Room: TRUSU Lecture Hall

Facilitator: Chelsea Corsi, Wellness Coordinator

The research is clear, student well-being is strongly correlated with academic and personal success. Unfortunately, many students experience overwhelming stress and mental health concerns that can hinder their health as well as their academic performance. How can faculty members be a part of the solution to help create and nurture a campus environment that is conducive to well-being, and therefore, to student success?

In 2015 at the International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges in Kelowna, BC, delegates from around the world came together to create a health and wellness manifesto for post-secondary institutions (PSIs). This document, entitled the Okanagan Charter for Health Promoting Universities and Colleges, states that “health promoting universities and colleges transform the health and sustainability of our current and future societies, strengthen communities and contribute to the well-being of people, places and the planet.”

One of the Charter’s ‘Calls to Action’ for higher education institutions is that they (we) embed health into all aspects of campus culture, across the administration, operations and academic mandates. How can faculty members from across all disciplines respond to this call to action and embed health into the work that they do in the classroom?

Simon Fraser University (SFU) has been working for many years to develop a healthy campus model called “Well-being in Learning Environments”. This model has been shared internationally and is viewed as a promising practice that acknowledges faculty have a critical role to play in supporting student health and success.

The purpose of this session is to provide an opportunity for faculty to reflect, discuss, and analyze key theories about student health and well-being in relationship to student success, as well as develop strategies that will help increase and improve classroom environments at TRU.

During this session participants will:
•    Learn the definitions of health promotion, social determinants of health and community development in order to understand the theoretical frameworks that underpin and impact student health.
•    Review and discuss the Okanagan Charter for Health Promoting Universities and Colleges, in order to understand a framework for health and wellness dialogue and action at TRU.
•    Review and discuss TRU specific student health and wellness data from the 2016 National College Health Assessment, in order learn more about student health beliefs, practices and perceptions.
•    Participate in a group dialogue about the classroom environment so participants gain awareness of key practices that faculty colleagues currently employ to support student wellness and to recognize and acknowledge the gaps that may exist.
•    Review and analyze Simon Fraser University’s healthy campus model entitled “Well-being in Learning Environments” in order to understand classroom practices that have been shown to improve and increase student success.
•    Generate ideas and recommendations about how faculty at TRU can improve and/or build on their current teaching practices in order to support and improve student health, well-being and success.