Lesson 5: Supporting student well-being in the classroom

• Organize the D2L site for your course making it easy for students to find the necessary class materials and important deadlines.
• Communicate your expectations about student behaviour, class participation, quality of work and due dates clearly at the start of the class.
• Be predictable and proactive about communicating any changes. Discuss them in class, post your announcements in D2L using the News tool, or send them to students by email.
• Schedule office hours and be available for students who need to talk to you privately.

• Create an anonymous D2L discussion board or a survey, inviting students to leave their comments on your course.
• At the end of class, start an anonymous Top Hat discussion, asking students what the muddiest point of this day’s lecture is.
• Ask students to write a “one-minute paper”, that is respond in one or two minutes to questions about the lecture, such as “What is the most important thing you learned today?” “What are some questions that remain for you after today’s session?”, etc. (Focus on Formative Feedback Guide).

• Include a welcome note in your D2L site, introducing your course and yourself to students. Using a Digital Welcome Note to Promote Inclusive Learning Experiences
• Engage in ice-breaking activities. You can find great examples in the following resources:
  • 9 Icebreaker Activities for the First Day of Class (McGraw Hill)
  • Using Icebreakers for More than Introductions (Indiana University Bloomington)
  • 60 Awesome Icebreakers for Orientation and Beyond
  • 25 Classroom Icebreakers For College Professors (Top Hat)
• Encourage students to share their personal experiences and interests relevant to the course.
• Create an Introductions topic in D2L with a fun question for students to answer, e.g. “If you had no fears, what would you be doing right now?” Check the icebreakers resources above for more examples.
• Goal setting: at the beginning of the course, ask students to set goals for their own learning. Revisit the goals a couple of times during the course so students can gauge their own progress.

• Discuss with your students what a respectful and inclusive community means to them.
• Involve students in creating ground rules for the classroom.
• Refer to the class code of conduct when holding class discussions and debates.

Further reading

• Foster connections between students through interactive activities and group projects. Strategies for Facilitating Collaborative Activities.
• Create a space for students to share their voices (such as a D2L discussion board). Tips for Fostering Effective Online Discussions. 

Culturally relevant teaching “empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes” (Ladson-Billings, 2014).

• Create an inclusive course outline as this can shape your relationship with students and their relationship with the course.
• Consider adding diverse important days/holidays from different cultures or advocacy groups in the calendar that are not necessarily provided in the main UCalgary calendar. Please see the Inclusion Calendar Guide and Anti-Racism Calendar of Important Dates.
• Include multiple perspectives and cultures into your course content.
  • From Theory to Action: Practical Strategies for Designing Accessible, Diverse, and Inclusive Teaching and Learning
  • Advancing EDI in Online Teaching and Learning Environments 
  • Creating a Culture of Equity in Academic Integrity: Best Practices for Teaching and Learning
  • Disabling Learning Environments: Challenging Ableism in Your Teaching Practices
• Apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles by providing students multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. Check Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education and Incorporating Universal Design for Learning in Disciplinary Contexts in Higher Education.
• Invite guest speakers to offer students different approaches and views on the course topic.
• Encourage students to share their own backgrounds and cultures and relate them to course content.

• Offer different ways for students to participate in classroom discussions (Zoom chat, D2L discussion boards, Top Hat discussions and questions, think-pair-share, pairwork, etc.). This will take pressure off introverted students.
• Allow real-time and recorded, in person and online presentations 

• Recognize the important role of territorial acknowledgements and ensure they are given the necessary time and importance
• Connect territorial acknowledgements to your own relationship with the land you live on 
• Invite students to share their own experiences with the land
• For more on Indigenous approaches to knowledge for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of the post-secondary community, watch the webinar Indigenous Paradigms in Practice: Relationships, Story and Academic Integrity

Read more about meaningful territorial acknowledgements

Workload is a complex concept influenced by many factors, including student characteristics and the academic environment, which together shape how students approach their studies. Workload has been recognized as a major factor in the classroom that influences the quality of learning (Kember, 2004)(Kyndt et al., 2011) and the mental wellbeing of students (Smith, 2019, Yangdon et al., 2021). Instructors can significantly reduce workload-related stress by designing their courses carefully and communicating expectations transparently (Scully & Kerr, 2014; Thornby et al., 2023). Moreover, the ability of students to plan and set priorities play an important role in the perception of workload (Kyndt et al., 2014).

