A Dialogue Series Connecting B.C. Post-Secondary Schools
Like many post-secondary institutions, Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) have taken steps to transform learning environments so they are conducive to well-being in response to the Okanagan Charter’s (2015) call “to embed health into all aspects of campus culture, across the administration, operations and academic mandates.”
At UBC, interdisciplinary teams of faculty and staff have been engaging in projects and practices to embed well-being in learning environments at UBC. This includes a three-year research project that explored teaching practices that support well-being and culminated in the creation of a professional development resource available to faculty. This research provided the foundation for an additional project that is exploring academic resilience in diverse learning environments and provides opportunities for dialogue on teaching and well-being.
For the past eight years, SFU has led its own initiative regarding Well-being in Learning Environments at SFU, involving faculty, instructional staff, and graduate students. Through this collaborative network, suggestions and strategies are shared about how its members have created conditions that have enhanced the well-being of students and helped create a positive student experience.
UBC Health Promotion and Education and SFU Health Promotion planned to host an inter-institutional symposium in May 2020 as an opportunity for faculty, educators, and staff from both institutions to connect on the topic of how well-being relates to teaching practices and learning environments. As with many events slated for this year, the planning team reconsidered how it might provide this opportunity and partnered with BCcampus to hold a virtual event series that is open to post-secondary educators from across the province.
UBC Health Promotion and Education, SFU Health Promotion, and BCcampus are proud to host Thriving Beyond Campuses: Well-being in Learning Environments, a dialogue series connecting B.C. post-secondary schools. The partnership aligns with BCcampus’ efforts to engage faculty and educators to support student mental health and well-being during COVID-19 as part of the COVID-19 Mental Health project.
Thriving Beyond Campuses: Well-Being in Learning Environments is a dialogue series connecting B.C. post-secondary schools that begins November 10, 2020. The first session features keynote speaker Cia Verschelden.
Faculty members, health promotion staff, and instructional support staff from post-secondary institutions in British Columbia are invited to attend these sessions for free. Register now!
