Introduction of Mindfulness in an Online Engineering Core Course During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic created and exacerbated numerous stressors for students, who already report high levels of stress. In transitioning an upper-level engineering core course to remote delivery, we invited interested students to participate in short mindfulness activities at the end of each synchronous class session. Students shared that they found the activities to be beneficial and indicated appreciation for the demonstrated care the instructor expressed for students, even if they did not participate. Lastly, multiple students specifically commented on the welcome timing of the activities given the high levels of stress due to the pandemic.