WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.832 --> 00:00:01.847 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC PLAYING] 00:00:01.847 --> 00:00:04.180 align:middle line:84% Supporting Computer Science Student Mental 00:00:04.180 --> 00:00:05.680 align:middle line:90% Health. 00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:07.600 align:middle line:84% Hi, my name is Chris Murphy, and I'm 00:00:07.600 --> 00:00:10.815 align:middle line:84% a senior lecturer in computer science at Bryn Mawr College. 00:00:10.815 --> 00:00:12.940 align:middle line:84% The mental health of undergraduate computer science 00:00:12.940 --> 00:00:15.310 align:middle line:84% students is becoming a growing concern. 00:00:15.310 --> 00:00:17.740 align:middle line:84% And as our community seeks to make CS education more 00:00:17.740 --> 00:00:20.530 align:middle line:84% accessible, it's more and more urgent for instructors 00:00:20.530 --> 00:00:22.660 align:middle line:84% to address student mental health issues 00:00:22.660 --> 00:00:24.160 align:middle line:84% and be inclusive of students who are 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:27.550 align:middle line:84% living with ongoing mental health conditions. 00:00:27.550 --> 00:00:29.170 align:middle line:84% As CS instructors, we of course care 00:00:29.170 --> 00:00:30.790 align:middle line:90% about our students' education. 00:00:30.790 --> 00:00:33.250 align:middle line:84% We should also signal that we care about our students' 00:00:33.250 --> 00:00:36.070 align:middle line:84% mental health and create environments in which students 00:00:36.070 --> 00:00:37.030 align:middle line:90% feel supported. 00:00:37.030 --> 00:00:38.710 align:middle line:84% One thing I do is ensure that students 00:00:38.710 --> 00:00:40.690 align:middle line:84% know about campus mental health resources 00:00:40.690 --> 00:00:42.590 align:middle line:84% by listing them in my course syllabus. 00:00:42.590 --> 00:00:45.040 align:middle line:84% Which destigmatizes their use and indicates 00:00:45.040 --> 00:00:46.810 align:middle line:84% that it's perfectly OK to ask for help 00:00:46.810 --> 00:00:48.430 align:middle line:90% when it comes to mental health. 00:00:48.430 --> 00:00:51.670 align:middle line:84% I also try to be aware of whether my course policies are 00:00:51.670 --> 00:00:55.000 align:middle line:84% unnecessarily contributing to student distress. 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:57.250 align:middle line:84% And recommend considering flexible policies 00:00:57.250 --> 00:00:59.770 align:middle line:84% for submission deadlines and late days, 00:00:59.770 --> 00:01:01.570 align:middle line:84% or using evaluation approaches that 00:01:01.570 --> 00:01:03.460 align:middle line:84% allow students to drop a low score, 00:01:03.460 --> 00:01:06.185 align:middle line:90% or to revise and resubmit work. 00:01:06.185 --> 00:01:08.560 align:middle line:84% It's also important to be thoughtful about the scheduling 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:10.330 align:middle line:84% of things like exams so that they 00:01:10.330 --> 00:01:13.240 align:middle line:84% don't conflict with religious holidays and other classes' 00:01:13.240 --> 00:01:14.560 align:middle line:90% deadlines. 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:17.200 align:middle line:84% By signaling that academics is just a part of life 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:19.330 align:middle line:84% and not the other way around, instructors 00:01:19.330 --> 00:01:23.380 align:middle line:84% can help students focus on learning instead of on grades. 00:01:23.380 --> 00:01:25.840 align:middle line:84% In addition to supporting the mental health of CS students 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:29.080 align:middle line:84% in general, we must not overlook the needs of the growing number 00:01:29.080 --> 00:01:31.630 align:middle line:84% of students who are living with ongoing mental health 00:01:31.630 --> 00:01:34.840 align:middle line:84% conditions, such as anxiety and depression. 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:36.880 align:middle line:84% Students living with mental health conditions 00:01:36.880 --> 00:01:40.360 align:middle line:84% may unexpectedly need extra time to treat their condition. 00:01:40.360 --> 00:01:43.420 align:middle line:84% And flexibility in terms of attendance and deadlines 00:01:43.420 --> 00:01:45.610 align:middle line:84% can help ensure the students succeed in the class 00:01:45.610 --> 00:01:47.560 align:middle line:90% while staying healthy. 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:49.150 align:middle line:84% Something I've recently started doing 00:01:49.150 --> 00:01:52.360 align:middle line:84% is providing options for things like in-class presentations 00:01:52.360 --> 00:01:53.660 align:middle line:90% and group projects. 00:01:53.660 --> 00:01:56.530 align:middle line:84% So the students are not forced into social situations 00:01:56.530 --> 00:01:59.570 align:middle line:84% that are unnecessarily distressing or even triggering. 00:01:59.570 --> 00:02:01.870 align:middle line:84% And so they can achieve the course learning outcomes 00:02:01.870 --> 00:02:04.630 align:middle line:84% in a manner that suits them best. 00:02:04.630 --> 00:02:06.670 align:middle line:84% Last, instructors should demonstrate empathy 00:02:06.670 --> 00:02:08.320 align:middle line:84% toward their students and acknowledge 00:02:08.320 --> 00:02:10.930 align:middle line:84% that students who are living with mental health conditions 00:02:10.930 --> 00:02:13.120 align:middle line:90% face unique challenges. 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:15.580 align:middle line:84% We're not advocating for lowering standards or reducing 00:02:15.580 --> 00:02:17.950 align:middle line:84% rigor, but rather suggest that instructors 00:02:17.950 --> 00:02:20.080 align:middle line:84% be willing to make adjustments as needed 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:24.125 align:middle line:84% in order to help their neurodiverse students succeed. 00:02:24.125 --> 00:02:25.750 align:middle line:84% In addition to all this, it's important 00:02:25.750 --> 00:02:28.480 align:middle line:84% that we as CS instructors look after our own mental health 00:02:28.480 --> 00:02:29.183 align:middle line:90% too. 00:02:29.183 --> 00:02:31.600 align:middle line:84% After all, the best thing we can do to take care of others 00:02:31.600 --> 00:02:33.560 align:middle line:90% is take care of ourselves. 00:02:33.560 --> 00:02:35.860 align:middle line:84% We certainly hope that all members of the CS community 00:02:35.860 --> 00:02:37.660 align:middle line:84% will stay healthy while supporting 00:02:37.660 --> 00:02:39.400 align:middle line:90% our students' mental health.