Poster Session 1: Education

Thursday, July 23 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM

Location: Legacy

Galilea Bustos-Ataide
CSU Monterey Bay
Presentation 1
Evaluation of a Trauma-Informed Pedagogy Micro-Credential Program  for Faculty in Higher Education
Many students are impacted by trauma in higher education. The rising prevalence of post-traumatic stress has doubled in college students, 3.4% (2017) to 7.5% (2022), making faculty likely to encounter students whose learning and behavior are affected by trauma-related challenges. Without training in trauma-informed care, faculty may be at greater risk for developing compassion fatigue and burnout. This study evaluates a mini-credential course certificate on trauma-informed pedagogy to support faculty in trauma-informed teaching practices in higher education. Participants included CSUMB faculty who enrolled in a hybrid Trauma-Informed Certification Course (n=23). The mini-credential course certificate consists of four modules, delivered through a combination of asynchronous readings, videos, discussions, and practical applications, as well as several synchronous virtual check-in meetings. Program evaluation was assessed in three phases: pre-course, post-course, and post-semester of the trauma-informed course implementation. Post-course, on average, faculty “agreed” to “strongly agreed” that they are more confident in applying trauma-informed strategies. Faculty were asked which strategies aligned with trauma-informed teaching; at pre-course, 0% of faculty endorsed “encouraging student voice and choice in assignments” as trauma-informed, but 100% of faculty at post-course endorsed this. Post-semester of the trauma-informed course implementation, 104 students from 8 courses taught by 6 faculty completed a student experience survey. Students indicated they generally felt supported and understood in the courses. The asynchronous nature of the mini-credential allows for scalable training of TIP, which will support both faculty and students across universities and educational systems to enhance emotional well-being in the classroom.