Taming the hustle: Addressing the roots of procrastination and perfectionism for students and instructors

Date/Time
Date(s) - 11/07/2024
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Led by Melissa Beacom, Tara Embrey, Aron Fazekas, & Christopher Laursen

University of Guelph

Student Wellness and the Office of Teaching and Learning at the University of Guelph are building a more holistic approach to campus wellbeing for students and instructors. We will share our goals and results in integrating wellness and resilience into pedagogy and curriculum to drive motivation and engagement. Throughout the workshop, participants will interactively explore how evidence-based approaches to wellbeing could be authentically integrated into their work.

In 2022-24, we piloted a practical psychotherapeutic program, Learning to Bounce (LTB), designed by occupational therapists for students managing procrastination and perfectionism related to mental health and/or ADHD symptoms. Our curriculum applies mental health tools to the academic context to help students find belonging, get unstuck, and develop an intrinsic sense of self-worth and motivation. We challenge the culture of perfectionism in academia, normalize the emotional demands of academics, and introduce self-compassion skills to sustain motivation and engagement. LTB has shown exciting results in improving mental health and academic functioning, and in this workshop, we will try out some of the transformative exercises that have been profoundly shifting participants’ academic experience.

We will examine how these student-centred approaches translate into emerging teaching and learning centre-led pedagogical wellness programming where instructors similarly find community and tools to motivate their work and self-care. When combined, we propose these approaches provide an essential enhancement to sustained motivation and engagement in teaching and learning.

Workshop attendees will work through ways that academia’s culture of perfectionism and performance can erode motivation and fuel burnout. Interactive activities inspire attendees to reflect on their own experience with procrastination, explore tools to tune into an intrinsic motivation, and foster a shift towards curiosity and growth in the learning environment. Participants will contribute and gain practical ideas on how to build holistic wellness in post-secondary education.

Dr. Christopher Laursen: Educational Developer, University of Guelph

Christopher Laursen is an Educational Developer in the Office of Teaching and Learning at the University of Guelph and Co-Chair Elect for the Council of Ontario Educational Developers (COED). He develops ways to enhance understanding and incorporation of inclusivity, accessibility, well-being, and belonging into pedagogical practices and course design. Most recently, he has been leading development of an online interface that centralizes the University of Guelph’s existing accessibility resources while looking ahead to enabling more interactive ways for educators to learn about and integrate accessibility into their teaching practices and courses. As a historian and interdisciplinary humanities scholar, Christopher brings expertise in eLearning, curriculum design, scaffolding, and applied learning from his time as an instructor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He holds a PhD in History from the University of British Columbia, and MA in History from the University of Guelph.

Dr. Aron Fazekas: Educational Developer, University of Guelph

As an Educational Developer at the University of Guelph, Aron supports instructors and programs in the design of processes to collect, organize, and analyze educational data, with the aim of converting information to knowledge that supports pedagogical change. Ove the past few years he has supported projects that help identify and support students struggling with both academic and mental health challenges and is exploring ways to expand similar programming to instructors. Aron also works with departments on curriculum development, institutional quality assurance processes and co-facilitates the Inquire program which guides faculty and staff through the design and implementation of projects in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Prior to joining the Office of Teaching and Learning, Aron was a support instructor for several years in the Department of Integrative Biology and a Research Associate prior to that. He holds a PhD in Conservation Biology from the University of Alberta, and a BSc from the University of Guelph. Aron is also an Adjunct Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences, at UofG.

Tara Embrey Msc. (OT), OT Reg. (Ont.) Practicing in Psychotherapy, Occupational Therapist, Co-Creator, Learning to Bounce Program University of Guelph

Tara Embrey is an innovative occupational therapist who practices psychotherapy within the context of academia; turning her many years of experience in mental health to helping students thrive.  As an accessibility advisor at University of Guelph, she saw students struggling with perfectionism, shame and procrastination that accommodations couldn’t address. In response, she and Melissa created Learning to Bounce, a supportive community where students could see their self-worth and feel capable of managing academic hurdles. Tara uses an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy lens and is guided by her belief in the inherent worth of each individual.  Her compassion, belief in students and enthusiasm infuse her work with true caring and help spark change.

Melissa Beacom OT Reg. (Ont.) Practicing in Psychotherapy, Occupational Therapist, Co-Creator, Learning to Bounce Program University of Guelph

Melissa Beacom is an occupational therapist practicing psychotherapy with more than 20 years’ experience as an accessibility advisor at the University of Guelph with a specialty in mental health.  Melissa uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help students understand what emotional demands might be getting in the way of being the student they want to be.