll be sharing is simple: good education begins by acknowledging that students aren’t simply learning machines, but rather our fellow human beings. When we cultivate an ethic of care where we treat them with kindness and respect, great things can happen in the classroom.

One last thing: See a colleague mentioned above? Consider sending them a quick note of thanks for going the extra mile. Instructors need words of kindness and encouragement, too!

On the Importance of Breathing and Reflection

Stephanie Fiore

We are almost at the end of an incredibly unusual year, one that caused no small amount of  stress, exhaustion, and sense of loss, but which we hope also engendered creativity, agility, and a heightened sense of empathy. All of these by-products of the sudden and persistent changes we have experienced over the past year—whether negative or positive ones—can lead to burnout. It takes an incredible amount of effort to push through exhaustion and loss; it also takes an incredible amount of effort to be continually creative and empathetic with others.

In her Temple Talks video, Self-Compassion (It Feels Weird, Right?), Dr. Annette Willgens from the College of Public Health reminds us of the importance of practicing self-compassion, especially in times like these. Professor Willgens points out that it takes practice – and stillness – to become aware of our own self-criticisms and then to become more compassionate with ourselves. I like especially how she emphasizes that, while we may continue to strive for  excellence, perfection is not attainable, and exhorts us to “make the ordinary the new extraordinary.”

This past year, we’ve understood even more clearly how imperfect teaching can be, perhaps even should be. When done well, responsive teaching requires that we constantly assess how our students are learning, make adjustments and then tweak our approaches yet again. I often tell faculty that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution for teaching,  because the situational factors of each class—things like class size, time of day, modality (online, hybrid, in person), type of course (required, intro or capstone, honors), chemistry of the students in the class, whether there is a pandemic going on—affect us and our students, sometimes changing the dynamics of a class in profound ways. This is why the course you have taught successfully a number of times can suddenly feel harder than it ever has, even in “normal” times. Add to that the unexpected switch to online learning this past year. You were learning how to teach online, continually trying new things, refining ideas that almost worked, and seeking solutions for failed experiments, all while ramping up support for students grappling with their own uncertainty and inexperience in the online space.

So give yourselves a pass if you’re exhausted and you can’t wait for the last day of the semester to come. My greatest wish for you, my dear colleagues, is that you are able to find some time to practice self-compassion, breathe, and regain the energy we all need to move forward.

After you have regained some of that energy, an important next step is to take time to reflect on the past year’s teaching experiences with a critical eye and then to ask yourself: “Where do I go from here?” Resist the urge to fall back onto old ways of doing things in your classrooms and letting everything you have learned fall by the proverbial wayside, even if you are going back to in-person teaching. These reflective questions will assist you in discovering how to forge a new way forward that leverages the best of old and new experiences. If you are teaching this summer and feel that you have no time to carve out time for this exercise, consider that even a few minutes to reflect in this way before planning your fall semester can make a difference in decisions you’ll make about your course.

  • What are some realizations you came to about your identity as an instructor and about your students? Are those realizations still pertinent as you move forward? If so, how will they affect your actions?
  • Did you make changes to your teaching methods or teaching tools in order to teach online? What did you discover in making these changes? Are there elements of those changes that you would like to retain moving forward? How will you operationalize them in a new teaching environment?
  • What did you learn about community and connection during this year, both with students and with colleagues? How might you want to bring what you’ve learned to bear on your learning environments moving forward?
  • What changes did you make to your class policies? Might you want to retain some of those changed policies moving forward if you found they served student needs better? How can you balance supporting student needs with managing your own professional and personal needs?
  • Did you make changes to your curriculum or to your classroom practices in an effort to create a more equitable, inclusive, and just space for learning? Which of these changes made a real difference for your students? Is there more work to be done in this respect?
  • What did you learn about how events happening outside the classroom influence what happens in the classroom? How did these events present opportunities and/or challenges in teaching? How will you interact (or not) with current events in future classes?

And remember that we are here all summer to talk through your ideas with you in one-on-one consultations. You can also get timely help with educational technology questions at the Virtual Drop-In Ed Tech Lab.

A final word from all of the CAT staff to you. We admire the work and thoughtfulness you put into teaching this year, and the care for your students that we observed time and time again. We also appreciate the collegiality you have shown to us this year as we worked with you to navigate uncertainty and constantly changing needs. This connection with faculty is the foundation of the CAT’s mission, and helped us to keep going in sometimes overwhelming times. Here’s hoping for some moments of rest, reflection, and connection this summer for all of us.

Stephanie Fiore is Assistant Vice Provost of Temple’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching

Seeing and Welcoming Your First-Generation Students

Cliff Rouder, Linda Hasunuma and Jeff Rients

Going to college is an exciting opportunity for every student; It’s a time filled with pride and hope. Imagine how strong those feelings must be for our first-generation (first-gen) students, that is, students whose parents either did not go to or did not graduate from college. You might be surprised to learn that, according to the 2020-2021 Temple University Fact Book,16% of our students had neither parent attend college, and 31% had neither parent graduate.        

