WISE: Supporting well-being in the classroom
Well-being in Scholarly Environments (WISE) is a campus-level initiative through which faculty members, academic teaching staff, and teaching assistants can support well-being through their teaching and advising practices.
WISE promotes small changes in the classroom to enhance learning and foster mental health, with the following goals:
- Increase social connection among students and between students and faculty members
- Foster a growth mindset that allows students to adapt to setbacks and persevere in the face of challenges
- Encourage help-seeking and self-care practices in students; normalize asking for help and utilizing resources
- Help students reflect on their coursework in relation to their sense of purpose and life
Why is it important?
In the last ten years, mental health issues among university students have increased across the country and at Cornell, with anxiety and depression reaching all-time highs. These challenges can greatly impact students' academic performance by draining their energy, focus, confidence, cognitive abilities, and optimism.
Positive mental health and well-being is a key predictor for learning and student success. Research shows that teaching methods that support student well-being can enhance students' learning and overall success. Prioritizing mental health and well-being in every Cornell University classroom, across all colleges, schools, and disciplines can help students thrive academically. Even minor adjustments to your teaching approach or classroom environment can have a profound effect on student well-being and performance.
Learn more about Cornell Health's WISE program
The following resources are available to Cornell faculty members, academic teaching staff, and teaching assistants:
WISE faculty training opportunities
Promoting Well-Being Through Teaching & Advising Practices (60 minutes)
This 60-minute training provides faculty with an overview of concepts, approaches, and strategies that will help support student well-being in Cornell classrooms. This program covers a brief snapshot of student mental health, explores the link between academic performance and well-being, and reviews concrete and research-based strategies that promote student well-being through teaching and advising practices. Participants will interactively discover ways to promote a sense of belonging for their diverse students, cultivate a growth mindset, and boost interactivity to promote a positive classroom environment. Learn how small shifts can have big impacts for student well-being and take away easy ideas that will help you support your students while streamlining your classroom logistics.
Intro to WISE: Well-Being in Scholarly Environments (20 minutes)
We also offer a 20-minute presentation designed to introduce the WISE program and opportunities. This short presentation would be an ideal addition to your department meeting for faculty and graduate TA’s.
To request a workshop or presentation, please complete this program request form. (We require a minimum of 2 weeks’ notice to accommodate requests.)
WISE Canvas Toolkit for faculty
Well-being in Scholarly Environments (Faculty)
This Canvas course is open to all Cornell faculty and includes strategies, activities, and ideas to support student well-being. You’ll also find student resources and handouts that you can use in your classroom or easily embed in your own Canvas courses.
Enroll in the WISE Canvas course
Summary of WISE strategies
The following research-supported strategies can be implemented in classrooms to help support student well-being and facilitate academic success. A summary of strategies is presented here. Refer to the WISE Canvas Toolkit for additional strategies, resoures, and handouts.
- Consider your syllabus and course logistics
- Boost connection and interaction
- Create opportunities for nature, movement, and mindfulness
- Be inclusive and mindful of culture
- Build students’ growth mindset
- Know when and how to refer
(1) Consider your syllabus and course logistics
Nurturing student well-being can support academic rigor. When designing your courses, offer students some flexibility and autonomy during the semester. Doing so is empowering and supportive, and might streamline logistical issues for you, too!
- An “extension without penalty” system can eliminate bias, promote inclusivity, and clarify extension procedures. For example, you might set a deadline for 9:00 pm on Friday, but allow students to turn in work until 9:00 pm on Sunday without penalty or having to ask for an extension. Cornell students have reported reduced stress, better management of sickness and emergencies, and improved performance in their courses as benefits of such a policy (Ruesch and Sarvary, 2024).
- Avoid high-stakes exams and assignments (for example, an exam worth 50% of the final grade). Instead, offer students a choice in assignments, or the option to choose their “best three out of four” toward their final grade.
