Student Well-Being and Empowerment: SEL in Online Graduate Education

Background

Well-being and empowerment are crucial elements for today’s graduate students to be successful and satisfied in the online learning environment. Graduate students are adult learners who juggle many professional and personal aspects of their lives. They often choose online learning because it fits into their busy lifestyles and can serve their motivations and needs for advancement on their own timeline. Unfortunately, while academic needs can be met in the typical online learning environment, social emotional needs are often unmet due to insufficient support systems in and out of the online classroom. Graduate students are often expected to simply fend for themselves. Even though self-care and emotional wellness tends to be espoused, these busy adult learners may push aside personal needs while continuing to care for others in their lives and managing constant demands.