Along with feelings of pride and hope, however, some of our first-gen students may feel a sense of apprehension not knowing the “rules” of college that generational knowledge brings, and may face academic, economic, and emotional hurdles as well. For instance, Kamina Richardson, faculty advisor to Temple First (the first-gen student org) and a first-gen college student herself, explains that first-gen students are more likely to be caregivers of the home, so they juggle the goals of an academic education along with family obligations. (To hear firsthand from the students themselves, check out #FirstGenTempleMade.)

Temple helps our first-year, first-gen students acclimate to campus culture with a host of resources. In addition to the Temple First student club, Temple offers the powerful First to Fly program, including a glossary of terms with links to resources.

Let’s look at what faculty can do in our learning environments to build on these efforts and welcome our first-gen students.

  • Send a message of welcome pre-semester and create an inclusive learning environment. It is important to introduce yourself, connect with them as a human being, and assure them at the start of the course that you have designed a learning environment that they can succeed in. If you were a first-gen student yourself, let them know! Throughout the semester, serve as a model by sharing how you felt as a first-gen student and your experiences and advice navigating the college experience. Be a resource for them by familiarizing yourself with campus resources.
  • Learn about students’ individual assets and needs and respond accordingly. In getting to know all of your students, why not do a pre-semester survey? Ask questions that assess demands on their time or other barriers to learning such as their access to technology.  Find out their comfort level with things like negotiating Canvas, coming to student hours (aka office hours), and with the content of your discipline. Then find ways to meet students’ needs, wherever possible. For example, because many students work or help their families in other ways, flexibility with due dates makes a real difference. Work with one of our research librarians in your field to investigate whether there are open educational resources that can reduce the cost of materials for your course. One way we can “see” our first-gen students is by explicitly asking them. Be sure that you describe exactly what you mean by first gen so they can answer accurately.
  • Make what you’re asking them to do (and why!) transparent. Help your students see the value of the course. That means writing and articulating clear, meaningful course goals and coming back to them throughout the semester to continually link them to the “what” and “why” of your course content. Organizing your Canvas course in a logical, consistent way, providing rubrics, and giving motivating and frequent, actionable feedback are other ways you can help students see the “whats” and “whys” of your course.
  • Provide opportunities for students to learn from and get to know each other. To reduce feelings of isolation and marginalization, be sure to incorporate multiple and varied activities that enable students to work together, everything from think-pair-share activities all the way up to sustained semester-long projects. Providing a class Zoom room where they can meet without you is another great way to build those connections.
  • Help them become self-directed learners. We often think students already know–or should know–how to take notes, study effectively, and reflect on and adjust their learning strategies when what they’ve tried isn’t working. So with your guidance, take some time to have them share effective note-taking and study strategies with each other. Use exam wrappers (aka cognitive wrappers) to help them formatively reflect on their performance and develop a plan for improvement.

You’ve probably noticed that all the strategies above will work for all kinds of learners, not just first generation students. In our in-person and virtual classrooms, we can take a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach to help everyone succeed. UDL asks us to consider how we can provide students with multiple ways of accessing and learning content, expressing their understanding, and engaging with you and their peers. Taking a UDL approach means that you’re proactively creating a course and learning environment that provides benefit to as many students as possible.

November 8 is National First-Generation/College Celebration Day. Watch for information from Jennifer Johnson, Assistant Professor in the College of Education and Human Development and Juliet Curci of the College Access Community of Practice group, who are spearheading various events in celebration of Temple’s first-gen students.

As always, if you’d like to learn more pedagogical strategies and educational technology tools that can benefit our first-gen as well as all students, reach out to a faculty developer or educational technology specialist for a consultation or email us at cat@temple.edu.

Cliff Rouder, Linda Hasunuma, and Jeff Rients are staff members of Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

Discussing National Events in Your Classroom

Linda Hasunuma and Naomie Nyanungo

Discussing National Events in Your Classroom

When there is a major national event, such as the Chauvin trial and verdict or the mass shootings in Atlanta and Indianapolis, students may look to us to provide greater context and perspective as they process these difficult moments. Students appreciate when faculty acknowledge what has happened. Acknowledgement can come in many forms, and can range from a moment of silence or allowing space for written reflection to class discussions (Huston and DiPietro 2017). Even if you are not an expert on the issue or it feels like it is outside of your discipline, your acknowledgement of the event and the emotions around it signals to your students that you care about them. Engaging students in discussions about these events can deepen learning and contribute to your students’ intellectual and emotional growth as they consider perspectives different from their own, and learn how to engage in these dialogues in a productive way. To prepare for these deeper discussions, we recommend that you make a plan and create ground rules with your students for respectful discussion together. To make space for these critical conversations with your students, we offer some helpful practices about how to prepare for them and manage any hot moments that may arise in our Equity Blog Series.
 

We also recommend directing your students to resources at the Wellness Center and, Temple’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Leadership (IDEAL). IDEAL has several programs such as their Black in America series and Timely Topics, for those seeking deeper conversations and community on matters related to race and justice. Please see their latest email in response to the Chauvin verdict for more information.

If you would like to discuss any of these issues further and think through how you can create brave and inclusive spaces for such conversations in your classes, we invite you to make an appointment with one of CAT’s faculty developers for a one-on-one consultation.

Linda Hasunuma and Naomie Nyanungo work at Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.