Want to go further? Learn more about designing a student-centered syllabus in this Cornell CTI Canvas course.
(2) Boost connection and interaction
Creating a welcoming and inclusive classroom environment sets the stage for a successful semester. By taking intentional steps to connect with your students from day one, you’ll be on a path to building trust and open communication throughout the semester. Here are some simple yet impactful ways to cultivate meaningful connections in your classroom. Top tips:
- Promote collaboration and connection within the classroom. Ask your students to write down the name and contact information of at least two of their peers so that they can connect around lectures or form a study group.
- When possible, avoid standing behind a lectern or desk. Instead, move among your students.
(3) Create opportunities for nature, movement, and mindfulness
Physical activity breaks during class have a positive impact on students’ academic performance by increasing their cognitive function, engagement, and desire to learn (Ferrer and Laughlin, 2017). Spending time outdoors has also been shown to increase positive emotions, decrease anxiety, improve mental health, foster perseverance, creativity, and problem-solving, and boost confidence (Kou et al 2019). Here are a few suggestions for how to use the power of nature, movement, and mindfulness to support academic success:
- Play music or nature sounds as students enter your classroom, and/or put a calming nature scene on the projector before class begins.
- Provide a “mindfulness minute” at the beginning of class or before an exam. Encourage students to sit quietly and take a few slow, deep breaths. Or lead students in a breathing exercise: breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breath out for four seconds, hold for four seconds… repeating 3-4 times.
- Give structured or unstructured brain breaks every 30 minutes to get students to refocus their attention. This could be as simple as a quick moment to stand and stretch.
(4) Be inclusive and mindful of culture
Inclusive teaching practices are vital for creating an environment where every student feels valued, respected, and able to succeed. By proactively addressing accessibility concerns and embracing diverse perspectives, you can use the unique experiences and identities of all students as a classroom advantage. A few ideas include:
- Use a microphone and captioning so that all students can hear you, and design presentations with proper contrast and sizing so that students can see them more easily. Find information about universal design from Student Disability Services, and encourage students to speak to you about any accessibility concerns they have.
- Use inclusive, gender-neutral language (for example, say “folks” instead of “guys” or “ladies and gentlemen”). Here are some favorite inclusive greetings and phrases to try out:
- Welcome, everyone!
- Hello, folks!
- Let’s hear from the person wearing the navy blue Cornell hoodie…
- Hey ya’ll, it’s time to work together.
- Attention, friends!
- Alright, team, let’s get started.
(5) Build students’ growth mindset
Embracing a growth mindset can foster a culture of continuous learning and resilience. By endorsing the belief that achievement requires hard work, not just natural talent, you’ll empower students to navigate academic challenges with determination. Here are two practical ways to cultivate a growth mindset:
- Reinforce the belief that students’ basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. You can help students reframe common fixed mindset perceptions by helping them reframe challenges they face and directing them to additional support; for example:
- I just stink at math. >>> Math has been challenging for you so far, and there’s help available at the Math Support Center.
- I’ll never be a writer. >>> You can work on improving your writing. The Cornell Writing Centers can help you.
- I never seem to be able to keep my notes organized. >>> In the past, you haven’t been successful keeping your notes organized. The Learning Strategies Center can support you in effectively studying and keeping organized.
- I’m not smart enough for this! >>> You wouldn’t be learning if you were not being challenged. You can seek support to improve your performance.
- Allow students to fix mistakes and work through problems they’ve encountered so they can see their growth.
(6) Know when and how to refer
As faculty members, you are frontline observers of our students' well-being. Recognizing when a student may need academic or mental health support is crucial. Navigating these referrals requires communication, empathy, and knowledge of available resources. Here are some recommendations for connecting students to supports they need:
- First, pay attention to signs of academic struggles or mental health challenges in your students, such as changes in appearance, behavior, attendance, or performance. Listen to your gut. Take note of concerns raised by students themselves or their peers.
