Developing Best Practices for Trauma-Informed Teaching and Learning (2024-2025)

Background

Stress associated with trauma is likely present in every student gathering at Duke University — not only in each student organization and residence hall, but also in every classroom and laboratory. Students bring experiences of past trauma with them, and they also experience diverse forms of stressors and trauma while at Duke, including sexual assault. In a 2018 survey, 47.8% of Duke undergraduate women reported unwanted sexual contact since matriculating.

While in recent years Duke has invested heavily in providing high-quality mental health and support services to trauma survivors and curbing the rate of campus sexual assault, there is a need to attend carefully to how stress and trauma show up in classrooms and academic programs. Students who are trauma survivors bring essential insights and perspectives to classroom contexts but may also experience academic challenges. 

Trauma survivors may respond strongly to particular texts, topics or contexts that evoke memories of trauma and stress. Faculty may wonder how to foster a learning environment in which all students can thrive and may be uncertain about how to manage trauma-related content in the classroom (such as in the case of conflicting information about “trigger warnings”). There is a clear need for trauma-informed education for students and faculty that will explore the ways that trauma shows up in the classroom, increase empathy for those who are struggling and promote a positive learning experience.

Project Description

This project team will refine and implement seminars for students and faculty on trauma-engaged teaching and learning and will analyze data that will be used to inform future efforts to better support trauma survivors in the classroom. 

Building on the work of the 2023-2024 project team, which analyzed data from previous student focus groups and hosted faculty focus groups with representatives from Trinity College, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke Divinity School and Duke Medical School, this team will learn about trauma-informed teaching practices at Duke and work toward supporting and building a trauma-informed educational culture. Throughout the year, team members will engage in:

• Ongoing qualitative analysis of the student and faculty focus group data, in order to identify salient research findings and to share these at Duke and beyond through publication.
• Coding and analysis of faculty focus groups transcripts, exploring how faculty members experience and address the topic of trauma in the classroom. 
• Implementation of Trauma Engaged Duke and/or other similar ways of disseminating study findings and insights throughout the university to further educate students and faculty on trauma and its widespread effects.
• Formation of a working group, comprised of team members and other university leaders, that will draw on focus group research findings and other literature to identify and implement best practices for trauma-informed teaching and learning at Duke.

Anticipated Outputs

Primary qualitative data; academic articles on trauma-informed undergraduate, theological and medical education using student and faculty focus group data 

Student Opportunities

Ideally, this team will include 4 graduate students and 4-6 undergraduates interested in understanding trauma and its effects on education, and with a passion for working toward a just teaching and learning culture at Duke where all students can flourish. Master’s and doctoral students from the Divinity School, the Graduate School and the School of Medicine will speak from their own professional and educational contexts. Students with training and interest in qualitative research methods are especially encouraged to apply. 

Students, staff and faculty will work together in team meetings to learn how the effects of trauma can affect the learning environment for survivors and others. All students will be involved in data analysis, research synthesis and dissemination efforts. Students will also be invited to participate in leading Trauma Engaged Duke seminars for students and faculty.

Students will emerge from this project with deep theoretical and practical understanding of trauma theory, how living with trauma can affect learning and education, and the principles of trauma-informed teaching practices. Undergraduates will learn to teach other students about trauma, speak to faculty about students’ experiences, participate in project design and data analysis, and contribute to papers as appropriate.

Graduate students will explore trauma-informed pedagogy in their own academic contexts, participate in project design and analysis, and contribute to papers as appropriate. All team members will learn how to synthesize qualitative data. Divinity students, in particular, will become better prepared to work with difficult topics such as biblical texts of violence, wartime ethics and pastoral care contexts of trauma.

Timing

Fall 2024 – Spring 2025

• Fall 2024:  Transcribe and analyze data from faculty focus groups using qualitative methods; engage university stakeholders conduct trauma literature review; assist with writing article based on qualitative data from project; provide Trauma Engaged Duke events; creatively disseminate findings 
• Spring 2024:  Draft and write manuscripts using analyzed data; engage university stakeholders to develop action plan; conduct trauma literature review; creatively disseminate research findings at Duke and beyond 

Crediting

Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters

See earlier related team, Developing Best Practices for Trauma-Informed Teaching and Learning (2023-2024).

 

Image: Students learn the basics of painting with acrylic and mixed media during a DukeCreate painting workshop at the Arts Annex, by Megan Mendenhall/Duke University