Campus interview: Laura Allen at Trinity University on connecting student well-being with natural world

By sara.custer, 24 November, 2023
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Can spending time in natural environments support students’ well-being? Trinity University professor Laura Allen joins this video podcast to tell us more about an innovative course exploring this question with undergraduates that combines research, theory and practice
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Video
Summary

Listen to the audio of this interview on SpotifyApple podcasts or Google podcasts.

Despite research showing that spending time outside supports students’ mental health, an interdisciplinary team of researchers and educators at Trinity University in San Antonio Texas struggled to get students to do activities outdoors. So they developed an innovative course combining theory, research and practice to help students improve their mental wellness and better understand how it’s connected with the natural environment.

Laura Allen, a co-developer of the course and a professor in the department of education at Trinity University, joins us to talk about what inspired her and colleagues to develop this course, how it combines forest bathing and undergraduate research, and, most importantly, if it is helping her students. 

Thanks to one of our newest Campus+ members Trinity University for sponsoring this episode.

Laura Allen is a professor in the department of education at Trinity University.

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Can spending time in natural environments support students’ well-being? Trinity University professor Laura Allen joins this video podcast to tell us more about an innovative course exploring this question with undergraduates that combines research, theory and practice

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