How Do I Ease Student Anxieties through Intentional Course Design and Instruction?

Stand in front of your class and look at your students. Would it surprise you to hear that nearly a third of the learners you see may have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, as national data suggests (Stearns, 2022)? Or that 60% of your students have grappled with anxiety in the past year? Or that 25% have felt anxious in the past two weeks? (Eaton, et al, 2023). Focusing on learning under such conditions is difficult, to say the least. Stress has the potential to reduce students’ ability to pay attention, memorize new concepts, feel motivated, manage their time, and make decisions – all of which are part of learning (Imad, 2020). The burdens are real, and they could be more prevalent in our classrooms than we realize. UMass Amherst has signed onto the Okanagan Charter, which calls for colleges and universities to weave wellbeing into all aspects of campus life, including the classroom. Luckily, instructors can make course design decisions that ease student anxiety, increase wellbeing, and make learning more possible. 

 

STRATEGIES & EXAMPLES 

Careful Course Design 

• Create clear, consistent assignments and expectations. Anxiety creates an extra burden on one’s cognitive load (Imad, 2020). Anticipate these burdens by making assignments and expectations as clear and as consistent as possible (Eaton, et al, 2023). Use the minimum number of assignment types possible when designing your course and be as clear as possible about expectations. Many instructors find the Transparency in Teaching and Learning (TiLT) recommendations helpful for framing assignments clearly.  

• Focus on mastery and incremental steps toward learning. Instructors often take for granted their advanced knowledge. To support students without our advanced knowledge, think about the steps needed for a novice to acquire foundational understandings, practice new skills, and manage their learning process. Also, support mastery in your classroom by talking more about learning than about grades – which will help students develop a “mastery mindset” (Eaton, et al, 2023). For more information on how to create a deliberately-paced learning process, see the CTL’s “How do I...?” page on “How do I chunk content to increase learning?” 

• Be flexible … but not too flexible. Consider allowing students to turn in assignments past the original due date for partial credit or create flexible deadlines for some assignments. Keep in mind, too, that many students benefit from structure, and being too flexible can make it harder for them to prioritize tasks. Some faculty have found it helpful to offer students “grace tickets” or opportunities to turn in a limited number of assignments late with no questions asked. A useful way to provide flexibility in large enrollment classes is by adjusting your grading scheme so students only need to complete, for example, 10 out of 12 quizzes, or 10 out of 15 discussion posts, for full credit. You can also offer students flexibility in how they demonstrate learning. For example, you can give students the option to post a video, audio, or written response to a discussion post (e.g. via VoiceThread).  

• Offer a few low-stakes assessments instead of just one high-stakes one. Break that final paper or project into carefully scaffolded sub-assignments: a thesis statement, a research log, an annotated bibliography, and a shorter paper. Or divide your midterm and final exam into 6 smaller exams that focus on distinct portions of your course content. ”Chunking” assignments and assessments helps students more effectively organize their learning and supports academic integrity by de-emphasizing the high stakes associated with one final project or a single cumulative final.  

• Consider how deadlines impact wellbeing and mental health. Early morning deadlines may encourage late-night work that reduces sleep, and late-night deadlines may encourage students to skip important wellbeing practices such as eating and self-care. Some institutions recommend end-of-workday deadlines for assignments (Harvard). 

• Build peer support and collaboration into your course. Students will have an easier time if they feel they are part of a meaningful community with deep interactions (Lane, et al, 2018). Give pairs or small groups of students time to work together, structure assignments so students need to work together, and encourage them to check in with each other. Encourage the development of trust and mutual support through community-building activities. 

• Use diagnostic assessment. Regular usage of formative assessments like low-stakes quizzes, clicker questions, and classroom exit ticket activities such as the 3-2-1 activity can help you and your students identify learning gaps while there’s still time to offer meaningful help (University of Waterloo). 

Careful Instruction 

• Reach out to struggling students early and provide opportunities for connection. As early as two to three weeks into the semester, consider reaching out to students who are missing class or assignments (Eaton, et al, 2023). If it works for your schedule, arrive to class a few minutes early or stay for a few moments after class to talk with students. Provide course announcements, chat opportunities, and individualized emails with supportive reminders or messages of reassurance, especially early in the semester if they fail to turn in an assignment. You can review student participation in your LMS to help you identify which students do not seem actively engaged.  

• Normalize the struggle. If you’re comfortable doing so, communicate examples of how you dealt with challenging circumstances as a learner, how you sought help, and what strategies you used to manage your learning. Advise students to seek out help if they need professional mental health support. 
• Address test anxiety. If you have students who experience anxiety during tests, you can share the UMass Amherst Student Success resource on test anxiety, which provides numerous tips for students to help them feel more comfortable during exams.
• Become familiar with campus resources for student wellbeing. Updated regularly, the Maroon folder is a resource guide for recognizing and assisting students in distress and making appropriate referrals. The UMatter team has developed this guide to help you recognize, respond to, refer, and report concerns about your students. Student Affairs and Campus Life (SACL) also maintains a regularly updated webpage listing a full range of student support services 

• Let students know how to find the support available to them. The campus offers various opportunities for students to participate in their own care, including: therapy, mindfulness opportunities, positivity and relaxation training, peer health workshops, and more. For more details, see the campus Wellbeing and Safety webpage. Veteran Services also maintains a list of campus resources for veterans, including a list of Veteran Guidelines and Best Practices in the Classroom. The International Programs Office also lists resources that can improve the wellbeing of international students.