As a faculty member, you play a pivotal role in creating an online course environment where students feel supported—not just academically, but emotionally and mentally. While you might not be a mental health professionals, faculty are often among the first to notice when a student might be struggling. According to Risepoint’s 2024 Voice of the Online Learner report, 20% of students who left their online programs within the first year cited mental health as the primary reason they stepped out.
This toolkit provides practical strategies to help you recognize signs of mental health challenges, foster open dialogue, and provides easy-to-implement resources for your online course.
Supporting Student Mental Health
Step 1: Understand the Signs of Mental Health Struggles
Students may not always vocalize their challenges, but their behavior even in an online course can provide clues. Here are some common signs:
- Changes in their Academic Performance: Missed assignments, sudden drops in performance, or frequent requests for extensions.
- Changes in Communication: Becoming unresponsive in emails, discussion boards, or group work, or exhibiting unusual tones in their writing.
- Personality Shift: Increased negative comments, and expressions of anxiety, frustration, sadness, or hopelessness in communications or coursework.
- Changes in Engagement: Lack of participation in group activities, reduced visibility in office hours or optional synchronous sessions, or avoiding interactions with peers and instructors.
When you notice these signs, it’s important to have strategies and resources ready to support students.
Step 2: Prepare Your Course Environment
Now that you are prepared to recognize signs of mental health struggles, it’s time to prepare your course environment to foster open dialogue, offer appropriate levels of flexibility, and build in policies and strategies that craft a supportive environment.
Fostering an open dialogue may be the most critical component to helping a student overcome an obstacle. Creating a safe space for students to share their challenges can be the catalyst to overcoming their challenges. Here are strategies to encourage open communication:
- Include supportive language in your syllabus: Add a statement such as: “Your well-being is important. If you are feeling overwhelmed or facing challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we can explore options to support you.”
- Use frequent check-ins: In office hours or announcements, ask students how they’re feeling or use anonymous polls to gauge the class’s overall well-being. You can prepare pre-made resources on resilience and motivation if you feel students need extra support.
- Respond with empathy: When students share concerns, thank them for reaching out and validate their feelings. Use phrases like: “Thank you for sharing this with me. You aren’t alone and I am happy to work on this with you.”
- Normalize seeking help: Share your own practices for managing stress (e.g., mindfulness or work-life balance) and encourage students to prioritize their mental health.
While maintaining academic rigor is important, offering flexibility can reduce pressure and be the lifeline your student needs to continue their studies.
- Add Extensions and Accommodation Policies: Outline in your syllabus how students can request an extension or adjust deadlines when needed. Have this in your course if possible too so students who are panicking can easily find the information.
- Provide optional or low-stakes assessments: Integrate ungraded or low-pressure knowledge checks to reduce test anxiety and allow students to build confidence.
- Encourage self-paced progress: For long-term projects, include checkpoints or progress updates to prevent students from feeling overwhelmed and keep them on pace to complete.
Creating a classroom culture that prioritizes mental health can have lasting benefits. Here are some easy to implement strategies for your online course:
- Embed mindfulness or wellness practices: Add a 2-3 minute video on resilience or mindfulness before you introduce the materials.
- Provide time-management tools: Share resources like time-blocking templates or stress-management strategies alongside your coursework.
- Highlight wellness events: Promote campus events related to mental health awareness, such as stress reduction workshops or support groups in your announcements.
- Celebrate small wins: Acknowledge class milestones (e.g., completing a challenging module) to keep morale high.
- Share AI tools for stress management: Recommend tools like journaling apps, productivity aids, or meditation apps.
Step 3: Gather Mental Health Resources & Activities
As a faculty member, you’re not expected to provide counseling—but you can guide students to professional help. Sometimes we just need extra support or for someone to encourage us to get the help we seek. Help students with this difficult step by:
- Outline your institution’s resources: Familiarize yourself with your school’s counseling services, crisis lines, and online resources. Include links in your syllabus and course site.
- Provide external resources: Share information about hotlines like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988) or text services like Crisis Text Line (Text HOME to 741741). Other resources are available below.
- Partner with your student services team: If a student shows severe signs of distress, reach out to the appropriate department at your institution for advice and follow-up.
- Suggest peer support: Some institutions have peer mentoring or wellness programs that students may find relatable and less intimidating.
Students may need support building mental readiness and confidence to face challenges. Here are some resources and activity ideas that can help build this readiness:
- Watch: Resilience: A Mindset for Everyday Life by Joana Baquero. This video explores resilience as a skill and provides actionable advice on preparing for challenges.
- Read: “The Science of Resilience” from the Harvard Business Review. This article explores the neuroscience of resilience and practical strategies to build it, including reframing challenges and practicing self-compassion.
- Consider an Optional Activity: Visualize Your Path. Visualizing success can be a powerful tool. Not only does it help you define what success looks like, it can provide a boost of motivation when you encounter challenges.
- Find a quiet space and take 5 minutes to visualize yourself successfully completing this course. Note how you will feel when the course is completed.
- Answer the following:
- What your current reality is, what strengths do you have?
- What challenges do you foresee in completing the course?