- When talking to a student you’re concerned about, approach the conversation with empathy and sensitivity. Focus on the things you’ve observed (such as changes in performance or attendance), rather than making assumptions about their experiences. Ask questions to learn more.
- Familiarize yourself with the available support services on campus, including academic tutoring centers, non-clinical support from programs like Student Support and Advocacy Services, and clinical support from Cornell Health. Provide information about these resources and offer to help students navigate the process of seeking support. (See more below.)
- After referring a student for support, follow up with them to check on their progress. Let them know that you are available to talk and that you are invested in their well-being and academic success.
Remember, you are NOT expected to be a mental health expert. You can make a "warm hand-off" and let the resource(s) do the rest. In other words, you are simply working with the student to help them access and make a connection with the valuable resources that are available to them.
What to do if you're concerned about a student:
Help the student get connected with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Encourage them to schedule a CAPS access appointment, or drop in to consult informally with a CAPS counselor through Let's Talk. For immediate concerns, students can walk into Cornell Health (or you can walk them to Cornell Health) for an urgent care appointment. They can also consult with a mental health provider 24/7 by calling Cornell Health at 607-255-5155.
Submit a Student of Concern Referral Form through Student Support and Advocacy Services (SSAS) (select “Student of Concern” in the Report Type drop-down menu). SSAS in the Dean of Students Office receives and responds to concerns about students in distress. When you contact SSAS, a Care Manager will reach out to the student and to you, as needed, and will collaborate with campus partners (including Cornell Health, when appropriate) to provide support for the student. SSAS can also be reached by calling 607-254-8598 (available Monday-Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm). Learn more about when to refer a student to SSAS.
In an emergency, call Cornell's Public Safety Communications Center: 607-255-1111. The Public Safety Communications Center connects callers with appropriate resources, including emergency response / ambulance, the Cornell Administrator on-Call, the Community Response Team, CU Police, and other resources. You can also call call 911 (connects to Cornell Public Safety from a campus phone and local emergency dispatch from other phones).
Learn more:
- Visit the Mental Health at Cornell website (mentalhealth.cornell.edu) to find additional support and resources
- Attend a Notice and Respond: Supporting Students in Distress workshop
References
Adler, A. (2016). Teaching well-being increases academic performance: Evidence from Bhutan, Mexico and Peru. Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 1572.
Eisenberg, D., Hunt, J., & Speer, N. (2013). Mental health in American colleges and universities: Variation across student subgroups and across campuses. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 201(1), 6067. Doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e31827ab077
Fernandez, A., Howse, E., Rubio-Valera, M. et al. (2016). Setting-based interventions to promote mental health at the university: a systematic review. Int J Public Health 61, 797–807 doi.org/10.1007/s00038-016-0846-4.
Ferrer, M. & Laughlin, D. D. (2017) Increasing College Students' Engagement and Physical Activity with Classroom Brain Breaks. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 88(3), p.53-56.
Keyes, C. L., Eisenberg, D., Perry, G. S., Dube, S. R., Kroenke, K., & Dhingra, S. S. (2012). The relationship of level of positive mental health with current mental disorders in predicting suicidal behavior and academic impairment in college students. Journal of American College Health, 60(2), 126 133.
Kuo M, Barnes, M., and Jordan, C. (2019) Do experiences with nature promote learning? Converging evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship. Frontiers in Psychology, 10:305.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00305
Ruesch, J.M. and Sarvary, M.A. (2024), Structure and flexibility: systemic and explicit assignment extensions foster an inclusive learning environment. Front. Educ. 9:1324506. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1324506
Zandvliet, D.B., Stanton, A. & Dhaliwal, R. (2019) Design and Validation of a Tool to Measure Associations between the Learning Environment and Student Well-Being: The Healthy Environments and Learning Practices Survey (HELPS). Innov High Educ 44, 283–297.
doi: 10.1007/s10755-019-9462-6