FROM: University Council on Teaching
TO: Full-Time Faculty
SUBJECT: Supporting Student Learning & Wellbeing
DATE:  Monday, January 13, 2025 

Dear Colleagues,

The University Council on Teaching has spent significant time over the past several years considering the role of faculty in supporting students at the intersection of learning and wellbeing, informed in part by the priorities of the UGBC student representatives in attendance.  This email from the Center for Student Wellness and Center for Teaching Excellence is one result of those conversations. I hope it provides you with some pedagogical possibilities you might experiment with this semester and gives you an idea of where you might find thought partners on campus as you continue to explore related questions.

All best,
Kathy Bailey

Chair, University Council on Teaching
Professor of the Practice, Political Science
Director of the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program
Director of the Islamic Civilization & Societies Program

Dear Boston College Faculty, 

The Center for Student Wellness (CSW)  and Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) know that faculty are committed to supporting student learning. As all of higher education grapples with rising rates of anxiety and depression amongst college students, we are also aware that more faculty are finding themselves wondering how decisions they make about their course design and pedagogy can support student wellbeing to enable deep learning. 

Drawing on insights from our own fields and conversations with BC faculty, we are writing to share a few teaching practices that can proactively support students’ mental health.

Communicate care to your students

Start the semester by letting students know that they can come to you when they are struggling, and reiterate that at times of heightened stress. You can also share other places where students can find support on campus. See the Student Wellness Resources Guide for more information on available services and the Mental Health and Wellness Syllabus Statements for language you can include in your syllabus. 

Build community in your course

Spend time getting to know students and allowing students to get to know one another. Those relationships can serve as protective measures for student mental health and can make it easier for students to engage in appropriate help-seeking when they need a little more support.  See a resource on fostering community and connection in your course for some concrete ideas. 

Balance structure and flexibility in course policies

Structure and flexibility  both support student learning: structure helps students direct their time and energy, while flexibility makes it possible for students to recalibrate their learning when life interrupts their plans. For example, you might apply this to your late work policy by: 

  • Implementing late banks, or giving students X number of grace period days that they can use over the course of the semester.
  • If extensions are possible, being explicit with students about how to ask for extensions.
  • Identifying “best by” dates and final due dates for each assignment. The best by date  identifies when a student can get the most out of the assignment and best pace their learning. The final due date identifies the last point at which student learning still benefits from completing the assignment.

Even when designing courses with structure and flexibility in mind, you will likely encounter students whose life experiences might require additional adjustments. Signaling that you’re open to further conversation gives you a chance to figure out the next step together and/or connect the student to other campus resources. You might even experiment with collaboratively designing policies that you’re willing to be flexible about. 

Consider what messages course due dates and times communicate

If assignments are all due at 11:59 pm, students might receive the message that they’re expected to work late into the night. Consider due dates at the end of the work day — 5:00 pm — as an alternative. You might also look to avoid having major assignments due during periods that you anticipate might be particularly stressful or distracting (e.g. around inauguration on January 20). 

The fields to set due dates and times are located at the bottom of each Assignment in Canvas. You can edit them there, or follow these instructions to  more efficiently edit the due time for multiple assignments. If you do not enter a time when setting a due date, the default time — 11:59 pm — will populate in the time slot. Follow these instructions to edit the default due time in a given Canvas course.

Communicate a growth mindset

Across the country there is significant student stress related to academic performance, grades, and how those can relate to students’ career prospects and financial future. Communicate routinely to students that you have high standards for their learning and that you believe in their ability to meet those standards. Consider how you can build in opportunities for students to recover from mistakes (e.g. ungraded or low-stakes assignments before an exam, allowing students opportunities to revise work for a grade boost, etc.). 

Supporting  students in distress

While there are many ways you can proactively support students' well-being in your courses, you may still encounter students who are in more immediate distress or who you fear might be a danger to themselves or others. If that is ever the case, the Faculty and Staff Guide for Supporting Students of Concern lays out what you can do to connect that student to additional support. 

Additional campus resources

If you’d like to learn more about supporting student wellbeing, a number of resources are available to you: 

  • The CTE  is available to consult on questions of course design and pedagogy in your particular context.
  • The CSW can consult on questions of student wellbeing and can visit your class to offer sessions on health and wellness topics. If you are interested in learning more about how to have conversations with students in crisis, CSW also offers  QPR training to provide a framework for those discussions and shares resources for students.
  • If you’re worried about a student and want to talk to an expert before speaking with the student, both the Counseling Center and the Dean of Students Office are available for consultation. 

We recognize that as faculty you may also be in need of support. The Employee Assistance Program offers a number of services that are available to BC employees, including crisis support, counseling, support for elder- and childcare, and more. Graduate student instructors can avail themselves of student-facing resources at BC, including those services related to mental health and wellness.  

Relevant research

If you’d like to learn more about the research motivating the recommendations listed above, please see the following studies:

Sincerely, 

Kim Humphrey 
Assistant Director for Equitable Teaching & Learning, Center for Teaching Excellence 

Jeannine Kremer, MSW, LICSW
Director, Center for Student Wellness 

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