Growing your Instructor Toolkit: Exploring Strategies for Teaching, Learning & Wellbeing

Event Date & Time

Event Description

The Teaching and Wellbeing Community of Practice invites all inspired and needing to be inspired to explore successful and unique educational strategies for cultivating well-being in teaching and learning. Student wellbeing can result in deeper learning and the most promising strategies to promote mental wellbeing include changes in the way students are taught and assessed (Fernandez, et al., 2015; Trigwell et al., 2012). Expand your toolkit by taking in new ideas and suggestions to integrate into your courses, making them even better.

The session will start with a short introduction to the importance of incorporating wellbeing into teaching. Short vignettes will then be presented introducing each teaching strategy. Each strategy will be hosted at a table. For the remainder of the session, participants are invited to visit any or all strategies. Each host will be available to address questions and facilitate discussion. It will be an interactive session, allowing for brainstorming, collaborating, and building new ideas.

Some examples of strategies that you can explore include creating a learner-centred syllabi, integrating self-compassion in tutorials, leveraging office hours for connection, taking class into the natural environment, encouraging engagement in the broader campus community, embedding wellbeing in your teaching philosophy, and enhancing student awareness of UBC resources.

Throughout this interactive session you will:

• Discuss the impact of classroom activities on your students (and your) wellbeing
• Learn about, discuss and brainstorm ideas for embedding educational strategies that foster wellbeing into your course design and delivery; and
• Connect with other members of the teaching and learning community interested in enhancing and supporting student wellbeing.

RESOURCES:

Trigwell, K., Caballero Rodriguez, K., & Han, F. (2012). Assessing the impact of a university teaching development programme. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(4), 499-511.

Fernandez, A., Howse, E., Rubio-Valera, M., Thorncraft, K., Noone, J., Luu, X., … & Salvador-Carulla, L. (2016). Setting-based interventions to promote mental health at the university: a systematic review. International journal of public health, 61(7), 797-807.

Facilitators: 

• Agnes d’Entrement Senior Instructor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Benjamin Y. Cheung Lecturer, Department of Psychology
• Carolyn McEwen Instructor, School of Kinesiology
• Gail Hammond Instructor, Faculty of Land & Food Systems
• Juan Abello Instructor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Karen Smith Lecturer, Department of Biology
• Neil Armitage Lecturer, Department of Sociology
• Marie Krbavac Educational Developer, CTLT
• Jocelyn Micallef Educational Developer, CTLT, and Health Promotion & Education