Study Architecture 
ProPEL 
Author(s): Rosa McDonald, Claire Craven, Sara Queen & Allison Grubbs
Design students are struggling to balance the demands of design education with the uncertain and consistently-changing life stressors imposed by today’s world. Post-pandemic, mental health challenges within undergraduate architecture programs have resulted in decreased performance, a less positive student experience, and, tragically, instances of self-harm. Despite evidence that college students majoring in design may be at risk of depression due to extensive sedentary behavior and the significant amount of time spent on school assignments, our design culture has not proactively centered mental health and wellness to the extent necessary to support and protect our students. Collectively these issues strain student-faculty relationships, creating learning environments that make it more difficult for students to grow and develop. This paper unpacks changes made to a first-year funda¬mentals design curriculum over the past three years which intentionally shifted to address holistic student development. Outlining the integration of wellness and emotional literacy into freshmen core curriculum, successes and additional opportunities for continued development are identified.
https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.AM.113.59
Volume Editors
Sara Jensen Carr & Rubén García Rubio
ISBN
978-1-944214-48-7
