Reenergizing Yourself and Your Students
Energy ebbs and flows throughout a semester and academic year. Midway through the semester, you and your students are familiar with course schedules and have established routines. At this point, energy and engagement may wane a bit as major projects and grading are “piling up.” Take a moment to reflect on sources of energy: what factors boost and drain your energy and engagement? What about your students? Students may be experiencing stress because they earned a “bad” grade.
Energy and engagement are influenced by many aspects of life. We are still adjusting and recovering from the prolonged stress and disruption of the pandemic. Some of our students began college under lock-down and social distancing policies or may have earned lower than expected grades at mid-term. Our overall wellness encompasses factors such as emotional, occupational, and social well-being that can increase or decrease energy and engagement. Attending to our energy needs and helping students address their challenges can foster an improved sense of overall well-being and help us be more effective in and out of the classroom. Also, helping students reflect on their grades and plan for a more successful approach to their coursework can help maintain energy, engagement and a positive attitude throughout the semester.
Resources
A ‘Stunning’ Level of Student Disconnection: Professors are reporting record numbers of students checked out, stressed out, and unsure of their future
Student disengagement is prevalent, and we are struggling to handle it. Data indicate that social anxiety rose significantly in the fall of 2021. Avoidance may be a coping strategy our students are using. Building relationships with our students and helping support their needs can positively impact engagement.
ROI versus Flourishing: A broad state of well-being is essential for the next generation of college students
This article suggests measuring the value of a college education beyond getting a decent job and increasing earning potential to focusing on the value of a college education correlated with well-being throughout life. Data indicate that students who reported having a person who cared about them as an individual experienced higher levels of well-being during and well beyond their college years.
Creating a Healthier Life: A Step-by-Step Guide to Wellness
This guide provides a broad approach for actions we can take at our own pace, aligned with our abilities, to feel better and live longer. Eight interrelated dimensions of wellness are explained. Consider how your wellness factors may have been impacted by COVID-19 and connect with the issues to ponder, resources, and worksheets to improve your overall wellness.
Recommended Strategies
Choose one of the following strategies to implement
Send an Announcement Encouraging Students to Invest in their own Well-Being
To fight against burnout, support students by encouraging them to address their basic needs, validating their feelings and needs, and investing in their mental health. Let them know that it’s ok to go to the Huskie Food Pantry. Ask students to use one of the NIU support resources and prepare a short reflection about their experience. How did they use the resource? What went well? How could they continue to use the resources to support their college success? What other resources might they need/use? Encourage students to stay engaged by staying involved with the Huskie community and have them submit a short reflection about their experience.
Create an Assignment to Help Students Plan for Success in the Second Half of the Semester
Mid-semester is a good time for students to review the first half of the semester and develop a plan for the remaining weeks before final exams. Students may be experiencing stress due to earning lower grades than they expected, challenges balancing multiple priorities, or decisions about academic and social commitments. To help students plan for success, create a mid-semester assignment that asks students to reflect on their grades and study habits, learn from mistakes, and identify actions they can take to support their success and keep a positive attitude throughout the course
Ask Students to Select a Dimension of Wellness to Improve
You and your students may select one dimension of wellness, read the corresponding resources, and complete the worksheet to identify what to work on to improve that aspect of wellness and/or mental health. This activity can reenergize you and your students.
Selected Additional Resources
Energy levels vary throughout the semester for different reasons. Here are some resources to support the energy levels and well-being of you and your students, and actions students can take after earning a "bad" grade.
- What Our Best College Instructors Do: Reflections by students about meaningful learning experiences: In this report by the Every Learner Everywhere Network, researchers share perspectives from students of teaching practices that made them want to engage, learn, and be successful in a course.
- A Pedagogy of Kindness: After years of teaching, Dr. Cate Denial realized that her combative and rigid approach to teaching was counterproductive. She eventually decided to apply kindness as a pedagogical approach. Addressing challenges in a kind, direct, and honest manner simplified her teaching practices, reduced stress, and strengthened relationships with students.
- Well-being at NIU: A campus-wide initiative focused on the well-being of the entire NIU community. Learn about the dimensions of wellness, resources, programs, and services available for faculty, staff, and students.
- Focus on yourself: Taking time for yourself can bolster your energy, enthusiasm, and overall well-being. Take control of your calendar by scheduling breaks, non-screen time, and activities that help you recharge. Walking outside can improve creativity, cognition (Heffernan, 2015; Oppezzo & Scwartz, 2014), mood, and well-being.
- Student Motivations and Barriers toward Online and In-Person Office Hours in STEM Courses: The study explored student perspectives of in-person and online office hours, as well as barriers and attendance rates that may provide insights to help faculty reach all students.
- 6 Smart Tips for Dealing with a Bad Grade: A bad grade does not mean that a student has failed. This blog includes tips students can use to move on from a bad grade.
- How do Deal with Your First Bad Grade in College: This blog encourages students who earn a bad grade to learn from the experience, not be too hard on themselves, take ownership of the situation, and learn about study strategies that work best for them to support future success.
Next Steps
Please review the resources and select at least one of the recommended strategies to implement. Make a note to yourself about the strategy you used and the impact that it had.
In two weeks, we will share resources on increasing response rates on course evaluation surveys. If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, feel free to let us know at citl@niu.edu.
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