Date Approved
4-16-2025
Graduate Degree Type
Project
Degree Name
Education-Higher Education (M.Ed.)
Degree Program
College of Education
First Advisor
Dr. Laila McCloud
Academic Year
2024/2025
Abstract
Higher education institutions (HEIs) face increasing student populations affected by trauma, presenting significant barriers to academic success and emotional well-being. Between 40% and 84.5% of college students have histories of trauma (Forster et al., 2019; Smyth et al., 2008), while approximately half experience trauma during their first year of enrollment (Galatzer-Levy et al., 2012). Exposure to trauma disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students, further compounding educational inequities (Portell, 2019, as cited in Gunderson et al., 2023). Although trauma-informed care (TIC) has emerged in applications within education, formalized professional development opportunities for faculty to implement trauma-informed pedagogy remain scarce. This project aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a structured, trauma-informed pedagogy workshop series for faculty at Grand Valley State University (GVSU). The two-session virtual workshop series engaged faculty participants in critical reflective practice, applied scenarios, and collaborative learning experiences to develop an inclusive and responsive pedagogical approach. Materials for creating an online-learning community are presented to sustain the ongoing professional development of faculty. This project demonstrates the need for a trauma-informed professional development opportunity for faculty to engage in equitable teaching practices that consider holistic student well-being to improve faculty-student interactions and student academic achievement.
ScholarWorks Citation
Wilson, Hayley F., "Developing a Trauma-Informed Pedagogy Workshop Series for Faculty: Empowering Student Learning and Healing at Grand Valley State University" (2025). Culminating Experience Projects. 550.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gradprojects/550
