Supporting Computer Science Student Mental Health

Long hours, lacking a sense of belonging, and fear of failure are just some stressors that affect Computer Science students and professionals alike, leading to burnout, anxiety, and depression. In this video, faculty discuss mental health issues that affect CS students, and describe their efforts to create and foster a culture of understanding and support for student mental health within their communities, including their experiences of helping individual students overcome their mental health-related struggles, and best practices for supporting all students’ mental health.

[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.

Subtitles created on the Amara.org platform.