CTL Newsletter
From Content Coverage to Connection
When Dr. Stephanie Jett transitioned from large research universities to Georgia College, she discovered a new kind of teaching. The smaller, student-focused environment shifted her approach from covering content to fostering connection. Especially in her GC1Y and introductory psychology courses, she now prioritizes transferable skills and student well-being over rote memorization. “It’s not about knowing everything,” she explained. “It’s about what they can take forward.”
The Impact of the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this shift. Dr. Jett saw the need to emphasize holistic health for herself and for her students. “You have to take care of your whole self before you can learn effectively,” she said. She began embedding lessons about resilience, self-worth, and mental wellness directly into her courses, recognizing that students were arriving with increased stress and diminished tolerance for discomfort. Rebuilding their resilience became part of the curriculum.
Boundaries and Vulnerability
Dr. Jett believes one of the most powerful tools an instructor has is their own humanity. By modeling vulnerability – sharing struggles with anxiety, life disruptions, and personal growth – she creates a space where students feel safe and seen. At the same time, she emphasizes boundaries, reinforcing that kindness and accountability can coexist. “I’m your biggest cheerleader,” she tells her students, “but you’re still going to do hard things. Because you can.”
Supporting the Whole Student
Aligned with Georgia College’s QEP, Bobcats FIRST: Finding Inner Resilience and Skills to Thrive, Dr. Jett equips students with tools to navigate both academic and personal challenges. She uses metacognitive assessments, resilience training, and class discussions to help students reflect on their thinking and develop self-awareness. She also makes mental health resources highly visible, going so far as to provide graduates with post-college resource guides because “we’re not done once they walk across the stage.”
Recharge and Reflect
Outside the classroom, Dr. Jett stays grounded through cooking, collecting vintage cookbooks, and using Finch, a gamified self-care app that helps her maintain healthy habits and share goals with colleagues and some of her research lab students. “I’m the Tamagotchi,” she joked. “It reminds me to take care of myself.”
Through humor, honesty, and a commitment to modeling resilience, Dr. Jett reminds us that teaching is more than grades or content. It’s about helping students become whole people, ready to face a complicated world with confidence and care.
Rethinking Student Engagement
Helen DuPree, Lecturer of Public Health at Georgia College & State University, is reshaping the classroom experience by centering creativity, autonomy, and wellness in her teaching. Her approach reflects the spirit of the university’s current Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Bobcats FIRST: Finding Inner Resilience and Skills to Thrive, by helping students build both academic confidence and life skills.A Defining Moment in the Classroom
DuPree’s shift toward student-driven learning was catalyzed by a single assignment early in her GCSU career. In her Introduction to Public Health class, she asked students to create short videos to explain course concepts – offering broad parameters and room for creativity. Expecting minimal effort, she was instead met with an outpouring of humor, engagement, and depth. Some students even submitted multiple videos, going above and beyond the assignment requirements. Their enthusiasm revealed a crucial insight: when given choice and creative freedom, students often exceed expectations.
Open-Minded Teaching for a Changing Generation
This experience prompted DuPree to rethink her assumptions about teaching. “I realized that more autonomy can actually lead to more meaningful learning,” she shared. Since then, she’s prioritized open-ended assignments and flexible assessments, cultivating a classroom where students take ownership of their learning. DuPree also emphasizes the importance of staying open-minded as an instructor, especially as generational gaps in technology and values grow wider.
Supporting Resilience and Responsibility
Her approach goes beyond academics. She helps students differentiate between everyday stress and more serious mental health concerns, which is an important theme in the QEP. When students face challenges, she encourages them to reflect on what challenges are within their control (where they may practice resilience skills) and when to seek support. By promoting both accountability and self-awareness, she equips students with essential life skills.
Modeling Balance and Wellbeing
Outside the classroom, DuPree models the same resilience and wellness she hopes to foster in students. Daily movement, quality rest, and meaningful family time are her go-to strategies. She even brings moments of levity into her teaching, like featuring her dogs in course announcements or quiz questions. These small touches contribute to a learning environment that is rigorous, supportive, and fun.
Celebrating Impact
DuPree’s work is a reminder that small shifts in teaching – like inviting students to be creative or asking them to reflect more deeply – can lead to big changes. Her approach encourages students to engage, grow, and take ownership of their learning journeys in lasting ways.
Kendra Evans, Lecturer of Marketing, brings authenticity, flexibility, and heart to the classroom – qualities that reflect her dedication to student growth, both academically and personally. Evans exemplifies the spirit of Georgia College’s current QEP, Bobcats FIRST: Finding Inner Resilience and Skills to Thrive, through her commitment to helping students build confidence, develop life skills, and embrace their whole selves.
A Defining Moment: Listening to Student Stories
One of Evans’ most defining experiences is coordinating the university’s annual Elevator Pitch Competition. As students reflect on their accomplishments and share their personal narratives, Evans witnesses firsthand how powerful it is for them to take pride in who they are and what they’ve achieved. “It gives me a glimpse into the student experience,” she says. “I’m constantly in awe.” These moments reinforce her belief in blending practical experience with academic instruction and staying attuned to the lives her students are living beyond the classroom.
Teaching as a Responsive Practice
Her approach is deeply human-centered: she sees students as individuals with unique stories, challenges, and ways of learning. She also creates space for feedback, adjusting her teaching when needed, whether it’s pivoting from a lesson plan or acknowledging a stressful life event affecting a student. “I remain flexible,” she shares. “Teaching is an art, and I’m always working on my skills.”
Supporting the Whole Student
Evans actively promotes student wellbeing by pointing them toward campus resources, from Counseling Services to the Career Center, and regularly announces events and services at the start of class. “Being involved helps students build community, gain confidence, and develop new skills,” she explains. It’s a simple yet impactful way of reinforcing that students are not alone and that their growth happens everywhere, not just within the four walls of a classroom.
Staying Grounded and Connected
Outside of work, Evans recharges by spending time with her family, attending local community events, and enjoying books and travel. Her presence in the classroom is grounded, relatable, and responsive – a model of the kind of engaged, reflective teaching that helps students thrive in today’s world.
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