We found 131 results that contain "mental health"

Conducting evaluations, especially at strategic times, can help optimize attendee experiences — for upcoming, current, and future events. Consider the following approaches:

Pre-Event: Surveying interested parties can help further understand of attendee needs and expectations. After identifying the needs and expectations, you can make changes to your approach for the
In-Event: Collecting feedback during the event can provide you with actionable data and apprise the team of any issues that need
Post-Event: This traditional approach of collecting data after an event is critical to understanding and analyzing how success the event was, including focusing on specific aspects.

Each of these approaches can help develop mental models for your current and future events, driving more rewarding experiences for attendees and stakeholders alike.

An article in Harvard Health Publishing, a digital publication from Harvard Medical School, states “With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power” (2021, para. 2). According to positive psychology research, gratitude is associated with:

greater happiness and increased positive emotions
improved health
reduced stress
better sleep
coping with adversity 
emotional resilience
strong relationship building
harder working employees

Julie Welch, MD, and Kari Lemme, MD 's shared, in Indiana University's School of Medicine blog Emergency Medicine LeadER, "Taking time to acknowledge the goodness in life is important during times of crisis as it allows a person to shift their perspective, calm fear and anxiety, and maintain a positive outlook in an uncertain situation". Combined with Chester Elton's- co-author of Leading with Gratitude- interview with Forbes, where he states, "When there is so much disruption it is easy to focus constantly on the negative...The issue can be that with the focus always on the negative you wear people out. There is a need to continue to focus on a lot of good things going on as well, to give your people hope and encouragement. Nothing does that better than simple acts of gratitude" make a compelling case for practicing gratitude during times of crisis. All this isn't to say, we should buck-up and move on. Toxic positivity is real, and that's not what we want to promote. Robert Emmons, PhD, psychology professor at UC Davis and author of Gratitude Works!- shared with Berkeley's Greater Good Magazine, "In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize. In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal. In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope. In other words, gratitude can help us cope with hard times." Emmons points out that there is a critical difference between feeling grateful and being grateful... that we cannot force ourselves to feel any specific way, but that being grateful as a practice is a choice. "When disaster strikes, gratitude provides a perspective from which we can view life in its entirety and not be overwhelmed by temporary circumstances." The research Emmons conducted for his book, shows the effort that is required to achieve a perspective of gratitude (especially in the face of crisis or tragedy) is worth it. "Trials and suffering can actually refine and deepen gratefulness if we allow them to show us not to take things for granted... Consciously cultivating an attitude of gratitude builds up a sort of psychological immune system that can cushion us when we fall." says Emmons. Two key considerations for working towards a perspective of gratitude during and in the aftermath of difficult times that Emmons highlights are "Remember the bad" and "Reframing disaster".MSU and our global Spartan community, have been faced with shocking and unsettling challenges over the past handful of years. Throughout these moments in our collective history, there have been Spartans who stepped up, showed great care, and contributed to our ecosystem in ways that allowed MSU to continue meeting it's mission "to advance knowledge and transform lives by providing outstanding undergraduate, graduate and professional education; conducting research of the highest caliber; and advancing outreach, engagement and economic activities."  Join us in the simple act of saying thank you to individuals in MSU's wide educator community (anyone who contributes to the teaching and learning, student success, and/or outreach components of MSU's mission) for the impacts they've had durring these difficult times. Sharing gratitude through #iteachmsu's Thank an Educator initiative only takes a few minutes, but can make a huge impact.  Research also shows that a recipient of gratitude and thankfulness will be more generous and helpful to others. By sharing gratitude with your colleagues and peers, you create a ripple of acknowledgement and appreciation that permeates Michigan State University.Cover image adaped from a photo from Jessica Lewis on Unsplash.

The main part of the event is its interactive elements. Each of these elements serve as a part of an event’s structure, along with the associated content and functionality. The following list provides elements to consider for your event:

Registration: Every formal event requires a registration Making sure to deliberate through each part of the process and accounting for every requirement and attendee need will help streamline the effort and make it enjoyable and clear. You can also consider using EventBrite. Speak with Purchasing for more details.
Agenda: Presenting a clear agenda will help set expectations for It will also help them to ascribe value to the experiences being offered and plan for what best suits their mental models.
E-Commerce Management: If transactions are a part of your event, you’ll want to make sure and provide trustworthy and easy-to-use

e-commerce solutions. You’ll need to account for payments, refunds, associated policies, and confirmations for each type of transaction.

