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. Below are four tips to consider as you teach through an election season.

1. Take care of yourself

Recognize that you are best able to support your students when you take care of yourself. Seek out support from department and school colleagues, family and friends, as well as resources available through the Columbia Human Resources’ page on mental health resources which includes links to the Employee Assistance Program, well-being programs from the Office of Work/Life, wellness coaching, and more.

2. Connect with your students

Foster a supportive learning environment. Acknowledge that elections can affect emotional well-being, and that instructors and students alike may be feeling stressed or anxious, making it challenging to focus in the classroom. Check in with students and invite them to communicate and connect with you if they are experiencing challenges to their full engagement in your course. The Columbia Blue Folder provides tips and tools to identify, address, and refer students in distress appropriately. Raise students’ awareness of campus resources that are available to them to find community and support outside of the classroom. Encourage students to take care of their health and well-being. University Life’s Well-Being at Columbia and the Live Well | Learn Well site compile resources available to Columbia students. Connect students to Columbia Health or Student Health on Haven (for CUIMC students), for individual counseling, peer support through Friend2Friend, and coping tools.

3. Foster community in your classroom

Plan to make space for community building and for students to express their thoughts and actively listen to their peers. Incorporate in-class activities in which students interact with their peers; the Constructive Dialogue Institute’s guide on Maintaining Campus Community During the 2024 Election provides suggested activities. Set discussion guidelines or community agreements that emphasize respect for diverse viewpoints, critical thinking, and evidence-based discussions. Anticipate how you will navigate heated, offensive, and tense (HOT) moments if they arise in your classroom. If you prefer to host election-related conversations outside of the classroom, invite students to your office hours where students can engage individually or in groups.

4. Leverage the election as a learning lens

Promote media literacy. Develop students’ critical thinking skills as they connect course content to current events and draw on skills learned in your course. Equip students with the ability to navigate election-related information and misinformation. Teach students to evaluate the reliability and bias of news sources. Preparing for Civic Responsibility in Our Digital Age from the Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College provides a framework for media literacy education. Students interested in civic engagement can learn more about Election 2024 from Columbia News, a collection of news, insights, voting resources, and events related to the election, as well as insights from Columbia experts; and Get Ready to Vote! (And Other Ways to Get Involved This Election Season), a communication from University Life which includes links to CU Engage and other pages with information about upcoming events and ways to get involved.

Related CTL resources

For additional strategies on fostering a sense of belonging in your classroom, explore Inclusive Teaching Resources. Consider incorporating contemplative pedagogical practices into your classroom to help students focus on course content, build in opportunities for students to engage in collaborative learning, and to reflect on what and how they are learning, thus building their metacognition. Explore the related Teaching in Times of Stress and Challenge resource.