- How can you build a community to support you? Classmates, family friends?
- Outline steps for your path. When will you do your work? How will you overcome obstacles?
These resources can help students develop or strengthen skills to balance competing priorities and reduce stress. T
- Watch: “How to Make Stress Your Friend” by Kelly McGonigal This video discusses how to reframe stress as a positive force and provides strategies to use it as motivation.
- Optional Activity: Priority Mapping Exercise. Sometimes when you have a lot to do, prioritizing can be stressful. Here is a quick activity to help you prioritize your to do list and help streamline your week.
- Draw three concentric circles labeled “Essential,” “Important,” and “Non-Essential.”
- List your current tasks and commitments in each circle.
- Use this map to prioritize your time and identify tasks you can delegate or postpone.
- Bonus: Pair this with a free tool like Trello or Todoist to organize your tasks digitally.
We all encounter setbacks and challenges that feel unsurmountable, but there are helpful strategies to bounce back and move forward. Check out some resources and activity ideas on building student resilience.
- Watch: “The Three Secrets of Resilient People” by Lucy Hone. A powerful talk on how to cultivate resilience by focusing on what you can control, maintaining perspective, and choosing where to direct your energy.
- Optional Activity: Gratitude and Strengths Reflection. As Lucy Hone noted, focusing on the positive can help you reframe your perspective and help you overcome challenges. Make focusing on the good an intentional practice. Write a journal entry with the following prompts:
- Name three things you’re grateful for today.
- Identify three personal strengths that have helped you in past challenges.
- Write one way you can use these strengths to build resilience in the future.
Sometimes overcoming an obstacle is more about changing the way you perceive an obstacle. Reframing failure and setbacks as opportunities for growth can help students succeed. Here are brief resources that discuss how failure fosters resilience and success.
- Watch: “Why Failure is the Best Teacher“
- Read: Forbes’ accompanying article: Why Failing Is An Important Part Of Success
- Optional Activity: Reframing Failure Worksheet Reframing Failure Worksheet. Reflect on a recent failure or obstacle. Answer the following:
- What was the challenge, and how did you respond?
- What did you learn from the experience?
- How will you apply this learning to future challenges?
- Write a positive affirmation to remind yourself that failure is a steppingstone to success.
Staying motivated to complete projects and achieve long-term goals can be challenging. Check out these resources and optional activities for supporting students as they finish what they started.
- Watch: “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth Angela Duckworth explains how perseverance and passion for long-term goals lead to success, even more than talent or intelligence.
- Optional Activity: Goal-Tracking System: Choose a goal you’re currently working on. Break it down into smaller, actionable steps and create a timeline. Use a tracking tool (like a simple checklist or Habitica for gamified tracking). Celebrate each small victory with a reward (e.g., taking a break, listening to your favorite song, or enjoying a treat).
Step 4: Communicate Your Support
Supporting students’ mental health is a critical part of fostering a positive and productive learning environment. The following email templates are designed to help you reach out to students who may be experiencing challenges. Each template offers a different tone and level of intervention, from offering encouragement and self-help resources to addressing more serious concerns with direct guidance to university or crisis resources.
These emails can be personalized to reflect your unique style and the specific circumstances of the student. By using these templates, you can show empathy, connect students with helpful tools, and create an atmosphere of care and support in your classroom.
Subject: Checking In: Resources to Support You
Hi [Student’s Name],
I noticed [mention specific concern, e.g., “you seemed stressed during our last interaction” or “you missed a recent deadline”], and I wanted to check in. I know this course can feel overwhelming, but I believe in your ability to succeed.
If you’re feeling stressed, here are a few resources that might help:
- Headspace: Guided meditations for stress and focus.
- Pomodoro Timer: Helps manage tasks in smaller, manageable chunks.
- NAMI Self-Care Guide: Tips for maintaining mental wellness.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to talk or need additional support. I know you can succeed, and we can create a plan together. You’ve got this!
Best,
[Your Name]
Subject: Concerned About Your Well-Being
Hi [Student’s Name],
I hope this message finds you well. I’ve noticed [specific concern, e.g., “you’ve missed several assignments” or “you mentioned feeling overwhelmed”], and I want to ensure you have the support you need.
Our university offers excellent mental health resources:
- [24/7 Crisis Text Line]: Text “HELLO” to 741741.
- University Services
I encourage you to connect with one of these resources and let me know how you’re doing. Please feel free to reach out to me via phone or email, I would love to hear from you. You’re an important part of our class, and your well-being matters to me.
Take care,
[Your Name]
Subject: Urgent: Your Well-Being is Important
Hi [Student’s Name],
I’m reaching out because I’m deeply concerned about [specific concern, e.g., “your recent absence and comments about struggling”]. You don’t have to navigate this alone—help is available.
Please contact University Counseling Center at [Phone/Email] or consider these immediate resources:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 (24/7).
- Crisis Text Line: Text “HELLO” to 741741.
I strongly encourage you to speak with someone. If you need help connecting to resources, I’m here to assist. Please feel free to reach out to me via phone or email, reply to let me know how you’re doing.
You are not alone. Your well-being is my priority.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
