neuroplasticity

Decoding the Disciplines: Nurturing Malleable Minds of Educators and Students in Arts and Sciences

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Hong, L.1*, Radics, G.B.2*, Chng, H.T.1, Murphy, M.3, Yang A.J.4, Muhammad, N.5, Lim, A.2, Estes, J.2, Ragupathi, K.6, Gregorio, V.L.2, Kassem, A.2, Lee, E.T.T.7, Yudistira, M.7,  Mitchell, A.8, Sivasothi, N.9, Neo, D.M.1

1Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science (FOS), NUS
2Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), NUS
3Department of English, Linguistics & Theatre Studies, FASS, NUS
4Department of Physics, FOS, NUS
5Department of Geography, FASS, NUS
6Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT), NUS
7Department of Chemistry, FOS, NUS
8Department of Communications and New Media, FASS, NUS
9Department of Biological Sciences, FOS, NUS

*lin.hong@nus.edu.sg
*radics@nus.edu.sg

Hong, L., Radics, G.B., Chng, H.T., Murphy, M., Yang A.J., Muhammad, N., Lim, A., Estes, J., Ragupathi, K., Gregorio, V.L., Kassem, A., Lee, E.T.T., Yudistira, M.,  Mitchell, A., Sivasothi, N., & Neo, D.M. (2024). Decoding the Disciplines: Nurturing Malleable Minds of Educators and Students in Arts and Sciences [Lightning Talk]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-hong-et-al

 

SUB-THEME

Others

KEYWORDS

Interdisciplinarity, adaptability, teaching strategies, dialectic thinking, neuroplasticity

CATEGORY

Lightning Talk

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

Oppenheimer did not foresee the impact of his creation, and neither did Great Britain, who bartered opium for tea, foresee the devastation on human health across China. In the modern era, arts students tend to approach science topics with hesitation while students with a background in science tend to overlook humanity with pragmatic solutions. Furthermore, embedded in the Singaporean education system is a hierarchy of disciplines, fostered by rigid testing and grade point cut-offs for specific majors. When faced with an opposing discipline – an unknown, an unfamiliarity – students tend to hold on to certain biases and fears that ultimately need to be overcome to nurture malleable and interdisciplinary thinking (Christou and Judy Wearing, 2015).

 

The College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has introduced mandatory interdisciplinary courses (IDC) to the curriculum with some pushback from students, and incomplete guidance for educators. Starting in 2018 and now with 22 IDCs offered as of the Academic Year 2024/2025, our team of IDC course coordinators in the Teaching Enhancement Grants (TEG): Learning Community have been engaging in group sharing and deep conversations on the status of the program, our teaching and student reception. Based on these discussions, the consenting course coordinators systematically probe into the effectiveness of current teaching strategies including teaching activities and assessments through student surveys (containing a mixture of Likert scales and open-ended questions) and peer review of each other’s classes. We investigate interdisciplinary knowledge (disciplinary grounding, perspective taking, and common ground and integration) and core interdisciplinary skills (critical reflection, collaboration, communication, adaptability, and creativity) (Wiegant, 2020; Mansilla and Duraising, 2007). Open-ended responses are analysed through coding the interdisciplinary themes.

 

Preliminary results have shown that students are quite resistant to non-traditional teaching strategies that they are unfamiliar with, including debates and class interactions. Despite this, their appreciation and understanding of interdisciplinarity knowledge and skills are positive through these activities. It will be a matter of now building up their confidence over the course to reduce their anxieties and enable them to be more comfortable with the uncertainties that are inherent in interdisciplinary education.

 

With a better understanding of CHS student motivations and their preferences for learning, we can tailor our teaching strategies to promote a positive learning environment for developing their interdisciplinary learning and knowledge.

 

REFERENCES

Christou, T. M., & Wearing, J. (2015). An interdisciplinary curriculum conversation on fear and learning. In education. 21(1), 42-58. https://doi.org/10.37119/ojs2015.v21i1.203

Mansilla, V. B., & Duraising, E. D. (2007). Targeted assessment of students’ interdisciplinary work: An empirically grounded framework proposed. The Journal of Higher Education. 78(1), 215-237. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2007.11780874

Wiegant, F. & Team Interdisciplinary and community engaged learning. (2020). Matrix with assessment rubrics of interdisciplinary learning goals & competencies. Utrecht University. https://www.uu.nl/en/education/educational-development-training/knowledge-dossier/how-do-you-assess-interdisciplinary-skills

 

Interdisciplinary, Experiential Learning Course for Student Wellbeing: Preliminary Reflections on Course Design of HS2924 “Building Mental Wellbeing And Resilience”

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Ira AGRAWAL1*, Celestial T. YAP1, and Ajay S. MATHURU1,2 

1Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSOM)
2Yale-NUS College

*phsia@nus.edu.sg

 

Agrawal, I., Yap, C. T., & Mathuru, A. S. (2024). Interdisciplinary, experiential learning course for student wellbeing: Preliminary reflections on course design of HS2924 “Building Mental Wellbeing and Resilience” [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-agrawal-et-al/

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Wellbeing

 