Keynote Speakers: Identify and secure dates and times with prospective speakers as early as Make sure to highlight these people in your promotional efforts.
Live Sessions: This frequent aspect of virtual events requires planning from a scheduling and a technological perspective. Make sure everything is aligned properly.
Recordings: Inclusion of on-demand, recorded content adds value to any virtual/hybrid event.
Archives: It’s not a must-have, but providing access to content after the event ends can help foster goodwill for the brand experience associated with the event, driving engagement and perceived value for future

To help drive value, as the structure is devised, it is recommended that the aforementioned WIIFM factors remain a focal throughout the process.

Whether one is a student, faculty, staff or administrator, the Office of the University Ombudsperson offers a confidential place to discuss academic concerns, administrative issues, workplace issues, or any concern that may relate to MSU students. It also interprets and explains university policies and procedures. Here, one can speak freely because the Office of the University Ombudsperson offers an environment where one can talk with a confidential, independent, impartial and informal resource about a complaint, conflict or concern.
Members of the MSU community may contact the University Ombudsperson here:

E-mail (ombud@msu.edu)
Telephone (517-353-8830)
Problem/Concern Form found here.

Please visit: https://ombud.msu.edu/ for more information.
 

Once you have a clear purpose and vision and have a proper understanding of your attendees and participants, along with their mental models, it’s time to determine which type of event will best serve your initiative. This is a major part of the event planning process.
The three options include the following:

In-person: This type of event is attended in-person and that takes place in a physical A pure in-person event offers zero digital resources, content, or experiences. For this type of event, a person must be physically present in order to partake and/or participate.
Virtual: Per HootSuite, “A virtual event is any organized meet-up that takes place online rather than in a physical location.” This option, whose growth was spurred by needs during the pandemic, is said to be here to stay — to the extent that participation and adoption is expected to increase 10-fold by 2030 (Source: PRNewswire).
Hybrid: According to com, hybrid events “combine both in- person and virtual experiences.” In other words, a hybrid event includes sessions people will attend physically, while having the option to partake of virtual events and content as they choose. For some, the ability to pick and choose from a plethora of content and experiences is the best of both worlds.

The following factors can help you decide which type of event to hold:

Physical locations of attendees/participants
Need for and ability to provide remote access
Attendance constraints
Presenting live recorded/on-demand vs. both types of content

Please note that in-person events require securing a venue to hold or conduct said event, while shifting to a virtual or hybrid format will require having access to and securing one or more platforms via which to house the event.

The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Arts and Letters. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Deric McNish: Deric is an outstanding educator, for sure. But he is also an exceptional colleague and I just want people to recognize his compassionate and thoughtful approach to holistic learning and his coordination and organization of the largest population in our department-- the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. He is a wonderful leader in that program. He also inspires me to be more thoughtful with decisions I make through his guidance and examples. He is a colleague and peer that inspires me and others.

Danielle Devoss: Danielle is an inspirational leader and guide. I have worked with her on numerous projects-- or more likely watched her work. She is tireless and completely focused and committed. I am constantly inspired by her dedication and selfless willingness to help and guide.

Krsna Santos: Herr Santos has been one of the most considerate Professors I've had in my Freshman year so far. Starting off school online with this pandemic and all has not been easy but I've never had to stress out with Herr Santos and his class, as he is very understanding of the circumstances and is willing to make compromises to help me succeed.

Hannah Allen: Professor Allen has been extremely helpful in my first year as a freshman here at MSU. Her method for preparing for and going over essays is less stressful and she is always willing to offer additional assistance if needed. She is very kind and considerate as well, especially when connection issues arise.

Adam Gacs: I dropped out of GRM 202 the first time I tried to take it. I felt overwhelmed and I was drowning. After I left nearly the entire first test blank, I dropped the class. It took two years before I tried again, this time with Adam Gacs. Under his gentle guidance, I’ve been able to maintain a 4.0 and grow in my confidence. I no longer worry about not having all the words or stumbling over grammar. I think confidence was the one place my German knowledge was really failing, and I feel like I’ve gotten to be much more capable.
He’s also done an incredibly good job at teaching a language online. We seem to all be pretty in tune with each other in class and he lets us have fun and make jokes (as long as they’re in German!) and we have a genuinely good time. The assignments are easy to find and follow, and I never feel overwhelmed with work in his class like I have in language classes previously.
Massive thanks to Adam Gacs.

