Campus Talks: How to turn vulnerability into a teaching superpower

When students start university or return for a new semester, stressors such as cost of living and worries about academic performance or future job insecurity can exacerbate anxiety or other mental health issues. So, how can educators best support them in the classroom, while also ensuring learning objectives are met and they don’t burn out themselves? This is where skills such as emotional intelligence, observation, active listening and the ability to notice when students are becoming disengaged, falling behind or at risk of dropping out altogether come to the fore. This episode of Campus talks looks at how to foster safe, inclusive learning spaces, how to spot students who are struggling, advice for starting conversations around sensitive topics like mental health, and how educators can be open and authentic while protecting their own boundaries and work-life balance. We talk to Marissa Edwards, who is a senior lecturer and researcher in the University of Queensland Business School. A mental health advocate with a background in psychology and organisational behaviour, she is also the co-editor of the Research Handbook of Academic Mental Health and co-founder and co-curator of Voices of Academia , a blog dedicated to academic mental health and well-being. This interview makes reference to eating disorders, anxiety, depression and trauma. You will find more advice from educators and experts from institutions around the world on supporting students in the university classroom in Campus’ latest spotlight guide.

You can listen to Campus Talks: How to turn vulnerability into a teaching superpower online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Campus Talks: How to turn vulnerability into a teaching superpower is an episode from Times Higher Education by Campus by Times Higher Education.

This episode is 35:30 long.

This episode was published on Jan 15, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Times Higher Education when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.