Institute for Pedagogical Wellness (IPW)
The Institute for Pedagogical Wellness (IPW) is a collaborative program intended to equip instructional team members with the knowledge and skills to support pedagogical wellness in their courses. We are recruiting faculty and graduate student pairs to join a supportive community to share strategies and grow professionally. After attending the Institute, participants will submit revamped course component(s) and co-create a learning community* (at least 3 sessions) for their department or school in the Winter and/or Spring quarter. Through IPW, we aim to create more healthy and welcoming instructional spaces for our students while supporting the mental health of our faculty and instructional teams.
Both faculty members and graduate students will earn a Certificate of Pedagogical Wellness and a plaque upon successful completion of the program. They will be designated as Pedagogical Wellness Leaders for their department or school. Graduate student participants will also receive a one-time award of $500 for their participation.
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Schedule
The Institute will take place during Fall Quarter 2025 from Week 3 to Week 8 (Thursdays, 1-3pm). The program will meet for six sessions in total. Sessions will be held in-person with online accommodation available if necessary. Participants may miss up to two sessions.
Departmental/school learning community formation and implementation will take place between 2026 Winter and Spring Quarters.
Institute Topics
- Instructor Well-Being: Stress, Burnout, and Tools for Resilience
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- Introduction to IPW; Stress and Tools for Resilience
- Calming the Mind: Contemplative Pedagogical Wellness for Instructors
- Student Wellness: Evidence-Based Strategies for Wellness in the Classroom
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- Positive Learning Environments for Learning and Thriving
- Neurodiversity and Pedagogical Wellness
- Mental Health Skills
- Building a Resilient Campus Community
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- Campus Resources Speed Meet
Eligibility Criteria
- You are a UCI faculty member or graduate student interested in promoting pedagogical wellness in your teaching and in your department/school.
- You are applying with a partner (i.e. faculty member/graduate student, faculty/faculty, or graduate student/graduate student).
- You are willing to co-develop a learning community* for your department/ School.
- You have some relevant experience with teaching, wellness, facilitating workshops, or being a change agent around mental health/well-being in educational settings.
*Note: There is some flexibility around this deliverable based on the needs of your department and/or school.
Deliverables
- Revamped Course Components: Each pair will submit a revised syllabus AND revised assignment(s) or activities(s) showing before and after changes made to the course component(s).
- Learning Community Formation and Dissemination*: Each pair will form a learning community in their department or school and meet at least three times between Winter and Spring 2026 to discuss pedagogical wellness topics. The learning community will then co-create a resource or presentation to disseminate pedagogical wellness ideas further in their departments or schools
*Note: There is some flexibility around this deliverable based on the needs of your department and/or school.
Institute Advisory Board and Facilitators:
| Name, Title | Department |
| Theresa Duong, Pedagogical Wellness Specialist | Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation |
| Danny Mann, Executive Director | Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation |
| Negar Shekarabi, Faculty and Staff Support Services Program Director | Occupational Health |
| Anushree Belur, Senior Staff Psychologist | Counseling Center |
| Larisa Castillo, Associate Professor of Teaching; Director of Pedagogical Development | School of Humanities |
| Sarah Pressman, Professor, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education | Department of Psychological Science, School of Social Ecology, Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning |
| Mackenzie Bonner, E.d.M, PhD Candidate | Department of Sociology, School of Social Sciences |
Previous Participants
IPW Spring 2024 Participants
| Faculty Member | School | Graduate Student Partner | School |
| Adeline Nyamathi | Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing | Mahkameh Rasouli | Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing |
| Dr. Cristina De Haro | Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences | Maryam Hassani | Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences |
| Lisa Naugle | Claire Trevor School of the Arts | Jose Edgardo Argueta | Claire Trevor School of the Arts |
| Roxana Carlo | School of Education |
Alexandra Irizarry Giovanni Sánchez |
School of Education |
| Dr. Joel Milam | Program in Public Health | Frances Krista Morales | Program in Public Health |
| Dr. O’Toole | School of Humanities | Jafet Rodriguez Yak | School of Humanities |
| Brandon Golob | School of Law, School of Social Ecology | Bryant Jackson-Green | School of Social Ecology |
| Jessica Pratt | School of Biological Sciences | Matea Djokic | School of Biological Sciences |
| Erin Lockwood | School of Social Sciences | Nahreen Aref | School of Social Sciences |
| Abdulilah Mayet | The Henry Samueli School of Engineering | Muslim Abdulkarim | The Henry Samueli School of Engineering |
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Mu-Chun Chen Michael Ratz |
School of Physical Sciences | Shion Fukuzawa | Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences |
| Sonali Iyer | Medicine | Zora Mihaley | School of Social Sciences |