Towards a Well-being Framework for University (Part 1)
My last blog post talked about a study I did on the role of emotions in education. It argued that, despite a strong body of knowledge, the universities are not paying enough attention to affective aspects of education and the emotional needs of students (or staff and faculty, for that matter). When I discuss this subject with other faculty, a common answer involves the lack of resources that prevents them from helping with this situation. How can they relate better with students when they have a large class? How can they spend time with their students when they are overwhelmed with work? How can they put effort into improving their teaching practices when they are rewarded primarily for other things such as research publications and funding?
There is no doubt that a healthy educational system requires systematic and institutional support. This includes a wide range of things from better training programs to more impactful reward systems. But it is not helpful to simply assume "it is up to the management" and not consider our personal responsibilities and abilities. A healthy work and learning environment can only happen if we all make an effort. And there are many things we can do and are doing. We just need to learn about and promote them better.
In the workshop that we ran last year, participants discussed some good practices that faculty can adopt even in the absence of more resources. I presented my teaching philosophy as a learner-centred approach that involved these foundations: motivation and exploration for students, support and guidance for instructors, and trust and understanding for their relationship. To establish such a relationship, and particularly to provide emotional support, I suggested my ARYA model:
• Acknowledge that students are people not learning machines and as such, have emotions that affect their work.
• Relate to them by observing without judging and reacting, being more positive than negative, communicating better, and listening to them.
• Yet: This is based on the idea of "Power of Yet" and basically means to reward growth and provide an environment for it, as opposed to evaluating based on static metrics.
• Admit that we are also humans, make mistakes, have weaknesses, and experience emotions
Other participants discussed topics such as humour, respect, curiosity, and managing confrontation. I look forward to more dialogues among faculty to explore all the positive and "doable" practices, so that we can put together a practical framework that helps us have a healthier learning environment. Some other universities have already moved forward with such initiatives. For example, The University of British Columbia (UBC) has a Well-being Strategic Framework that includes recommended practices for faculty:
http://blogs.ubc.ca/teachingandwellbeing/files/2016/12/TLEF_Handout_Round2_v2.pdf
It involves actions that are easy to implement, those that need a little work, and those that require serious planning.
A culture of well-being will help everyone and is everyone's responsibility. My conversations around campus have been very encouraging, and it seems most of us are eager to move towards such a culture. But there are serious (and possibly hard) steps to take. We should act now.
There is no doubt that a healthy educational system requires systematic and institutional support. This includes a wide range of things from better training programs to more impactful reward systems. But it is not helpful to simply assume "it is up to the management" and not consider our personal responsibilities and abilities. A healthy work and learning environment can only happen if we all make an effort. And there are many things we can do and are doing. We just need to learn about and promote them better.
In the workshop that we ran last year, participants discussed some good practices that faculty can adopt even in the absence of more resources. I presented my teaching philosophy as a learner-centred approach that involved these foundations: motivation and exploration for students, support and guidance for instructors, and trust and understanding for their relationship. To establish such a relationship, and particularly to provide emotional support, I suggested my ARYA model:
• Acknowledge that students are people not learning machines and as such, have emotions that affect their work.
• Relate to them by observing without judging and reacting, being more positive than negative, communicating better, and listening to them.
• Yet: This is based on the idea of "Power of Yet" and basically means to reward growth and provide an environment for it, as opposed to evaluating based on static metrics.
• Admit that we are also humans, make mistakes, have weaknesses, and experience emotions
Other participants discussed topics such as humour, respect, curiosity, and managing confrontation. I look forward to more dialogues among faculty to explore all the positive and "doable" practices, so that we can put together a practical framework that helps us have a healthier learning environment. Some other universities have already moved forward with such initiatives. For example, The University of British Columbia (UBC) has a Well-being Strategic Framework that includes recommended practices for faculty:
http://blogs.ubc.ca/teachingandwellbeing/files/2016/12/TLEF_Handout_Round2_v2.pdf
It involves actions that are easy to implement, those that need a little work, and those that require serious planning.
A culture of well-being will help everyone and is everyone's responsibility. My conversations around campus have been very encouraging, and it seems most of us are eager to move towards such a culture. But there are serious (and possibly hard) steps to take. We should act now.