Supporting student well-being from afar

Advice on supporting student well-being through your online teaching practices

Spotlight offering advice on supporting student well-being when teaching online

A quality digital education is not just about teaching but must take a more holistic view of the student experience – and central to this is well-being. The toll that Covid-19 has taken on many students’ mental health is well documented, so this collection of resources looks at what can academics do to support well-being online and ensure students feel connected and supported from a distance.

Designing online courses for better learning and well-being outcomes

Matthew Barr describes how to design and deliver online teaching to support better learning and well-being for students who might otherwise feel isolated and disconnected

Matthew Barr

University of Glasgow

Putting well-being at the core of teaching

Balancing compassion with high expectations for better learning outcomes

Expectation and compassion: two sides of the coin for successful learning outcomes

Celia Ann Evans explains how instructors can balance compassion with high expectations to guide students to better learning gains

Celia Ann Evans

Cornell University

Designing and delivering courses to meet students emotional needs

Supporting students’ emotional needs in distance learning

Yanfang Si shares simple online teaching methods to make students feel connected and supported and so help meet their emotional needs from a distance

Yanfang Si

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Taking a human approach to providing support for student well-being online

Using online coaching to support student well-being

Helen Duff explains how a human approach to providing support online, in the form of coaching sessions, can have a powerful impact on student well-being

Helen Duff

Arden University

Resources offering insight on embedding well-being practices into online teaching

Online teaching tips to support student well-being

Natalie Kopytko provides practical tips to address student well-being via online teaching practices that can also benefit faculty

Natalie Kopytko

University of Leeds

Well-being pedagogies: activities and practices to improve the student experience online

With many concerned about the mental health effects of learning remotely, Elena Riva shares helpful practices that can boost student well-being in the online teaching and learning environment

Elena Riva

The University of Warwick

Advice on incorporating humour into your online teaching to keep students engaged

Leading with humanity in your online classroom: Tips beyond tech

How to ensure the human side of teaching is not lost and that pedagogical practices promoting care drive decisions when instructing online, from research by Mary Candace Raygoza, Aaminah Norris and Raina León

Mary Candace Raygoza, Aaminah Norris , Raina León

Saint Mary’s College of California

Embracing a compassionate approach in higher education

Caroline Harvey and Frances Maratos explain how to embed compassionate communication into higher education when teaching online

Caroline Harvey, Frances Maratos

University of Derby

Creating community in and out of the classroom

Three tips for building community in the classroom

Building community in the classroom whatever your teaching modality

Nancy Gleason offers three tips for building community among students whatever your teaching modality

Nancy Gleason

New York University Abu Dhabi

Create a welcoming online learning community

Creating a welcoming and inclusive online learning community

Creating a sense of community among students is vital for effective online teaching. Here, Miral Gibson explains how fostering this welcoming online learning environment should be pedagogy-led

Miral Gibson

University of Roehampton

Practical advice on building equitable communities when teaching online

Do unto students as they would have done to them

Maha Bali offers practical advice on building equitable learning communities online no matter what students’ bandwidth or synchronicity of the class

Maha Bali

American University in Cairo

Communicating support and care

Providing pastoral care for students in the digital classroom

Pastoral care for students in the digital classroom

Providing the pastoral care students need can be difficult when teaching remotely. Here, Chris Headleand offers tips on looking out for students’ general well-being when limited to online communication

Chris Headleand

University of Lincoln

Creating human connection online

How to create human connection when teaching online

Instructors teaching online must take steps to connect with their students via digital channels and compensate for the loss of natural face-to-face cues and communication. Flower Darby explains how

Flower Darby

Northern Arizona University

Fostering a sense of belonging among remote students to aid learning

Developing students’ confidence and sense of belonging online

With most students new to online learning, many may lack the confidence to actively participate in group classes. Georgina Blakeley offers her tips on fostering a sense of belonging that aids interaction among students

Georgina Blakeley

University of Huddersfield

Combatting isolation

Insights on tools and techniques to improve online teaching from dozens of faculty at the American University in Cairo

Online teaching insights, part one: social connection and listening

Insights and lessons on effective tools and techniques to improve online teaching, put together by faculty spanning dozens of disciplines at the American University in Cairo

Hoda Mostafa, Maha Bali

American University in Cairo

How to encourage peer to peer learning when teaching online courses

The power of peer to peer: how and why to encourage your students to learn from each other

Peer-to-peer learning brings major benefits for students and instructors. Here, Zachary Walker explains how to encourage your students to learn from each other and why this can be so effective when teaching online

Zachary Walker

University College London

An explanation of how student coaching circles can help improve course learning outcomes

Using coaching circles to beat isolation and spur reflexive work

Glen Cousquer explains how coaching circles run by students with their peers can help beat feelings of isolation and guide students to overcome personal or course-related challenges

Glen Cousquer

The University of Edinburgh

How to train students to be more resilient

Using the art of storytelling to help students build resilience when learning online

Judith Francois describes how she facilitates storytelling via online channels to help students build resilience and feel more connected

Judith Francois

Kingston University

Socio-emotional learning online: boosting student resilience and well-being

The Covid-19 crisis has led to worsening mental health and increased stress among students. Kathleen Chim talks about how the Open University of Hong Kong has tried to build students’ mental resilience through socio-emotional learning

Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan, Kathleen Chim

Hong Kong Metropolitan University