This has been a hard article to write because it’s very personal for me. In college, I struggled with mental health challenges which later were diagnosed as PTSD. In my professional life, I have had to deal with the impact of that as well as my own neurology on my ability to attend class and succeed in college. At age 19 I had to leave my first school because of flagging grades due to those undiagnosed issues. In fact, it wasn’t until I happened to seek treatment for something else, nearly a decade later, that these issues came to light. I often wonder how things would have been different if, in college, I had access to some of the options I’m going to highlight here.
It’s been a tough two years, we all know it took a toll on everyone, and we know that there has been a record amount of mental health needs in young adults in particular. Even before the pandemic, we knew there was a crisis in mental health in higher ed. Our students were already pushed beyond their breaking point by so many factors, ranging from the workload which has increased exponentially even since I was in college, to the prospect of their future prospects and any number of factors unique to each individual. Adding to that are the disruptions caused over the last three years by the pandemic and we’re at the point of a mental health crisis in higher ed.
Compounding these issues is the ongoing stigma attached to mental health and mental illness. As a result of this stigma, not only is it often taboo to discuss issues of mental health but there is less of a willingness to treat it as something which deserves as much concern as visible disabilities.
We all have mental health needs
So how, then, do we factor in individuals who have mental health needs? It’s not as simple as adding a ramp or an assistive listening system. There needs to be a holistic approach to aiding our students, and we need to approach helping our students as if they all have mental health needs. Many of the AV solutions I’ve discussed need to be implemented to help students who are in mental health crises. Looking back, if we had lecture capture when I was in school (let alone hybrid learning) perhaps my own outcomes would have been different the first time through. So while AV tools will be an important part of supporting the mental wellness of our students there need to be wraparound services on our campuses.
In terms of technology, the biggest and most important thing we can do is make it as seamless as possible for students to access course content in a manner that supports their learning style.
That means we need to be integrating our work closely with both the edtech or centers for excellence in teaching and learning on our campuses and our disability services offices so that it’s known to practitioners who interact with the students what is available. On top of that, we need to ensure that our equipment is functional and usable by both faculty and learners. If a student is already in crisis, and then their access to the materials is hindered, it may make the crisis worse. Lecture capture allows those students who are unable to attend class due to their mental health needs the ability to remain enrolled and continue to receive the learning they have already demonstrated they are capable of and paid for. Given how many faculty have attendance policies that penalize “excessive” absences or which require a doctor’s note for them, this is critical because
Many individuals with mental health needs aren’t going to get a doctor’s note and if they did it could unnecessarily stigmatize them.
Facilitating Communication
Another way technology can support mental health for our students is by facilitating communication between the instructor and the student. Yes, this isn’t 100% AV, but it is slowly encroaching on our field. As we have rolled Zoom and other video conference tools into the classroom, we’ve also increased the options for faculty/student interaction. For any number of reasons, students may be uncomfortable speaking up in class. Anxiety is a particularly common one. If we began to work with faculty to designate a TA to moderate remote learners, and even those in class who are choosing to participate via Zoom, it could have a significant impact on allowing all students to participate in class.
Consider their Needs
Finally, we need to consider the needs of students with a wide range of needs in the design of our classrooms, that’s a given, but are we considering those with PTSD or other trauma-related needs? Overpowered audio, especially bass, can be triggering for many. Reasons vary, but I can say from my own experience that from the trauma I have gone through yelling and shouting can be triggering if it feels directed at me. If a faculty member is prone to shouting, even while wearing a mic, it can trigger PTSD issues in students who have been abused. In another case, I was working an event early in my career for a veterans group specializing in trauma care. The only way to power the system up in the room required using a “Frankenstein” style blade switch which closed with a bang and flash (I really wish I were joking.) Knowing the group I was working with, I warned their leadership ahead of time so I could boot it up without causing them stress. We should make sure that our rooms don’t have systems like this, not just for safety but also because of the comfort of our end users. There are a number of other pitfalls we have to worry about in terms of not causing difficulty for those who have had trauma in their past.
In closing, let me say that obviously the setback I experienced at 19 didn’t end my higher education career, both as a student and of course as a staff member. I was lucky. There are plenty of students who aren’t and we need to consider them as we develop our plans for the classroom. Just like we have a moral duty to make classes accessible to a student who is blind, or who has long-COVID, we have the same duty to students who have mental health needs.