We found 131 results that contain "mental health"

Katherine and Kelly recognized the need for more counselors to serve MSUs large student body and ran an information campaign on campus alerting students to the state of MSUs mental health services. They posted flyers that gave students an opportunity to give feedback and received many comments regarding how inaccessible counseling services had been for them. 
 
Final Report: https://iteach.msu.edu/posts/preview_attachments?post_id=1489 

Below is a list of resources that promote student success. All links provided are direct links (ONE CLICK) connecting you to contact information or an educator who can respond to your questions and/or help your students who are struggling with stress or grief. Thank you for helping our students achieve their goals.
Counseling and Psychiatric Services [CAPS]
Who to Contact for What Service   
Faculty and Staff Resources including the Green Folder- who to contact and how to help students in distress
Staff Contact Information 
Addressing Student Mental Health Concerns in Online Courses

An Overview of the Syllabus and its Role at MSU
In this resource, we describe the purpose and history of the syllabus and describe the required and recommended elements of syllabi at Michigan State. We end with links to MSU’s many existing syllabus guidelines and resources. While what to include in your syllabus is flexible, we encourage educators to keep students’ needs in mind and think about how your syllabus can contribute to their learning. 
What a syllabus is
A syllabus is a synecdoche for a course of study—a part of the curricular experience that represents the whole. They are often the very first course texts our students encounter and, accordingly, they frame and preface learning in powerful ways. On one hand, they communicate practical and structural details—where and when a course meets, what to read, and how to contact an instructor. But they also express intellectual and discipline-specific expectations. 
As a special genre of educational texts, syllabi have taken various forms and played various roles over many centuries. In the 17th century ‘syllabus’ was synonymous with ‘table’ or ‘index.’ They served as a structural preview for manuscripts or a list of speakers and topics for a lecture series—they were a means of organizing texts, ideas, and experience. Although that core function remains, post-secondary syllabi have expanded significantly in volume and purview over the past forty years. 
What a syllabus needs at MSU
There is no universal definition or template for contemporary syllabi. There are, however, some critical things that effective syllabi share. At Michigan State University, our Code of Teaching Responsibility states  “Instructors [are] responsible for distributing a course syllabus (either in print or electronic form) at the beginning of the semester [that] minimally includes:

instructional objectives;
instructor contact information and office hours;
grading criteria and methods used to determine final course grades;
date of the final examination and tentative dates of required assignments, quizzes, and tests, if applicable; 
attendance policy, if different from the University attendance policy and especially when that attendance policy affects student grades;
required and recommended course materials to be purchased, including textbooks and supplies; and any required proctoring arrangements to which students must adhere.”

If you are creating a new course or new to teaching at MSU, it can be helpful to request sample syllabi from your Departmental Chair, from past versions of the course you're teaching or even adjacent courses. These samples can help you learn more about general and discipline-specific expectations within your department. Syllabus templates are also available from different colleges; for example, CANR has a downloadable template.
Additional considerations
Beyond the fundamental requirements listed above, contemporary syllabi often include additional information or passages. We encourage MSU educators to consider including the following policies, keeping empathy and flexibility in mind: 

notify students about MSU’s religious observance policy
describe available mental health resources 
include equal opportunity/affirmative action and inclusion statements
include statements on civil discourse and the civil discourse policy
consider including your attendance policy
acknowledge the indigenous land(s) on which their teaching will occur
provide an accessibility statement, link to the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities
list institutional resources to support students
describe policies for student athletes
explain the technologies students will be required or asked to use
describe the instructor’s communication preferences or instructions for scheduling office hour appointments
describe COVID-specific health and wellness guidelines or emergency measures
provide information about academic dishonesty
provide study or writing tips and link to the Writing Center
include other course- or college-relevant policies 

Some instructors include these and other statements in a ‘policies’ section, while others prefer to write a shorter syllabus that refers students to other course documents containing these and other course and university resources. 
Flexibility for students
It's best to communicate expectations in the syllabus for students that need to miss class or discuss adjustments to due dates with you for excusable reasons, such as religious observance, bereavement, health, or athletic competition. We strongly recommend that educators consult the university’s academic calendar and a current interfaith calendar when planning your course and make accommodations for students’ religious observance, or when courses directly conflict (e.g. final examination conflicts). Educators should make every effort to avoid scheduling exams and oral presentations during days of religious observance. It's best to remember that if the absence is excusable, and you'd do it for one student, you should apply your method consistently for all students. Your syllabus should include when and how to contact you to make arrangements for excusable absences. Instructors should provide a university expectation/deadline by which students need to inform instructors of an accommodation (i.e., 2 weeks after the start of the semester) in the syllabus, and this expectation be iterated during the first day of class. We encourage you to be flexible and empathic with students, and to act consistently and equitably. 
Innovative models for syllabi
Many educators, especially over the past few decades, have experimented with syllabi and created texts that reach far beyond basic documentation. For instance, some instructors use a fill-in-the-blank syllabus whereby students are asked to expand a set of learning objectives or required texts in order to customize their learning. The ‘annotated syllabus’ model gives students the opportunity to make suggestions for the syllabus at the beginning of the course, making it more of a living document.  Others have reconfigured the syllabus as a course textbook and used it throughout the semester to support learning (instead of just the first week). Other models reimagine the aesthetic potential of the document, approaching it as a graphic novel (Barry, 2017), mixtape, or chapbook (Lockett and Wong, 2018). Although their approaches differ, these educators have questioned the role and conventions of syllabi and found creative ways to expand the educational potential of these ubiquitous texts. 
Additional MSU syllabus resources 

MSU Syllabus Checklist with in-depth descriptions of potential sections of the syllabus.