• Encourage students to review the course outline carefully at the start of the course to understand major deadlines and assessment weights.
• Guide them in mapping out their semester workload, noting when multiple assignments or exams coincide, so they can anticipate busy periods and plan accordingly.
• Discuss the general guideline of estimating 2-3 hours of outside class work per credit hour to help them estimate their weekly commitment to the course. 
• Share your own estimates for how longs assignments in your course should take. If you expect students to spend two hours reading for each class session, tell them. If a problem set should take three hours, let them know. This helps students plan and alerts them if they're taking significantly longer than expected.
• Encourage students to reach out for help early rather than waiting until they are overwhelmed. 
• Remind students that sustainable performance requires adequate sleep, regular meals, and breaks. Encourage recreational time that does not involve screens. 

• Act positive but avoid toxic positivity by recognizing a full emotional spectrum
• Use positive reinforcement. Praise what students did well instead of only correcting student mistakes. Simply praising the student builds up self-efficacy and motivates them to learn (Rafi et al, 2020).  Strategies for Promoting Positive Learning Environments
• Use positive language when giving feedback to students
  • Giving good feedback to learners (Royal Roads University)
  • Receiving and Giving Effective Feedback (University of Waterloo)
  • Striking the right tone in written feedback (University of Virginia)
  • Providing feedback to students (University of Manitoba)
• Offer positive rephrasing, when students use negative language in the classroom.
• Recognize student efforts even if they do not succeed in something (Rowe, 2014)
• Establish social norms for in-person and online learning environments (e.g. set up a positive learning environment on Zoom)
• Share useful resources on health and positivity with your students to support their well-being, such as Student Mental Health and Well-Being Guide
• Invite a student peer helper trained by Student Wellness Services for a Wellness Classroom Visit where a 5-minute presentation focusing on mental health will be delivered to students 

Mindfulness is “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” (Kabat-Zin, 2017). Mindfulness in the classroom involves cultivating deepened awareness, concentration, and insight (Chink, 2010). This may help foster student attentiveness and mental health (Liddle, 2023).

• Do a meditation practice or a breathing exercise with your students at the beginning of class. For examples of mindfulness exercises, please check Mindfulness Activities in the Classroom, 5-Minute Breathing Practice to Restore Your Attention or 9 Powerful 5-Minute Mindfulness Activities
• Ask students to turn off all unnecessary notifications and close all applications to minimize distraction and tech overload. Tech mindfulness: Applying mindfulness to technology 

Taylor Institute Workshops

The Taylor Institute offers workshops relating to mental well-being in the classroom on a regular basis. Check our schedule for sessions such as:

• Fostering a Positive Learning Environment in Your Class
• Effective Feedback Strategies for Instructors
• Student Assessment and Feedback Strategies for TAs

Full title: Provide students with multiple ways of engaging with course content and showing their understanding

• Apply UDL principles to the choice and use of technology.
• Provide course materials in multiple formats, as appropriate (e.g. text, audio, video, etc.).
• Design multiple collaborative activities using university technology platforms.
• Create meaningful online assessments, taking advantage of various functions of digital tools, such as student-created podcasts, infographics, concept maps, etc. 

For more, please see:

• Alternative Online Assessments
• Learning Module: Designing Online Assessments

Learn how to use the accessibility features of the university-supported platforms and create accessible course content with different media 

• Demonstrate how to use the accessibility features of university tools to students.
• Get student feedback on course accessibility as students may not use the same accessibility tools and have different online experiences. 
• Create a D2L discussion topic or do a class survey where students can provide feedback or ask questions on course accessibility.
• Collaborate with the Student Accessibility Services for any questions you may have about student accommodations.

