Starting this upcoming Summer 2 semester, Boston University students can collaborate on a wellbeing-focused project — and earn a BU Hub unit while doing so.
Thriving Together: Student Wellbeing at BU will take a “holistic” approach to wellbeing by focusing on its seven dimensions: physical, social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial and intellectual, said Beverly Chen, director of wellbeing education and training at BU student wellbeing.
Chen, who co-designed the cocurricular with BU Student Wellbeing Executive Director Carrie Landa, said students will explore topics surrounding wellbeing through guest speakers, lectures and group projects throughout the course.
“By learning from campus experts on individual wellbeing, interpersonal dynamics, team building and communications, we wanted to create a course that impacts how students engage in their work at BU and in their careers,” Chen said.
Kristina Covarrubias, director of strategy, marketing and communications for BU Student Wellbeing, said Thriving Together is not an academic course. Instead, it’s a non-graded cocurricular that carries one BU Hub Teamwork/Collaboration unit.
BU Hub Associate Director Eric Jarvis said one of the benefits of the Hub cocurricular program is that it’s “a way for [students] to explore their interests outside of the classroom while fulfilling a Hub requirement.”
“Any BU undergraduate student who is trying to focus more on their wellbeing or develop new strategies for their wellbeing could really benefit from this experience,” Jarvis said.
Chen said students will develop their own definition of wellbeing, learn evidence-based skills and contents, and learn to integrate wellbeing into their lives as students.
“We all have our own perceptions or definitions of what wellbeing means to us,” Chen said. “This cocurricular is really an invitation to students to explore what wellbeing looks like in their own lives, as an individual and as a member of a team.”
Chen said Thriving Together is a “collaborative” experience that enables students to acquire skills for “building a successful, healthy team culture.”
Students will work in groups and design a wellbeing project that they will present at the end. Each group will be able to pick one of the seven dimensions of wellbeing as their focus and will have a chance to work with their teams in every class session, Chen said.
“We think teamwork is so important both professionally and personally for all students,” Chen said.
Chen said with the class, she wants to encourage students to broaden their understanding of wellbeing and think about what it means “on a team level as well, not just the individual level.”
Students will start practicing team collaboration early on through ongoing discussions and team presentations, Chen said. Each group will also be paired up with a mentor who will facilitate their projects.
Thriving Together will continue to be offered in the fall and spring semesters and will be available for all BU undergraduates to register, Chen said.
“After the pandemic, wellbeing is something that’s really important for all of us,” Chen said. “This is very relevant at this point to have a class on wellbeing and a class that allows students to interact with each other.”