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Chris Murphy: Supporting Computer Science Student Mental
Health.
Hi, my name is Chris Murphy, and I'm
a senior lecturer in computer science at Bryn Mawr College.
The mental health of undergraduate computer science
students is becoming a growing concern.
And as our community seeks to make CS education more
accessible, it's more and more urgent for instructors
to address student mental health issues
and be inclusive of students who are
living with ongoing mental health conditions.
As CS instructors, we of course care
about our students' education.
We should also signal that we care about our students'
mental health and create environments in which students
feel supported.
One thing I do is ensure that students
know about campus mental health resources
by listing them in my course syllabus.
Which destigmatizes their use and indicates
that it's perfectly OK to ask for help
when it comes to mental health.
I also try to be aware of whether my course policies are
unnecessarily contributing to student distress.
And recommend considering flexible policies
for submission deadlines and late days,
or using evaluation approaches that
allow students to drop a low score,
or to revise and resubmit work.
It's also important to be thoughtful about the scheduling
of things like exams so that they
don't conflict with religious holidays and other classes'
deadlines.
By signaling that academics is just a part of life
and not the other way around, instructors
can help students focus on learning instead of on grades.
In addition to supporting the mental health of CS students
in general, we must not overlook the needs of the growing number
of students who are living with ongoing mental health
conditions, such as anxiety and depression.
Students living with mental health conditions
may unexpectedly need extra time to treat their condition.
And flexibility in terms of attendance and deadlines
can help ensure the students succeed in the class
while staying healthy.
Something I've recently started doing
is providing options for things like in-class presentations
and group projects.
So the students are not forced into social situations
that are unnecessarily distressing or even triggering.
And so they can achieve the course learning outcomes
in a manner that suits them best.
Last, instructors should demonstrate empathy
toward their students and acknowledge
that students who are living with mental health conditions
face unique challenges.
We're not advocating for lowering standards or reducing
rigor, but rather suggest that instructors
be willing to make adjustments as needed
in order to help their neurodiverse students succeed.
In addition to all this, it's important
that we as CS instructors look after our own mental health
too.
After all, the best thing we can do to take care of others
is take care of ourselves.
We certainly hope that all members of the CS community
will stay healthy while supporting
our students' mental health.