Nicola Imbrascio: She has been one of the most impactful professors I have had in my time at MSU, and my field isn't even related to what I learned in her classes. She cares so much about her students in both their academic and personal lives. I learned so much in both of the classes I took with her because she is so engaging and you can tell that she is really passionate about what she teaches.

Dr. Sheila  Contreras: I would like to thank Dr. Contreras for taking the time to mentor me and other individuals like me. She has always demonstrated care and an interest to see us succeed. She is an extraordinary Latina on our campus and deserves to be recognized for her effort in supporting our community. She has gone above and beyond to see us get into graduate school. She continues to motivate other Latinx individuals to continue their education. I appreciate her effort.

Morgan Shipley: Morgan Shipley is one of the most genuine professors I have ever had. Every class he shows how much he cares for his students and lets us know he is there for us.

Kenlea Pebbles: My freshman year I had professor Pebbles and I enjoyed her class so much. She brought so much positive energy to each class and I still appreciate it today. I remember being a freshman in my fall semester and professor Pebbles made everyone feel so welcomed, it did not feel like I was a first year student that was new to everything. I still use all of the writing skills that Kenlea taught me in my junior year now. Thank you!!

Ann Larabee: I really enjoyed the chance to team-teach the grad seminar on popular culture studies. I also learned a lot from your choice of materials and general expertise in the field. It was especially cool to bring in materials and ideas from JPC. The Zoom sessions with various experts around the country were an added bonus. We created a good dynamic environment for the students.

Mohammad Khalil: A wonderful colleague, Mohammad has enthusiastically come to speak to my Music in Religion course for the last several years. Despite his very busy schedule, he makes time to speak about Muslim popular music, something I knew nothing about before he first visited. Each time he comes with fresh examples and I learn something new. Students invariably remember these visits as one of their favorite lessons from the course.

Kate Sonka: I would like to thank Kate Sonka for her continual student-perspective taking and advocacy. Her efforts have improved the numerous roles she fills across campus, representing our diversity of students and their perspectives in the policy and procedures that are developed. This recently played out more directly in Kate's own class, when one of her students presented at the national Accessible Learning Conference. When the student was asked about where she had experienced any good examples of inclusive teaching, she mentioned her experience in Kate's course. Kate supports those around her, connects relevant communities, and promotes the widest possible range of voices. With Kate Sonka at our institution, our courses, committees, and communities are richer, getting us closer to the ideal of a public land-grant institution of higher learning.

Peter Hoffman: Professor Hoffman goes out of his way to make each and every student feel connected and appreciated. I e-mailed him once apologizing for my recent late assignments due to the stress of online classes. I was struggling and felt overwhelmed, but his kind reply gave me hope that things would get better. He even told me to e-mail him any time I needed words of encouragement. He does an amazing job making online classes positive and stress free while teaching his students the importance of poetry. Aside from poetry, Professor Hoffman gives valuable life lessons and makes each student a better person because of it.

Hui-Ling Malone: In her first year at MSU, Dr. Malone has impacted all of her students so much. She re-kindled my love of teaching, and gave us all confidence in our writing skills as a class.

Amy Lampe: Amy is hands-down the best advisor on campus. She genuinely cares about her students and coworkers, and has cheerleaded me from day one. She's always there for anyone who needs an advisor, friend, or mom figure in their life.

Kate Birdsall

Dr. Birdsall believed in me when it felt like no one else did. She encouraged my best work and gave me hope for my future in academia. 


Learning from KB has truly been the highlight of my experience at MSU. This institution sucks (sorry not sorry), but Kate Birdsall ROCKS. I had the true pleasure of having her for advanced fiction writing as a fluke when the other semester was out. That was three semesters ago and I have taken class with her each semester since. In person and on zoom, Kate cultivates a powerful environment of camaraderie and caring that makes all the difference, especially during the pandemic. She asks her students how they are and cares about the answer. She pushes her students, particularly those writing for The Current in WRA 480, to produce the best work they can and, when she's your teacher, you want nothing more than to make her proud by doing just that. And you do. I am an incomparably better writer, editor, and communicator because I've worked with KB. 


