Tragic events and crises can occur at any point in the semester and may have a profound emotional and cognitive impact on students and instructors. The following resources can be used by instructors to provide students support during difficult times.
Where to begin
In response to a tragic event or crisis, it is common for people to experience a range of emotions, including shock, anger, fear and grief (American Psychological Association, 2019). Honoring feelings and receiving caring support can help with regaining a sense of equilibrium (American Psychological Association, 2019). Considering well-established relationships between emotions and cognition (Eyler, 2018; Immordino-Yang, 2016), instructors can use a multi-pronged approach to provide students extra support during difficult times: show awareness by acknowledging traumatic events and their potential impacts on all students, share resources available for help, and exercise compassion.
Show awareness
Instructors serve an important role in shaping the classroom climate and modeling ways to process complex issues. You can begin by publicly acknowledging that a tragedy occurred and demonstrating basic awareness that students may be struggling with a variety of emotions. Students may feel uncomfortable asking questions or sharing their thoughts or feelings unless invited by the instructor. That said, most instructors are not trained counselors or therapists and should be cautious about inviting open-ended conversations with students about tragic events and trauma narratives (Carello & Butler, 2014). Instructors should avoid "spotlighting students," asking that they speak on behalf of a community or identity group. Instead, you can simply let students know you are aware of the disturbing event(s), acknowledge the potential emotional and societal impacts of the event, and remind students that there are university and community resources where they can seek additional support. For example, you might say the following:
Share resources
There are a variety of university offices and organizations available to support students. In addition to the resources listed below, colleges, departments, and student organizations may provide additional services and ways to connect with and support one another.
Mental health and wellness support
The Office of Student Life's Counseling and Consultation Services (CCS): provides individual and group mental health services to students and their spouse/partners who are covered by the Student Health Insurance Plan. CCS also provides a list of resources available to the university community to support students’ positive mental health.
The Ohio State University Suicide Prevention Program (OSUSPP) engages with students, staff, and faculty to provide the university community suicide prevention education training, outreach, and advocacy programs and services.
Instructors may also consider attending a workshop offered by Student Life’s Student Wellness Center on how to refer students to mental health and wellness support.
Reporting harassment, discrimination, and sexual misconduct
Ohio State’s Office of Civil Rights Compliance coordinates the university’s complaints of harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct. Instructors can visit the OCRC website to learn about their services, seek support, or to file a report.
Exercise compassion
Finally, instructors should offer flexibility to students as they manage their personal needs with academic responsibilities. Given that learning is influenced by affect as well as information, the climate in which students learn can impact their learning positively or negatively (Ambrose et al., 2010). Being flexible with assignment deadlines and/or exam dates and participation in group work or other class activities can give students the space they need to make academic progress while addressing their emotional needs. These approaches, as well as other evidence-informed instructional strategies designed to cultivate effective learning environments (such as Universal Design for Learning, or UDL) can be implemented to enhance learning for each student in your learning space.
For more information about supporting students, contact the Drake Institute at drakeinstitute@osu.edu.
References
- Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., & Norman, M. K. (2010). How learning works. John Wiley & Sons. https://library.ohio-state.edu/record=b8585188~S7(link is external)
- American Psychological Association (2019, July 29). Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting. https://www.apa.org/topics/gun-violence-crime/mass-shooting(link is external)
- Carello, J., & Butler, L. D. (2014). Potentially perilous pedagogies: Teaching trauma Is not the same as trauma-informed teaching. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 15(2), 153–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2014.867571(link is external)
- Eyler, J.R. (2018). How humans learn: The science and stories behind effective college teaching. (First edition). Morgantown: West Virginia University Press.
- Immordino-Yang, M. H. (2016). Emotions, learning, and the brain: Exploring the educational implications of affective neuroscience (First edition). W. W. Norton & Company.