• Record your lectures for those unable to attend due to legitimate reasons.
• Practice collaborative note-taking, assigning two students (different in every lecture) to record their notes in a collaborative document to share later with other students.
• Post your slides in D2L before class (if possible) to facilitate students’ ease of note-taking.
• In an online or hybrid class, ensure you provide communication channels for all students (both synchronous and asynchronous) to connect with you and each other. Connecting Remote and Face-to-Face Students: Instructional Strategies and Learning Technology Assessment Tools and Using Classroom Technologies in Different Learning Spaces.

• Only use the technology you really need. Technology should meaningfully serve your teaching goals and learning outcomes.
• Take time when adding new technology for students to gain experience with it.
• Use university supported platforms to reduce the learning curve for you and your students and get the necessary tech support on university.
• Tech down if necessary. If you feel that you and/or your students are getting tired of prolonged use of technology, consider taking a break from technology (especially if you are teaching an in-person or hybrid class) or use less advanced tech devices, for example, limit your Zoom sessions, use audio podcasts instead of video podcasts, etc.

• Consider how you will frame controversial content or “hot topics” in your course Rather than avoiding these conversations, plan in advance how to facilitate a productive and civil discussion (Shaping a positive learning environment, n.d.).
• Consider taking training on dealing with difficult conversations
• Develop an agreement on the best practices and behaviours to ensure a respectful and inclusive discussion experience for all students
• Regularly check in with your students and the teaching team for any potential issues

More information about class discussions

• Become aware of your own biases (Singhal, M., & Gulati, 2020)
• Wonder instead of judging by asking why students are behaving like the way they are (Erwin, 2023)

• Use the Supporting Students in Distress guide and UCalgary Wellness Services- How Do I Help Others? to help recognize the signs of distress and know how to respond.
• Direct students to resources on managing conflict: UCalgary Student Services – Student Conduct Training

• “Call in” rather than “call out”. “Calling out” usually means publicly pointing out that a person has committed an oppressive action. “Calling in” means assuming positive intent from the offending person and offering them opportunities to correct and learn (Calling in classroom conflict, n.d.). For more information, see Calling in Classroom Conflict and Conflict Management for Instructors.
• Invite the disruptive student(s) to speak with you privately to discuss the situation to hear their perspective.
• If the situation is threatening to the safety of others, call Campus Security (403-220-5333).
• For student health and wellness support, contact Student Wellness Services.

 Workshops  

• Taylor Institute Workshops: International TAs: Resolving conflict 
• Wellness Services Workshops
• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

Full title: Practice a pedagogy of kindness, an approach applying care and compassion to every situation (Denial, 2019, 2024)

• Use kind and supportive language in your syllabus. Do not default to suspicion, expecting students by default to cheat.
• Take time to connect with your students at the beginning and/or end of each class.
• Practise a healthy balance between structure and flexibility. Discuss your expectations of missed class but be understanding to students affected by illness, family emergencies, etc.
• Ask students to write one to three compassionate actions they will take to motivate themselves. Self-Compassion in the Classroom: Three Things You Can Do in Five Minutes.
• For more, please listen to the Three Questions about Teaching and Learning audio podcast with Cate Denial: Episode 5: What is a Pedagogy of Kindness?

• Provide students with opportunities for formative assessment and self-assessment (Dochy et al., 1999). 
• Have students actively engage in an assessment exercise where they apply the grading criteria to their work (Rust, 2002). 
• Demonstrate models of good work to students.
• Consider completing the Learning Module: Test Anxiety - Instructional Approaches to Support Students and share information on overcoming test anxiety with your students.

• Use different types of assessment. See the following:
  • Learning Module: Designing Student Assessments
  • Alternative Online Assessments
  • Alternative Assessment Strategies for Large Enrolment Classes
  • Indigenous Academic Integrity
• Provide personalized feedback on assignments. Five Principles for Meaningful Online Assessment.
• Use rubrics and D2L multimedia tools (audio, video) to provide feedback.

Resources for Students

• Thrive Priority Support Network
• Student Success Centre

Reflection Questions for Instructors

• Which of these strategies and ideas could be beneficial for your class? What would be the best ways to implement them?
• Among the strategies mentioned above, is there anything you are already doing? What effect does it have on the classroom environment?
• Choose one of the proposed strategies/actions that you have not tried yet and try implementing it in your classroom.