KEYWORDS

Mental wellbeing, experiential learning, interdisciplinary, neuroplasticity

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentations 

 

INTRODUCTION

Wellbeing and resilience have become central themes in education for thriving in the face of adversity. They are crucial not only for an individual’s health, happiness, and life satisfaction, but also for their performance and the economic costs to organisations and nations. Mental wellbeing challenges, such as stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout, are prevalent among undergraduate students (Barusi & Kurniawati, 2024; Kwan, 2022). These challenges can lead to serious consequences, including poor academic performance, sleep disturbances, substance abuse, low self-worth, and even suicide (Dyrbye et al., 2008; Wang et al., 2022). Since a healthy mental state is essential for both academic and long-term success, there is a pressing need for effective early interventions. Research shows that wellbeing and resilience can be developed through targeted interventions, with the inclusion of mental health education in undergraduate curricula emerging as a promising strategy (Kaligis et al., 2023; McCormack et al., 2024; Wan et al., 2024; Wang & Du, 2020).

 

With this in mind, we developed HS2924 “Building Mental Wellbeing and Resilience”, an interdisciplinary elective for undergraduates at the College of Humanities & Sciences (CHS), National University of Singapore (NUS). This course integrates cognitive neuroscience, psychology, public health, and clinical perspectives to explore the fundamentals of mental wellbeing, how it can be effectively measured, and strategies for enhancing resilience. Students engage in both experiential learning and impact measurement to develop their own wellbeing practice(s) of choice. By taking this course, students are expected to acquire foundational knowledge of mental wellbeing and resilience, cultivate self-awareness, and apply strategies to manage stress.

 

The course consists of four weekly contact hours, split equally between lectures and tutorials. The intake was limited to 100 students, divided into two tutorial batches of 50. The first cohort, from AY 2024/25 Semester-1, includes a balanced mix of students from the Faculties of Arts & Social Sciences (44) and Science (56).

 

COURSE DESIGN

The course is built on the concept of the neuroplasticity of wellbeing: the idea that our brains are wired, but can be rewired through intentional activities with measurable impacts.

 

Wiring: Interactive lectures cover the correlates and determinants of mental wellbeing, the physiological and psychological stress response. Tutorials include activities such as identifying physical sensations in response to stress, exploring the ‘exhaustion funnel’, and self-reflection on wellbeing factors affecting individuals.

 

Rewiring: The mechanics of various interventions are covered in lectures, while tutorials focus on experiential learning. These interventions include lifestyle changes, physical activity, sleep hygiene, and the four pillars of emotional wellbeing: awareness, insight, connection, and purpose (Dahl et al., 2020). Additionally, breathwork and mindfulness practices are incorporated. A core assessment is the six- to eight-week Rewiring Project, where students set SMART goals1 to apply wellbeing strategies in their daily lives and measure their impact.

 

Impact: Monitoring progress and measuring the impact of these interventions are critical to helping students understand what works for them and motivating continued practice. Both objective and subjective tools are introduced. One innovative tool used is the MUSE biosensor headband, which passively measures brain activity and heart rate variability during different activities. For the Rewiring Project, students track their baseline mental wellbeing, monitor their progress throughout the intervention, and assess their impact by the semester’s end.

 

Effectiveness will be evaluated through pre- and post-course surveys and reflection assignments. The results will provide insights into best practices for incorporating mental wellbeing education into higher education curricula.

 

ENDNOTE

  1. SMART goals stand for goals that are “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound”

 

REFERENCES

Barusi, A., & Kurniawati, F. (2024). Systematic literature review: A study of academic burnout among undergraduate students in universities. International Journal of Science Education and Cultural Studies, 3, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.58291/ijsecs.v3i1.198

Dahl, C. J., Wilson-Mendenhall, C. D., & Davidson, R. J. (2020). The plasticity of well-being: A training-based framework for the cultivation of human flourishing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(51), 32197–32206. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2014859117

Dyrbye, L. N., Thomas, M. R., Massie, F. S., Power, D. V., Eacker, A., Harper, W., Durning, S., Moutier, C., Szydlo, D. W., Novotny, P. J., Sloan, J. A., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2008). Burnout and suicidal ideation among U.S. medical students. Annals of Internal Medicine, 149(5), 334–341. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-5-200809020-00008

Kaligis, F., Ismail, R. I., Wiguna, T., Prasetyo, S., Gunardi, H., Indriatmi, W., Pasaribu, M. M., Pandia, V., Minayati, K., Magdalena, C. C., Nurraga, G. W., Pramatirta, B., Calvin, N., & Sourander, A. (2023). Effectiveness of an online mental health strengthening module to build resilience and overcome stress for transitional aged medical students. Frontiers in Digital Health, 5, 1207583. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1207583

Kwan, J. (2022). Academic burnout, resilience level, and campus connectedness among undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Singapore. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 5(Sp. Iss. 1), Article Sp. Iss. 1. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2022.5.s1.7

McCormack, Z., Kerr, A., Simpson, A., Keating, D., & Strawbridge, J. (2024). What works for whom, how and why in mental health education for undergraduate health profession students? A realist synthesis protocol. BMJ Open, 14(3), e078130. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078130

 

 

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