Abstract

Supporting student wellbeing is one of the ways to foster their learning. There are different units in CUHK (e.g. Office of Student Affairs (OSA) and college offices), the responsibilities of which are to promote student wellness. The staff of these units are well equipped with knowledge, skills and mindset in handling academic and non-academic problems students face. On the other hand, teachers who have more frequent and direct contact with students in or beyond the classroom may not be as well versed in handling students with emotional problems and other wellness issues. At the same time, there is research evidence suggesting that emotional support from teachers positively influences students’ learning and well-being.

In this regard, the project is proposed to promote teachers’ awareness and understanding of issues related to students’ emotional wellness through developing an online resources platform on student wellness issues in the hope that they will be better prepared when encountering such problems and provide students relevant support. The resources platform is meant to supplement the set of operational guidelines for teachers in handling student problems issued by OSA.

The online platform to be developed will house resources on emotional wellness problems young people usually encounter, e.g. anxiety disorder, mood disorder, negative self-image, adjustment to university, interpersonal relationship problems, etc. There will be two major types of resources.
a) eLearning modules: to introduce major wellness issues/ problems presented by CUHK students; and
b) Video-based cases: to demonstrate some handling strategies.

To ensure the content of the resources can meet the needs of teachers, interviews will be conducted to collect teachers' views about the need for such support. Professional advice will be sought from other parties, for example, OSA and academic departments.

When the online platform is launched, promotion work will be arranged. Further support could be considered to meet the needs of teachers, such as organizing workshops to be delivered by professionals.