By CHRISTINA FRASHER and SARAH KILDOW

As we continue to navigate the pandemic and concerns locally and globally, universities have sought to prioritize student well-being. At Pitt, student well-being has been at the center of much of the programming offered, including the recent Year of Emotional Well-being campaign.

The University Counseling Center has been at the forefront of this with a variety of programming aimed at cultivating student well-being. Recently the Counseling Center partnered with the University Center for Teaching and Learning to offer resources aimed at boosting student well-being and in particular human flourishing through a series called Happy U.

Why is student flourishing important in the learning environment?

When we consider the overall climate for our students, one of the foundations of successful learning relies on student well-being (Lovett et al., 2023). The Counseling Center’s executive director and licensed psychologist, Ahmed Ghuman, created the Happy U series based on his expertise in positive psychology and human flourishing.

Human flourishing can be defined as functioning in a way that “connotes goodness, generativity, growth, and resilience” (Fredrickson & Losada, 2005). Ghuman’s work on the Happy U series offers students information on how to engage in generative experiences and provides practical activities in which to enrich positive well-being.

In the learning environments we support for students, considering the importance of well-being supports not only students’ success but our own as faculty. Student engagement increases as well as our overall motivation (Graham et al., 2016) and possible joy in teaching when students are present and thriving in college. When students flourish and feel positively about their futures, they are more engaged in their learning journey, which can rekindle the excitement we may experience as well.

In addition, when students feel that they can thrive and flourish in educational environments, they will be inclined to bring their whole authentic selves, including their diverse identities as well. When students from various backgrounds feel included and appreciated, they bring unique perspectives to discussions and foster rich exchanges of ideas and understanding among peers. Employing various ways for students to participate in their own learning successes, such as utilizing the Happy U series or offering student resources available at Pitt, is a pathway to accomplishing this.

What is Happy U?

The Happy U series of Canvas modules offers students a guide to supporting their well-being during their student journey at Pitt. Happy U can be utilized by faculty as an add-on to their Canvas courses. Many of us may experience different challenges as we navigate the academic environment but by developing practices that support our well-being, we can be more able to navigate those challenges and changes.

Foundational to the program is the PERMA model of human flourishing (Seligman et al., 2005) which rests on five core tenets of human flourishing: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.

Seven modules are offered to students connected to these concepts including an introduction, a video overview of each portion of the PERMA model and accompanying activities (such as journal prompts, experiential activities and others).

The modules can be offered as a resource to students throughout the semester or at particularly high-stress periods like midterms or the end of the semester. Promoting well-being is essential to student success during their academic journey and provides a balanced foundation for our future achievements as well.

How can faculty utilize the Happy U series?

Faculty can choose to import the entire Happy U series into their existing Canvas course. The Happy U series encompasses seven modules designed to support students’ well-being and flourishing during their experience at Pitt.

The first module provides an overview of the series and introduces you to the PERMA model of well-being. The second through sixth modules offer each stage of the PERMA model with various activities to build on each stage of the model. The final module provides further resources and introduces students to various activities that they can engage in to support their well-being. Interactive videos and assignments are set to be graded for completion only, so you can integrate the modules as needed in your course and have them be for participation or extra credit.

To get access to the Happy U modules to import into your course, please contact edtech@teaching.pitt.edu. Students who wish to self-enroll in the stand-alone course (not part of any faculty Canvas course) should click the self-enroll link.

As we begin to revise and prepare for our spring courses, consider offering the Happy U series as a bolster for student well-being, as well as the additional resources listed below. The Happy U series can be a rich resource for supporting students this term and beyond.

To schedule a consultation with Teaching Support to consider additional ways to support student well-being please email teaching@pitt.edu.

Christina Frasher is a visiting faculty member in the Health and Human Development department in the School of Education and a teaching consultant at the Teaching Center. Sarah Kildow is an educational consultant at the Teaching Center.