Improving Learning and Mental Health in the College Classroom

Robert Eaton, Steven V. Hunsaker, Bonnie Moon

• Publisher: West Virginia University Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781952271809
• eBook ISBN: 9781952271816
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

How teachers can help combat higher education's mental health crisis.

Mental health challenges on college campuses were a huge problem before COVID-19, and now they are even more pronounced. But while much has been written about higher education's mental health crisis, very little research focuses on the role played by those on campus whose influence on student well-being may well be greatest: teachers. Drawing from interviews with students and the scholarship of teaching and learning, this book helps correct the oversight, examining how faculty can—instead of adding to their own significant workloads or duplicating counselors' efforts—combat student stress through adjustments to the work they already do as teachers.

Improving Learning and Mental Health in the College Classroom provides practical tips that reduce unnecessary discouragement. It demonstrates how small improvements in teaching can have great impacts in the lives of students with mental health challenges, while simultaneously boosting learning for all students.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. Why Anxiety and Depression Matter for Learning
• 2. Become Natural Mentors
• 3. Design Courses with Students with Mental Health Challenges in Mind
• 4. Awaken Students’ Innate Drive to Learn
• 5. Foster Emotional Resilience
• 6. Build Community
• 7. Avoid Pitfalls with Active Learning
• 8. Promote Wellness Practices
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index