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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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CHRIS MURPHY: Supporting
Computer Science Student Mental

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Health.

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Hi, my name is Chris
Murphy, and I'm

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a senior lecturer in computer
science at Bryn Mawr College.

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The mental health of
undergraduate computer science

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students is becoming
a growing concern.

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And as our community seeks
to make CS education more

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accessible, it's more and
more urgent for instructors

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to address student
mental health issues

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and be inclusive
of students who are

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living with ongoing
mental health conditions.

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As CS instructors,
we of course care

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about our students' education.

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We should also signal that
we care about our students'

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mental health and create
environments in which students

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feel supported.

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One thing I do is
ensure that students

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know about campus
mental health resources

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by listing them in
my course syllabus.

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Which destigmatizes
their use and indicates

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that it's perfectly
OK to ask for help

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when it comes to mental health.

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I also try to be aware of
whether my course policies are

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unnecessarily contributing
to student distress.

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And recommend considering
flexible policies

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for submission
deadlines and late days,

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or using evaluation
approaches that

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allow students to
drop a low score,

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or to revise and resubmit work.

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It's also important to be
thoughtful about the scheduling

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of things like
exams so that they

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don't conflict with religious
holidays and other classes'

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deadlines.

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By signaling that academics
is just a part of life

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and not the other way
around, instructors

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can help students focus on
learning instead of on grades.

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In addition to supporting the
mental health of CS students

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in general, we must not overlook
the needs of the growing number

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of students who are living
with ongoing mental health

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conditions, such as
anxiety and depression.

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Students living with
mental health conditions

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may unexpectedly need extra
time to treat their condition.

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And flexibility in terms
of attendance and deadlines

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can help ensure the students
succeed in the class

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while staying healthy.

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Something I've
recently started doing

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is providing options for things
like in-class presentations

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and group projects.

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So the students are not
forced into social situations

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that are unnecessarily
distressing or even triggering.

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And so they can achieve the
course learning outcomes

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in a manner that
suits them best.

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Last, instructors should
demonstrate empathy

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toward their students
and acknowledge

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that students who are living
with mental health conditions

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face unique challenges.

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We're not advocating for
lowering standards or reducing

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rigor, but rather
suggest that instructors

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be willing to make
adjustments as needed

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in order to help their
neurodiverse students succeed.

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In addition to all
this, it's important

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that we as CS instructors look
after our own mental health

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too.

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After all, the best thing we
can do to take care of others

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is take care of ourselves.

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We certainly hope that all
members of the CS community

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will stay healthy
while supporting

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our students' mental health.