This webinar is part of the OLC Innovate 2026 Best-In-Track Webinar Series!
Webinar Overview
The shift to online learning has intensified student wellness challenges, with research showing increased rates of anxiety, isolation, and burnout among remote learners. As educators and designers, we have a unique opportunity to embed wellness practices directly into our course delivery, creating more supportive and effective learning environments.
This interactive session will equip participants with immediately applicable wellness strategies and practices across all 8 dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, occupational, and financial. Each dimension will be paired with quick, evidence-based exercises specifically designed for online implementation. Participants will actively experience select wellness techniques during the session, modeling how these can be seamlessly integrated into both synchronous classes and asynchronous modules.
Intended Audience
This webinar is appropriate for anyone interacting with online students (Faculty, Instructional Design, Administration, Support Staff) in secondary or post-secondary education.
Key Takeaways
- Quick techniques adaptable to any online course
- 8+ ready to implement exercises requiring minimal class time (2-5 minutes each)
- Strategies for both real-time and self-paced learning environments
- Evidence based approaches to improving student engagement and retention through wellness
Presenter
Janet Kennedy, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Education, Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Janet Kennedy is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Education at Western New England University in Springfield, MA. She trained as an MD in the field of psychiatry and practiced in a variety of settings for many years while also teaching medical students and residents. She now teaches full time in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and has a research focus on student wellness and mental health, as well as distance education best practices.