This Week for Faculty: Teaching During and After the 2024 U.S. Election
Featured Resources
Teaching During and After the 2024 U.S. Elections: Resources for Faculty and Students
U.S. elections can be stressful for both instructors and students, thereby impacting the learning environment in courses. Regardless of the outcome of the elections, instructors can take steps to ensure that both they and their students are supported during this time. Explore the Teaching During and After the 2024 U.S. Elections resource for tips as you teach through an election season.
Below are additional tips drawn from the related resource Teaching in Times of Stress and Challenge.
- Acknowledge what is going on
Students appreciate instructors that acknowledge what is going on in the world beyond the classroom, that the election may elicit a variety of emotions, and that students may be experiencing challenges remaining focused on their learning. Recognize that students may have a hard time concentrating on learning, completing activities, or remaining motivated to engage in class or study outside of class. - Check-in with students and empower them to seek help
Encourage students to take care of their health and well-being. University Life’s Well-Being at Columbia site compiles resources available to Columbia students. Connect students to Columbia Health and Alice! Health Promotion or Student Health on Haven for CUIMC students (Student Health on Haven offers 1:1 confidential well-being strategy sessions) for individual counseling, peer support through Friend2Friend, and coping tools. Mention these resources in class and include links to them in your CourseWorks site. Consult the Columbia Blue Folder for tips and tools to identify and refer students in distress appropriately. - Help maintain the focus on learning
Students may need space to process the election and find it hard to maintain focus in the classroom. Consider ways you might integrate discussions, contemplative practices or metacognitive pauses to recenter students on the course and their learning. Plan ahead for how you will navigate heated, offensive, and tense (HOT) moments if they arise in your classroom. Revisit community agreements that apply to class discussions whether they take place in class or online.
Upcoming sessions
Clinical Teaching Series: Applying Inclusive Teaching Principles
October 28, 3:00-4:00pm
This session will also be offered on December 12.
Related resource: Applying Inclusive Teaching Principles to Clinical Education
Ways to Be More Inclusive in Your Course
November 6, 12:00-1:00pm
This session will also be offered on November 26
Related resource: Guide for Inclusive Teaching at Columbia
Navigating HOT Moments: Before, During, & After Class
November 18, 12:00pm-1:00pm
This session will also be offered December 4
Related resource: Navigating Heated, Offensive, and Tense (HOT) Moments in the Classroom
Faculty Book Discussion Group: Teaching with AI
November 21, 3:00-4:00pm.
Related resource: Teaching and Learning in the Age of AI
The CTL is here to help!
Connect via Zoom or phone
Join us for office hours via Zoom (or phone) Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm to have your teaching with instructional technology questions answered, or schedule an appointment any time by contacting ColumbiaCTL@columbia.edu.
Schedule a consultation
Schedule a consultation to discuss any teaching and learning need by emailing ctlfaculty@columbia.edu or email the CTL Learning Designer assigned to your school or department.