Syllabus Checklist (2-page version)


Revised MSU Syllabus Checklist for [Fall 2020] online and hybrid courses
Inclusive Pedagogy Syllabus & Template
Civil Discourse Syllabus
Discourse Policy on Syllabus
Attendance Policy on Syllabus
Syllabus Resources from the Office of the University Ombudsperson
Generative AI Syllabus Guide  (with examples and sample language)
Calendar of Religious Observances from MSU's Office of the Provost
Guidelines for Online Camera Policies
Advice for MSU students about using a syllabus

Additional readings

Rocha et al. (2022) The syllabus as curriculum: A reconceptualist approach.  
Hsu (2020). A celebration of the syllabus.
Germano and Nicholls (2020) Syllabus: The remarkable, unremarkable document that changes everything.
Lockett and Wong (2018). Reframing syllabi as aesthetic encounters.
Barry (2017). Syllabus: Notes from an accidental professor.

This will be the briefest section of this guide. It is impossible to know the specific needs of every field, of every institution, of every department, of every class and of every student. The research this project is based on attempted to capture the most valuable uses of a syllabus but never pretended that it had caught them all. Instead of striving for perfection in a single document, it is far more important to accent and encourage flexibility and change. Almost certainly one of the best things you can do to help improve your syllabi, is simply ask the esteemed colleagues you have around you. All of whom also write syllabi and presumably have other approaches from you.
 
Sharing Practices with one another:
Apart from your own practices. What are other members of your department/institution doing in their classes? Where have they found success and does that align with your own teaching philosophy/core values?
 
Sharing common resources:
Ask around. What resources does your institution offer its students and ask your students what they need. For example, some institutions offer: Tutoring Centers, Writing Centers, Tech Desks, library access, wellness centers, career services, guidance counseling, gyms, computer labs, mental health support, emergency financial assistance, etc.   
 
Recurring discussions about success/failure 
Failing is a part of learning. Destigmatizing this essential process is key to achieving success. If we cannot accept our own failures, how can we encourage students to accept theirs and develop? We should reflect with our peers/students/etc. on what has worked, what hasn’t. Be open and meaningfully consider the feedback that is readily available should you ask.
 
Most importantly: Just Ask.  

In the second session of the Basic Needs Series, presenters discuss resources to help with immediate and emergency financial support, including how to direct students to financial support resources, questions students should be asking, and available resources that advisors and faculty should know about. Additional information was shared regarding emergency funding resources and how financial concerns impact student success. This event is open to anyone that works directly with students and is interested in learning more about basic needs and resources that support students that may be experiencing food, housing, financial, and mental health concerns.
Presenters:

Justin St. Charles, Strategic Retention Manager
Keith Williams, Executive Director, Office of Financial Aid
Cherly Whitman, Associate Director, Office of Financial Aid
Chad Sanders, Communications Manager, Office of Financial Aid

Upon completion of this learning experience participants will be able to:

Identify resources that provide immediate and emergency financial support to students in need.
Direct students to the appropriate offices and resources for further financial support and guidance.
Know of proactive strategies to connect students with financial resources.

Learn more about this important topic by viewing the video below. Access the PowerPoint slides here.

Below is a list of resources that promote student success. All links provided are direct links (ONE CLICK) connecting you to contact information or an educator who can respond to your questions and/or help your students who are ill. Thank you for helping our students achieve their goals.
COVID Testing and Reporting
Health Services   

Olin Health Center
Student Health Insurance Please contact Sarah Alklen [SAllen@@bcbsm.com] with questions
Immunizations/Vaccinations Please email olin@msu.edu or click on link and see contact information 

Image attribution:MSU 18Oct2014 Olin Health 2" by Infrogmation is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The "Welcome to My Classroom" series functions like a pedagogy and practice show and tell where educators from throughout MSU's ecosystem share something from their teaching and learning practice. In April, 2024 Jessica Sender, Health Sciences Librarian & Library Liaison to the School of Nursing, and Paul Cooper, Digital Scholarship Lab (DSL) Transformative Technologies Coordinator, shared on MSU's Anatomage Table.
The Anatomage Table (located in the Digital Scholarship Lab on 2West of the Main Library) is the only fully segmented real human 3D anatomy platform. Users can visualize anatomy exactly as they would on a fresh cadaver. The Anatomage Table is the most technologically advanced 3D anatomy visualization and virtual dissection tool for anatomy and physiology education and is being adopted by many of the world’s leading medical schools and institutions. Individual structures are reconstructed in accurate 3D, resulting in an unprecedented level of real accurate anatomy, dissectible in 3D.Jessica and Paul shared a live demonstration of the Anatomage Table's functionality and described MSU examples of ways educators have incorporated this resources pedagogically to improve learning experiences. Check out these resources and the recording from Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation’s (CTLI) Welcome to My Classroom with Jessica Sender session on 04/10/24 below.
 