KB has given me the best academic experience during my time at MSU by far. She has a way with words and working to direct a team that I have yet to see replicated at this institution. Whether it be her gracious understanding of the tricky circumstances of life or her ability to relate to the class and what concerns them the most, she's all-around fantastic. She has made a considerable and positive impact on how I will view MSU in the future as I prepare for graduation this summer. My biggest regret is not having her as a professor sooner.


Kathryn Houghton: Kathryn has been an amazing professor. During this semester, she fostered a classroom environment via Zoom that encouraged not only participation, but the challenge of arguing a dissenting opinion. I was uninterested in the subject matter before this class, but quickly became enamored by it after beginning. She utilized appropriate virtual resources to aid in better understanding her well-polished slides for class. Also, the dogs this semester were a cute and uplifting addition.

Kate Fedewa: 

Professor Kate Fedewa is personable instructor who always makes sure her students are doing their best and is very understanding when extra time is needed on an assignment. She begins ever class asking how her students are and any news in their lives. I want to thank her for making my senior year not as stressful and always being there to help and talk.


Kate's Rhetoric of Grammar class has been my favorite of this very difficult semester. I was (most) always excited to hop out of bed once a week for this 8:30 class because Kate never failed to make it more than worth my while with engaging discussion and insightful lessons. She also manages to create a fruitful discussion environment on Zoom, for which she has absolutely earned some kind of medal. Each week she came up with practical exercises to do in breakout rooms which helped to demystify complex grammatical concepts. Our big paper assignment for the year also allowed me to spend two months working with lyrics from my favorite artist which has done wonders for moral. She is empathetic, brilliant, and always ready to help. Multiple times in the semester she scheduled extra review sessions just to ensure those who wanted more time to learn would have it. She is, quite frankly, the bee's knees. 


Casey Miles: Casey has been my advisor for years (a job at which she is freaking stellar), but this semester I had her as an instructor. I have learned a lot from Casey this year and not just about the job market but about how best to be to others. Casey teaches so much about empathy through leading by example. Her motto for our class was "come as you are, as you were, as you want to be." She says this and she *means* it. Casey approaches teaching with such a fabulous sense of humor and a tremendous amount of heart. Her kindness and assurance over the course of the semester has prevented more than one anxiety spirals on my end. She is positively kick-ass at what she does and everyone should be so lucky to experience a class with Casey Miles.

Maileen Bugnaski: Maileen worked with the 4-H and MSU Broad Art Lab collaborative project called Visualizing a Year Like No Other, a Michigan Teen Photo Project. Maileen met weekly with young people ranging from ages 13-18 to take photos on prompts intended to help them make sense of the crazy world around them. Maileen expertly created each week's prompt video, providing inspiration for the youth, and facilitated a weekly small group session for the youth to talk about their photos. Maileen's creativity and ability to create a sense of community among the youth made the program incredibly impactful for the participants. One of the participants said, "My biggest takeaway from the program was probably the feeling of how amazing it was to have my own community of people who shared similar interests as me and that I felt supported me. I also learned a lot about how fun photography is and how it can have a huge impact and very deep meanings." Maileen's contributions helped to make this possible.

Dustin De Felice: Dustin spends so much conscientious and dedicated time mentoring graduate students, even those who are not officially his advisees. He is one of those mentors and colleagues who genuinely wants students to succeed not only in relation to course topics but also with respect to professionalization and academic acclimation. His door is, quite literally, always open (pre-COVID, anyway). Dustin, thank you for making students (especially non-traditional ones) feel welcome and supported.
Megan Walsh: Megan Walsh stands out as a MSU Graduate Teaching Assistant. Megan applies pedagogical approaches that promote student agency. Megan keeps students’ attention by changing their focal points. She’s like a highly organized traffic cop. She physically and mentally divides her lessons into clear, logical sequences. Each purposeful transition results in refreshed student mental states. Students could not help but be fully engaged in her fast-paced environment. It was like watching a seasoned sports coach getting team members to run different, complicated plays really well. I was very fortunate to have had Meagan as a student. She is a rising teacher-star!
Bethany Meadows: In this past year, Bethany has done phenomenal work in and beyond the writing center. She has served as an excellent mentor to new consultants, practiced trauma-informed approaches to her work, and demonstrated an enduring commitment to dismantling sexual violence. It has been a pleasure to learn from Bethany this year, especially her commitment to community engagement.
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize

