Instructional Practices to Promote Well-being

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This is a collection of instructional strategies and suggestions from the Center for Faculty Development that help promote students' well-being.

• Tips to Create a Warmer, More Engaging Online Classroom
  Your emotional state influences how well students learn. Here are tips to incorporate a restorative approach to your online teaching. 
  
  

• Approaching Policies through an Inclusive Lens
  How can you build policies that allow for instructor expectations and flexibility for unexpected situations?
  
  

• Using Check-Ins to Gauge Students’ Well-being
  Check-ins are questions to ask students to learn more about how they are feeling. This strategy can help an instructor be more intentional in providing resources for any mental health needs.
  
  
• Addressing a Student Death in Your Class
  In times of a campus or community tragedy, fostering connection and community is paramount. View tips on how to approach a student death with your class.
  
  
• Deep Breathing Practice (mp4)
  Learn how to reduce anxiety and stress with deep, diaphragmatic breathing,
  
  
• Grounding
  Research shows numerous positive changes produced from grounding such as stress reduction, improved sleep, blood-thinning, inflammation reduction, reduced muscle tension, reduced pain, and increased energy.
  
  
• Crafting an Inclusive and Equitable Environment
  An inclusive environment is about creating a welcoming environment for all and continuing to build community.
  
  
• Mindfulness Basics
  Mindfulness can help reduce depression and stress, and can improve well-being.
  
  
• Mindfulness Practice (mp4)
  Learn how to get in tune and comfortable in your own presence using mindfulness exercises.
  
  
• Scaffolding to Encourage Student Motivation for Challenging Content
  In educational contexts, scaffolded instruction simply means to break up larger assignments or concepts into smaller segments, providing less support in subsequent segments, as students master concepts and skills along the way and can complete tasks independently.
  
  
• Strategies to Increase Students’ Self-Motivation 
  Assisting students with becoming more motivated and self-directed to complete the work in your course can reduce students’ anxiety and frustration and provide more opportunities for students to share their challenges with you.
  
  
• Time Management
  Help students stay on track with assignments by assisting with their time management to reduce stress.
  
  
• Using Group Work to Foster In-Class Connections
  Students participating in group work learn more than students working independently.
  
  
• FAQs
  Frequently asked questions about inclusive environments, policies, and pedagogical strategies.

 

Instructional Practices to Foster Belonging and Inclusion

• ACUE Inclusive Teaching Practices Toolkit
  Creating more inclusive and welcoming learning environments for all students requires more than just goodwill; it takes effort on the part of every higher education professional.
  
  
• How to Provide a Multicultural Education
  Multicultural education involves more than reading a book about a historical character of color or celebrating a holiday surrounding a diverse hero. It includes policies, practices, and pedagogical approaches that affirm students’ differences and intersectionality. 
  
  
• Guidance for Reporting and Writing About Racism 
  Guidance for writers encountering common questions when reporting and writing about race—from seemingly small decisions around word choice to more conceptual questions regarding how we perceive others.