Learning from Learners: Wellness seminars and self-reflections for first-year engineering students to enhance their journey in engineering education

Abstract

First-year engineering can be an overwhelming experience for students, and it is important to have regular check-in points for students as they transition to post-secondary education. Beginning in 2019, the Schulich School of Engineering (SSE) at the University of Calgary implemented mental wellness and engineering attributes modules across the first-year engineering curriculum. These modules focused on students’ overall development to support their success in the diverse world of engineering. In this paper, we give an overview of the program implementation during 2021-2022 and recommendations for effective implementation of such series based on our experiences. We also briefly present a summary of the students’ self-reflections from the first two years of the program.
 At the end of each module, we ask students a few open-ended questions to reflect on their experiences based on the materials covered in the module. In addition to these responses from different modules, the final self-reflection, where the students are asked to reflect on their journey as a first-year engineering student, is of immense help in enhancing our understanding of students’ perspectives. Analysis and review of these reflections help mold our strategies for future programming to support student wellbeing and academic and professional development.