Andragogy is a useful framework for talking about adult learning. While no theory is perfect, andragogy, as presented by researcher Malcolm Knowles, provides educators of adults with much food for thought regarding how adults learn, and, in turn, how we can facilitate their learning. 
Most theories, including this one, are basing assumptions on an ideal learner. In the case of andragogy, much of the theory assumes that adult learners are self-directed and motivated, and this is not always the case. Here's a short elearning module on Andragogy, and a chart of assumptions and their applications, below. 
Andragogy:  The Art and Science of Helping Adults Learn




Assumption


Explanation


Application




Need to know
“Do I need to know this?”
 


Meaningful learning happens when teachers know the learners enough to be able to show them why they should care.  


Help adults understand why they need to know something. Use diagnostic self-assessments to reveal the gaps in their knowledge and share these results with them (individually).
Think of the learners and learn about them beforehand. Who are they? What are their needs? What is their context? Start with where THEY are on the topic, not where you are. Focus on what they NEED and not just on all you know.




Self-concept (self-directed)
“Is this my choice to learn? Am I in control of learning it?”
 


Adults need to feel self-directed and be seen by others as such. They want to take responsibility for their own learning and feel like it is a choice. Adults are rich in life experiences and they are partners in the learning process. This can create a problem: If an adult walks into a situation labeled as “training” or “education,” and is treated like a student, they may take up the attitude of a kid in school: passive, with a “teach me” attitude.


Do not let participants slip into the “teach me” attitude of a passive child in school.  Make it clear that the burden of learning is on them. Let them have choices. Use self-study or group collaboration projects that involve minimal instructor intervention. Ask participants to help set learning objectives. Think of yourself as a facilitator, and set up the instructional space as such.




Readiness & relevancy
“Do I need and want to learn this?”
 


Adults typically become ready to learn when they experience a need to cope with a life situation or perform a task.
Make learning timely. Adults are concerned with what they need to know RIGHT now. People want to learn something when they are ready to and need to learn it.


Teach them what they need at the right time.
Having online self-access materials aligns well with this principle, since the learner can then learn what they need at the time they need to.
Use realistic scenarios, stories, and problems to introduce concepts.




Experience as foundation
“What do I already know about this? How does it relate to my experiences?”
 


The older we get, the more life experiences we have. These experiences shape us as people and shape how we learn. Adults have more life experience than children do, and are more apt to define themselves through these experiences.
Life experiences form the lens through which new information, or learning, must pass. When the two are in harmony, it helps learners understand and integrate the new information into their mental representation of the world.
When new information does not fit in with their life experiences, this can block learning.
 


Often learners themselves are your best resource for teaching. Use techniques that tap this resource:

Group discussions
Peer teaching
Simulations and role plays
Problem solving, scenarios  and case studies
Laboratory and hands-on learning

When new material does not fit into their life experiences, you have to help adults think critically and challenge their assumptions.




Orientation to learning
“What problem does this solve in my life?”
 


Adults have an orientation to learning that is based on their immediate needs – on completing a task or solving a problem.  This is very different compared to how kids learn by subject in traditional schools. Adults want answers to the question: “What problem does this solve in my life?”


Use problem solving, scenarios, and case studies. Start with the problem, not the solution or the information. Let them work together at solving the problem, and learn from the process.
Make use of this orientation to learning by introducing a topic by presenting the problem first.  The process of solving the problem can be intertwined with the discovery of new ideas and concepts.
 




Motivation to learn
“Why do I care? What is driving me to learn?”


In adults, internal incentives become an important form of motivation for people as they mature. These internal incentives include notions such as self-esteem, quality of life, and personal achievement. 


Find out what motivation they have, or what problem they want to solve. Focus on that.




Do you also work with youth? Think about how the concepts in this module also apply to working with youth. Most of them do to some extent or another, especially when the youth are choosing to engage with the subject they are learning about.Some of these tenants of andragogy may or may not fit well with your teaching context. If you have a rigid curriculum, then you may not having the luxury of co-creating learning objectives with your audience, for example. But perhaps you can honor their input on which objectives to spend more time on, or on how they want to acheive those objectives. 
Reference:
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2010). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Amsterdam: Elsevier. 
 

Science Careers provides resources and strategies related to stress specifically targeted at women in academia.