How Do I Support Students with Compassion and Empathy? : Center for Teaching & Learning : UMass Amherst

Offering our students compassion and empathy supports their wellbeing and learning, especially in times of crisis. For quite a while, there have been clear indications that college aged students are experiencing a mental health crisis. In fact, national data has suggested that 64.4% of college-aged students have anxiety as assessed by clinicians (Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2024). National research also shows that 31% students report that emotional or mental difficulties have hurt their academic performance for 1-2 days in the past 4 weeks (Healthy Minds Network, 2025). We also know that current events--locally or nationally--can significantly impact students' studies. Focusing on learning under challenging 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).

So what, specifically, can we do to better support our students? We can design courses that offer flexibility, provide social connection, and connect students to wellbeing initiatives.

STRATEGIES & EXAMPLES

Guidelines for Compassionate and Empathetic Course Design

Teach to the learning outcomes, not the content.  Identify what course content and features are most essential for learning and organize your assignments and class activities to highlight the essential learning outcomes for your course. If you have, for example, discussion forums, quizzes, iClicker questions, and Perusall readings as part of your course, consider if all of these activities are needed to master the learning outcomes. Consider whether you can reduce your course readings (or offer guiding questions to focus their reading efforts) or offer content in different ways and still meet the learning objectives. Reflect on what activities and what ways of delivering content work well for you and your students, and build your course around them.

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.

Build peer support and collaboration into your course. Students will have an easier time if they feel they are part of a meaningful community. 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.

Communicate Early and Often

Be in touch, then stay in touch. Establish and then actively maintain your communication with your students. Regularly reach out to them. 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.

Repeat what you’ve said, and say it in multiple ways. When people are overwhelmed, their executive functioning skills diminish, and they are less able to remember things. Providing information in multiple ways (i.e., during class sessions, on your course site, in assignments) will help your students. Remind students often of what was learned previously, and be understanding if students forget a course detail.

Provide a sense of safety in your class by encouraging open communication. Communicate with your students frequently, address them by their names and self-selected pronouns, let them know that they can be themselves in your class – even if being themselves means sharing the concerns of their daily lives. Arrive a few moments early so you can informally talk with students in-person or on Zoom, and stay a few minutes late so you can ask them how they are doing in general and with your assignments. Consider doing the same with office hours, whether in-person or online. If you feel comfortable, model openness by sharing how you are experiencing the semester, and how you adjust your work routines.

Connect Students to Campus Wellbeing Efforts

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

Validate your students’ feelings and encourage them to take care of their physical and mental health. Advise students to seek out help if they need professional mental health support. The Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (CCPH) has a webpage devoted to helping students with various resources and supports. Considering mentioning in class or sending out a link to this page through a course announcement.

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.

Finally, please be compassionate to yourself. Take care of your own physical and mental health. The Office of Faculty Development regularly hosts well-being events and provides a list of the resources available to support faculty wellbeing. You might also consider the CTL’s Contemplative Pedagogy Working Group, a regular venue for discussing pedagogies of compassion and empathy. Finally, as a health promoting university, UMass maintains a list of wellbeing resources for all members of the community.