Creating solutions by teaching resilience

Supporting students from the moment they walk onto campus is part of Lynn University's formula for success. But what often starts out as excitement can quickly turn to trepidation as students start a new academic and personal journey. During the college transition, it's not uncommon for a student to worry about timelines, workload, fitting in and more.  

 "When students go away to college, they are facing a new set of challenges," said Associate Professor Dr. Patrick Cooper. "Not only are they trying to succeed in their courses, but also figuring out how they are going to do their laundry, where will they get their next meal, and most importantly, whom they are going to meet at college."

 A 2017–19 study conducted by Lynn's Counseling Services team—now located in the Snyder Center for Health and Wellness—showed that students consistently made appointments with counselors to help combat symptoms of anxiety, depression and overall issues with adjusting to college life. 

To better support students, Lynn's Academic Affairs and Student Affairs began conversations with faculty, staff and students and created a plan. The administration agreed that students were missing the skill of developing resilience, defined as the ability to adapt positively to new experiences or challenges.  

"What we learned about students who aren't ready for college yet is that they have a hard time coping with all the changes happening around them," said Cooper. "We also learned that if they don't feel comfortable in and out of the classroom, they will fall behind."

 As a developmental psychologist, Cooper understands the importance of a university education, but also that college is a major life transition—one that not all students are ready for.  

With the help of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, Associate Dean Dr. Debra Ainbinder, and Cooper, the team set out to make teaching resilience part of Lynn's curriculum. Specifically, the resilience concept became the focus of the institution's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which is a key component of Lynn's accreditation process. At its core, the QEP enhances student learning and creates an environment of support.  

 "We knew that focusing on resilience and making it a part of our culture and curriculum would equip students for their time at Lynn and beyond," said Ainbinder.  

By 2019, the Resilience Toolkit was born—an interactive program helping students navigate new experiences in the college setting. The plan was to execute the toolkit in a multi-phase intervention by faculty members and experts in the field of resilience and wellness. The result was to embed the toolkit into the Dialogues of Self and Society, Theories of the Self (DSS 100) course, which explores questions like "Who am I?” and “What is my purpose?”  

During the DSS 100 course, faculty introduce the Resilience Toolkit and students tackle four learning objectives:  

• Identify components of resilience
• Articulate the benefits of resilience
• Recognize examples of resilient behavior
• Apply effective coping strategies to a new experience or challenge 

To ensure the toolkit's success, the team sought to track outcomes and developed a comprehensive implementation process.

At the beginning of the academic year, and before the end of their first week at Lynn, students receive a pre-test measuring their knowledge of the four resilience learning objectives. Assistant Professor Cindy Khan-Jordan was instrumental in incorporating the Resilience Toolkit assessment into the curriculum. She learned that students do well when the toolkit is inserted into week two of DSS 100.  

"Week one is all about the theories, and students complete a project in that first week," said Khan-Jordan. "I started teaching the Resilience Toolkit in week two because you can see that students need a reprieve. Teaching resilience in that second week helps them understand how to adapt to their course load."

At the end of "resilience week," students are invited to a roundtable discussion with juniors and seniors who have also been exposed to the toolkit and utilize the skills they gleaned from the curriculum. Their priority, as they stand in front of the class, is to reiterate the learning objectives from the week with interactive activities on the coping strategies they can incorporate into their academic and personal lives. They also demonstrate how they have progressed after implementing resilience skills into their own lives, which motivates younger students to follow their lead.  

"Studies show that connecting first-year students with juniors and seniors teaches modeling behaviors," said Cooper. "In the end, we want students to understand how their behavior makes all the difference. Having these junior and senior students come into the classroom shows first-year students what's expected of them at Lynn and in their future careers."  

At the end of the second week and after the roundtable discussion, students are re-tested on their knowledge of the four student learning objectives. Data collected during re-testing continuously shows that students walk away with a better understanding of resilience and its benefits.  

"We learned that when students are first introduced to the idea of resilience, they don't quite grasp the full concept of the word," said Cooper. "Our test assessments show that for all four learning objectives, students have a firm grasp on resilience and how to hone their skills."  

For some students, resilience becomes a core value after the DSS 100 course. Guilherme De Domenico, Adair Garrett, Swanson Gibson, Tatiyanna Howard, Brandon Li and Olga Roussos are examples of students using what they've learned at Lynn and thriving as young adults.  

Guilherme De Domenico '28: "I am someone who likes a lot on their plate; that has its upsides and downsides. I learned that when you feel like you want to push yourself it's OK, but it's also good to listen to your mind and the people around you."

Brandon Li '26: "So far, resilience has helped me keep calm, plan activities and make schedules. This helps me ensure I have a proper workflow and allows me to prioritize daily life while not neglecting personal well-being."

 Swanson Gibson '26: "I learned that community is important on the road to resilience. My parents have shown me hard work and they exude resilience."

Olga Roussos '25: "I've learned that no one is going to give you all the ingredients to make things happen. You must be able to think critically, accept what comes and remember that failure is not final." 

Tatiyanna Howard '26: "I learned there are different types of stress, but that anyone can be resilient. Someone coming into college having a stressful time should know when it's OK to persevere." 

"We see that the Resilience Toolkit works, and it's empowering to us to maintain, continue and expand," said Ainbinder. "Our community benefits from knowing they can be and are resilient, and that's what we've set out to do at Lynn."

 Ainbinder, Cooper and Khan-Jordan are key assets to the program's continued success. As students continue their academic journey, the three faculty members have made it their mission to connect with students in meaningful ways and show them what it takes to be optimistic and adaptable to any challenge they face.  

But it's not only the students who benefit from a culture of resilience. Throughout the year, faculty members work on professional development focused on resilience, have coffee and conversations with each other, and even share insights for adopting a resilient campus at conferences.   

"I think that resilience has always been an essential part of our institution," said Ainbinder. "Now we have made it a stated priority."

What started out as a core value for Lynn is now woven into the university's curriculum and philosophy. But when asked what's the most important takeaway from the Resilience Toolkit, Cooper said, "What I want students to remember is that they can use resilience strategies beyond DSS 100. If they use just one of the strategies we teach, that's the best outcome there is."