For more information on the Anotomage Table, check out the LibGuide "Anatomage: Introduction to Anatomage at MSU Libraries" (link opens in new window)
For more information on where the data and images from the Anatomage Table come from, visit the National Library of Medicine's page on The Visible Human Project (link opens in new window)
To schedule a consultation to learn more, brainstorm applications, or talk one-on-one with Jessica or Paul, request a consultation with the Digital Scholarship Lab (link opens in new window)

Tips for College and University Students: Managing Your Distress in the Aftermath of the [Virginia Tech] ShootingsAs a university or college student, you may be struggling to understand how a shooting rampage could take place on a university campus and why such a thing would happen. There may never be satisfactory answers to these questions.
We do know, though, that it is typical for people to experience a variety of emotions following such a traumatic event. These feelings can include shock, sorrow, numbness, fear, anger, disillusionment, grief and others. You may find that you have trouble sleeping, concentrating, eating or remembering even simple tasks. This is common and should pass after a while. Over time, the caring support of family and friends can help to lessen the emotional impact and ultimately make the changes brought about by the tragedy more manageable.
You may feel that the world is a more dangerous place today than you did yesterday. It will take some time to recover your sense of equilibrium.
Meanwhile, you may wonder how to go on living your daily life. You can strengthen your resilience—the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity—in the days and weeks ahead.
Here are some tips:
Talk about it — Ask for support from people who care about you and who will listen to your concerns. Receiving support and care can be comforting and reassuring. Your campus is likely to be offering support services through its counseling center. It often helps to speak with others who have shared your experience so you do not feel so different or alone. If your parents seem particularly distressed, it may be because they are reacting to their own sense of not being able to control the college environment to keep you as safe as they would like.
Strive for balance — When a tragedy occurs, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and have a negative or pessimistic outlook. Balance that viewpoint by reminding yourself of people and events which are meaningful and comforting, even encouraging. Striving for balance empowers you and allows for a healthier perspective on yourself and the world around you.
Turn it off and take a break — You may want to keep informed, but try to limit the amount of news you take in whether it’s from the internet, television, newspapers or magazines. While getting the news informs you, being overexposed to it can actually increase your stress. The images can be very powerful in reawakening your feeling of distress. Also, schedule some breaks to distract yourself from thinking about the incident and focus instead on something you enjoy. Try to do something that will lift your spirits.
Honor your feelings — Remember that it is common to have a range of emotions after a traumatic incident. Go a little easy on yourself and on your friends. You may experience intense stress similar to the effects of a physical injury. For example, you may feel exhausted, sore, or off balance.
Take care of yourself — Engage in healthy behaviors to enhance your ability to cope with excessive stress. Eat well-balanced meals, get plenty of rest, and build physical activity into your day. Avoid alcohol and drugs because they can suppress your feelings rather than help you to manage and lessen your distress. In addition, alcohol and drugs may intensify your emotional or physical pain. Establish or reestablish routines such as eating meals at regular times and following an exercise program. If you are having trouble sleeping, try some relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga.
Help others or do something productive — Find out from your university or community how you can help people who have been affected by this incident, or have other needs. Helping someone else often has the benefit of making you feel better, too. Try volunteering at your school or within your community.
If you have recently lost friends in this or other tragedies — Remember that grief is a long process. Give yourself time to experience your feelings and to recover. For some, this might involve staying at home; for others it may mean getting back to school or work. Dealing with the shock and trauma of such an event will take time. It is typical to expect many ups and downs, including "survivor guilt"—feeling bad that you escaped the tragedy while others did not.
For many people, using the tips and strategies mentioned above may be sufficient to get through the current crisis. At times, however an individual can get stuck or have difficulty managing intense reactions. A licensed mental health professional such as a psychologist can assist you in developing an appropriate strategy for moving forward. It is important to get professional help if you feel like you are unable to function or perform basic activities of daily living. Your university or college counseling center may be a good place to start.
Recovering from such a tragic event may seem difficult to imagine. Persevere and trust in your ability to get through the challenging days ahead. Taking the steps in this guide can help you cope at this very difficult time.
This tip sheet was made possible with help from the following APA members: Dewey Cornell, PhD, Richard A. Heaps, PhD, Jana Martin, PhD, H. Katherine O’Neill, PhD, Karen Settle, PhD, Peter Sheras, PhD, Phyllis Koch-Sheras, PhD, and members of Division 17.
Documents from apahelpcenter.org may be reprinted in their entirety with credit given to the American Psychological Association.