[MUSIC PLAYING]
CHRIS MURPHY: Supporting
Computer Science Student Mental
Health.
Hi, my name is Chris
Murphy, and I'm
a senior lecturer in computer
science at Bryn Mawr College.
The mental health of
undergraduate computer science
students is becoming
a growing concern.
And as our community seeks
to make CS education more
accessible, it's more and
more urgent for instructors
to address student
mental health issues
and be inclusive
of students who are
living with ongoing
mental health conditions.
As CS instructors,
we of course care
about our students' education.
We should also signal that
we care about our students'
mental health and create
environments in which students
feel supported.
One thing I do is
ensure that students
know about campus
mental health resources
by listing them in
my course syllabus.
Which destigmatizes
their use and indicates
that it's perfectly
OK to ask for help
when it comes to mental health.
I also try to be aware of
whether my course policies are
unnecessarily contributing
to student distress.
And recommend considering
flexible policies
for submission
deadlines and late days,
or using evaluation
approaches that
allow students to
drop a low score,
or to revise and resubmit work.
It's also important to be
thoughtful about the scheduling
of things like
exams so that they
don't conflict with religious
holidays and other classes'
deadlines.
By signaling that academics
is just a part of life
and not the other way
around, instructors
can help students focus on
learning instead of on grades.
In addition to supporting the
mental health of CS students
in general, we must not overlook
the needs of the growing number
of students who are living
with ongoing mental health
conditions, such as
anxiety and depression.
Students living with
mental health conditions
may unexpectedly need extra
time to treat their condition.
And flexibility in terms
of attendance and deadlines
can help ensure the students
succeed in the class
while staying healthy.
Something I've
recently started doing
is providing options for things
like in-class presentations
and group projects.
So the students are not
forced into social situations
that are unnecessarily
distressing or even triggering.
And so they can achieve the
course learning outcomes
in a manner that
suits them best.
Last, instructors should
demonstrate empathy
toward their students
and acknowledge
that students who are living
with mental health conditions
face unique challenges.
We're not advocating for
lowering standards or reducing
rigor, but rather
suggest that instructors
be willing to make
adjustments as needed
in order to help their
neurodiverse students succeed.
In addition to all
this, it's important
that we as CS instructors look
after our own mental health
too.
After all, the best thing we
can do to take care of others
is take care of ourselves.
We certainly hope that all
members of the CS community
will stay healthy
while supporting
our students' mental health.