Good Grief: An educational support model for teaching sensitive topics online

Authors and presenters

• Pauline Marsh, Wicking Centre, CoHM

• Marg Hughes, Wicking Centre, CoHM

• Lily Bartkevicius, Wicking Centre, CoHM

Abstract

Does teaching sensitive and emotional subjects to students learning alone via online platforms come with a moral imperative to ensure they are adequately supported? This session presents learnings from a new model of online student support delivered in 2024 for students of CAD203 Principles of Palliative Care. This second-year undergraduate unit is an elective subject, and part of the Bachelor of Dementia Care offed by the Wicking Centre. Conscious that students were dealing with weighty and sensitive content without face-to-face contact with the lecturer, or access to a classroom of peers for support, we wanted to instigate an additional support option.

‘Good Grief’ real-time zoom sessions were offered fortnightly through the semester. These were optional, un-recorded and hosted by the lecturer, a professional grief counsellor, and a student support staff member. Students were invited to attend in writing and in an individual zoom discussion at the commencement of the semester. Drawing on observations of the session and feedback from participants, this Showcase presentation highlights the benefits and challenges of the Good Grief pilot. We reflect on our aims, which were not to provide individual counselling as such, but rather to develop shared knowledge and skills in grief-related work – and to create a supportive community of students learning about palliation. This model of student support can enable students to participate fully, in sustainable, rewarding and therapeutic ways; all the while, withstanding the emotional labour of experiencing grief and loss. We argue that there are benefits for teachers and students of similar online courses: whenever there is a need to support students dealing with sensitive and emotive subject matter.