Keywords:
Wellbeing, University Navigation, Freshman Seminar
Presented by:
Caitlin Kirby, Michigan State University
Key Statement:
We re-designed a freshman seminar to explore wellbeing concepts and practices and university navigation. Students evaluated the course positively, with recommendations for improvements.
Abstract:
We redesigned a freshman seminar for arts and humanities undergraduates to focus on wellbeing concepts and practices and university navigation skills. I will highlight the course learning objectives, structure, and activities around various wellbeing domains. We collected student pre- and post-surveys (n=25) with open-ended and Like rt-type questions for evaluation in Fall 2023. Many students reported positive mental health impacts through their use of resources presented, concepts taught, and class activities. Students’ university navigation skills as measured by an academic capital scale showed a significant increase across the semester. Students suggested more community-building activities as one point of improvement.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Describe learning goals related to wellbeing in a freshman seminar course.
2. Understand how students experienced a freshman seminar course focused on wellbeing and university navigation.
3. Consider which components of a wellbeing-focused freshman seminar could be applied in your own courses.
Hear it from the author:
TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Caitlin Kirby, an education researcher at Michigan State University, and I'm sharing about a freshman seminar course that we designed in the College of Arts and Letters on Wellbeing and University Navigation.
The student learning goals and key concepts are focused around well-being and access to and utilization of university resources. These are shared set of learning outcomes across instructors. You can see a few of them there, as well as a couple of the models of well-being we introduced to students that integrate not only self, but also community and society.
Every class session opened with a brief mindfulness activity which we sourced from the Mindful 20-Something, our course text that you see there. A personal favorite activity of mine was where students tracked one wellbeing activity of their choice for a week and created a visualization of something around engaging with it—the time or their feelings around it, etc.—and reflected on that.
Students engaged with resources in multiple ways, in class with guest visits and field trips, and out of class developing quiz questions. And tying this all together was reflective writing that students would do formatively in class as well as summatively for assignments.
We evaluated the course using pre and post surveys. Students also reported liking the class, finding intellectual value in it. And nearly all of the activities we did had a significant impact on at least one student. You can see some of their testimonials here.
References
Conley, C. S., Travers, L. V., & Bryant, F. B. (2013). Promoting psychosocial adjustment and stress management in first-year college students: The benefits of engagement in a psychosocial wellness seminar. Journal of American College Health, 61(2), 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2012.754757
Clem, S., & Buyserie, B. (2023). Questioning neoliberal rhetorics of wellness: Designing programmatic interventions to better support graduate instructor wellbeing. Communication Design Quarterly, 11(1), 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1145/3563890.3563893
Shi, Q., Crooker, J. R., Drum, C. R., & Drake, B. M. (2021). Investigation of the effect of first-year seminars on student success. Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 33(2).
Tang, R., Broderick, P. C., Bono, T., Dvoráková, K., & Braver, T. S. (2021). A college first-year mindfulness seminar to enhance psychological well-being and cognitive function. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 58(4), 437–451. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2020.1740719