Tertiary teaching and mental health - Ako Aoteoroa Academy Talking Teaching webinar with Professor Marc Wilson

Attended the inaugural Ako Aotearoa Academy Taking Teaching webinar presented by the Acadmy president, Marc Wilson. The topic was  'making sure you've got your mask on before helping others': post-secondary teaching and mental health in the context of a pandemic.

About 30 participants from across the NZ tertiary education sector. Recording of the session uploaded to the Talking Teaching website in due course.

Mark covered mental health and well-being as it is a topic he has done work on. Began with rationale for the talk - with an increase in studies being undertaken on the effect of Covid-19 and associated changes to the way learning had to be shifted. Mental health of students, given faculty are not counsellors, has risen. There is a call to make online learning 'less brutal' and to provide sufficient support for students to cope with the change. 

Had participants do a quick check using the University Stress Scale (Stallman, 2008) on 'how much have the following caused you stess in the past?' 60% of students score indicates university study as being stressful. Academics teaching in university perhaps no different (UK stats in 2019 report 40% of academics there are stressed by expectations and workload, supported by Times Education 2017 survey).

Important to ensure well-being not only for students but also for tertiary educators - see TWANZ for background and Okanagan charter. 

Discussion centred around coping with continual, unremitting change and the stresses associated with challenges not only at work but, home, the ongoing pandemic, economic fall-out post 'lock-down' etc. plus the unknowns of the near future.

The progressed to strategies for teaching and learning that worked or were difficult. There was impetus to share resources and to continue the conversation.