The Stanford-based College Transition Collaborative applies social psychology knowledge and methods to contribute to systemic equity in college completion outcomes, particularly for students of color, first-generation college students, and women in male-dominated fields across the US and Canada. UO has partnered with CTC to develop a social belonging intervention for first-year students.
CTC’s “Guiding Principles for Communicating in Times of Uncertainty” are:
- Normalize the experience of finding the current situation difficult and upsetting
- Convey compassion and understanding for students’ concerns and challenges
- Reassure them that these are highly unusual times and college leadership, staff, instructors, and students are learning how to handle it, together
- Validate and address their concerns or questions as well as you are able given the information available to you, and your own capacity
- Acknowledge that the situation is changing quickly, and that solutions are changing as circumstances change
- Connect them to places where they can get updated information as plans continue to unfold
They offers scripts for responding to student concerns. For example:
What they say: I’m scared.
How You Can Begin to Address It: This is an unprecedented and difficult situation. It is completely normal to be scared. Could you share more with me about what’s worrying you?
What they say: What is going to happen with [plans not yet solidified]?
How You Can Begin to Address It: I don’t know the details, but what I can tell you is that [school name] is working on a plan to address this. It would help me to understand how this impacts you. What are you most concerned about related to [plans]?
What they say: The college is making new decisions, and changing policies every day. Why?
How You Can Begin to Address It: Our primary concern is for the safety of our students. We are trying to make the best decisions for everyone, using the information available to us at the time. I know this feels chaotic, but the situation is changing rapidly, here and around the country. I will do my best to share updated information with you as soon as I have it.
What they say: I don’t know what’s going on. Why isn’t [school name] telling us more about what is going on?
How You Can Begin to Address It: I know things are uncertain right now, and that’s very difficult. Here is what I can tell you about [school name]’s planning process for this situation.
And CTC offers “self talk” scripts for faculty and graduate student teachers, including:
What you think: I am feeling overwhelmed. I am afraid I am getting burned out.
How You Can Begin to Address It: This is completely understandable. You are doing important, challenging, and difficult work to support students through this ordeal. There is no easy solution for this situation, for the students or for you. You might consider using these same strategies for yourself: Normalize, for yourself, the experience of finding the current situation difficult and upsetting. Have self-compassion for your own concerns and challenges. Remember that these are highly unusual times and college leadership, staff, and instructors, and students are learning how to handle it, together. Address your own concerns to the extent that is possible. Remind yourself that the situation is changing quickly, and that solutions are changing as circumstances change. Wait for updated information as plans continue to unfold. You can’t solve all of your own problems any more than you can solve students’ problems, but you can give yourself permission to feel how you are feeling and do the best you reasonably can, under your own constraints.
CTC’s full resource is below.
Its entire collection of materials on supporting students through the COVID-19 crisis is available online.
–thanks to Grant Schoonover, OAA Director of Student Engagement Programs for sharing this!
[embeddoc url=”https://blogs.uoregon.edu/keepteaching/files/2020/03/COVID-19-Response_-Communicating-in-Times-of-Uncertainty-.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google” ]
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