Teaching the Whole Person: Compassionate Teaching in the Age of a Pandemic

Many students are feeling uncertain and stressed during this unpredictable time. In particular, students in the health professions may have experienced heightened anxiety as internships, placements, rotations, and qualifying exams were either rescheduled, put on hold, or cancelled. Although, Dalhousie University recognizes the importance of practical placements and internships to exceptional education, on March 18th, as in other institutions across the country and internationally, the Faculty of Health made the decision that it was neither feasible nor in the best interest of students to continue any of the Faculty's clinical courses and placements.  

The uncertainty of the situation was felt by students across the country. A CTV News article highlighted just how health students at Laurentian University felt about the cancellation of clinical placements. Although the students understood why such decisions were made and didn’t want to expose themselves, their families, and their clients to potential health risks, they were still concerned about the future of their education and its progress (Campbell, 2020).  

So, how can faculty help their students in this stressful time when everything seems to be unpredictable? Below are a few strategies from the literature and nursing faculty at Dalhousie that you may find useful to help students who might be feeling anxious about the unknown! 

Putting compassion and empathy first 

As faculty look for ways to bring practical learning to their online class, it’s worth remembering that being understanding and compassionate about student experiences and anxieties is crucial to their well-being and capacity to learn. Research has shown that many nursing and medical students in undergraduate programs often find clinical environments and placements emotionally challenging (Weurlander et al., 2018).  The same principles applied to help undergraduates navigate internships and placements during typical in-person operations can be used to help students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategies such as creating open communication lines, providing students with opportunities to reflect on and share their experiences, and offering support are critical.  

Dr. Lisa Goldberg, Associate Professor, School of Nursing,  believes we need to share stories with our students and make room in our courses for the stories of our lives. We need to take time to think about how stories can be used to shift narratives of anxiety and concern to narratives of compassion and love.  She says, “the pedagogies we use in our classrooms, more than ever, must speak to the artistry of teaching and learning. In so doing, we as educators will better understand how and why compassion is critical if students are to thrive, particularly during these challenging times.” 

There are debates over whether compassion is teachable within health professions or if it’s an innate quality, but research has shown that compassion and self-care practices can be learned, even in online environments (Hofmeyer et al., 2018). Incorporating learning components into your courses, such as videos about compassion with reflective discussion questions, not only help your students with their own self-care as they take the class, but also promote the development of these critical skills that will translate into their practice after graduation. 

 In fact, in a recent webinar about teaching in the time of COVID-19 the American Association of Colleges of Nursing suggested that faculty use statements such as, "I both appreciate and understand your concern" or "Is there another way to see this situation?" as compassionate and empathetic strategies to engage students in reflecting about the current situation (Howard, 2020). Statements like this encourage students to process their thoughts about a naturally stressful life situation, demonstrate compassionate, and validate student concerns.   

Finally, become familiar with the options and avenues of online student support available at your institution, and provide a list of those supports in your course outlines and Brightspace homepages (Howard, 2020). Instead of assuming students will access them if needed, reinforce their importance throughout the course. Normalizing asking for help and using the online student supports available will help to support those who are in need.  

Providing clear, consistent and transparent communication 

Another important consideration and an effective way to help reduce student concern is to engage in transparent and honest communication. Think about building into your courses opportunities for students to talk to trusted peers and supervisors, even if it’s by creating a discussion forum in Brightspace for students to ask questions. Consider asking your students to identify what is worrying them in a quick anonymous survey in Brightspace- this could ask them to share their concerns about moving to an online learning environment or their future progress in their program. Set aside time in your online class, like holding virtual office hours and scheduling regular times to respond to email, so your students know how and when they can contact you. Emphasize that there’s a consistent time and place to talk with you and reiterate that they can receive academic support to address any concerns. Share with them that you may not know the answers, but you’ll try to connect them with the correct information and appropriate resources. Recognizing that their concerns are being heard, and you’re working to address them, can go a long way to alleviating a student’s stress.  

Creating structure and guidance to help students become self-directed learners 

Clinical placements and internships require students to take ownership of their learning and moving to an online space is no different. You’ll still need to provide opportunities for students to become the captains of their learning in an online course. Tips for helping students to become self-directed learners can be found in the recent FOCUS article by Joudrey and McSweeney-Flaherty. You can also encourage students to think about how they can develop skills and competencies that they would gain in clinical settings in other ways. Many of the professional, personal, and ethical skills health professional students require can be integrated into online courses. Engage them in conversations about how they would apply their knowledge to the current pandemic, because this can facilitate deep learning (University of Waterloo, 2012).  

Valuing personal reflection 

Lastly, provide opportunities for personal reflection, because it helps support the previous three principles. As Weurlander et al. (2018) suggest, reflective activities allow students to learn that “emotions are not only allowed but normal, in the medical practice” (p. 81). In the School of Nursing, Dr. Sheri Price (Associate Professor) uses reflective journaling in her courses as a way to encourage sharing experiential knowledge. She sees this practice as an opportunity for students to critically reflect on and analyze the experiences and knowledge from class. Although she uses this practice as part of her in-person classes, reflective journaling about experiential learning can also be used in on-line classes to promote compassion and understanding. Alternatively, creating an online discussion forum where students can interact with each other and exchange ideas, experiences, and reflections about their current experience with the pandemic is another way to integrate fundamental principles of teaching compassionate healthcare practice (Smith, 2020). 

Tea and Cats  

This is an unusual time for both faculty and students. Change is constant as universities adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. We can draw upon sound evidence-based pedagogical practices in these uncertain times to create learning environments in which students can thrive. And in the end, Dr. Goldberg believes that it’s “only through love, despite the discomfort the language causes in the academy, that we will make our way out of this pandemic and provide the kind of environment for students, colleagues, friends, and family that is necessary to sustain us now and in the future.” She also emphasizes that with tea and fluffy cats, there is always hope (Goldberg, 2020).    

References 

 Campbell, I. (2020, March 17). Post-secondary placements cancelled for Laurentian students studying healthcare. Northern Ontario.

Goldberg, L. (2020). Finding moments of joy in the artistry of life. The Chronicle Herald. April 28, 2020. Available at: https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/local-perspectives/lisa-goldberg-finding-moments-of-joy-in-the-artistry-of-life-443178/

Hofmeyer, A., Toffoli, L., Vernon, R., Taylor, R., Klopper, H. C., Coetzee, S. K., & Fontaine, D. (2018). Teaching compassionate care to nursing students in a digital learning and teaching environment. Collegian, 25(3), 307–312. 

Howard, V. M. (2020). F.A.S.T: Academic Nurse Educators Respond to COVID-19. American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Jourdey, S., & McSweeney-Flaherty, J. (n.d.). Helping Students Become Self-Directed Learners Online. FOCUS. Retrieved April 8, 2020.

Smith, E. E. (2020). 5 ways to keep human connections when moving learning online due to coronavirus. The Conversation.

University of Waterloo. (2012, November 8). Self-Directed Learning: A Four-Step Process. Centre for Teaching Excellence.

Weurlander, M., Lönn, A., Seeberger, A., Broberger, E., Hult, H., & Wernerson, A. (2018). How do medical and nursing students experience emotional challenges during clinical placements? International Journal of Medical Education, 9, 74.