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Mental Health at McMaster

McMaster Okanagan Office of Health & Well-being

Core Program

How to Register for the Core Program

The McMaster Okanagan Office of Health & Well-being is pleased to announce that we are partnering with McMaster Continuing Education to deliver the Professor Hippo-on-Campus Core Program (8 online modules through Avenue to Learn).

If you are interested in taking this program, please fill out the eligibility form. Once you are approved, you will be sent a link to register for the program.

If you are already registered for a workshop and need urgent access to the modules, or have any other questions, please contact us at profhipp@mcmaster.ca

Expandable List

You will learn, along with Professor Hippo, about:

  1. Why Professor Hippo-on-Campus?
  2. Stress, Resilience and Coping
  3. Emotions, Mental Health and Mental Illness
  4. Creating a Mental Health Positive and Inclusive Learning Environment
  5. Communicating with Stressed and Distressed Learners
  6. Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress or Difficulty
  7. Accommodations: Context and Process
  8. Mental Health Matters for Educators and Navigators

The Professor Hippo-on-Campus e-learning modules run for approximately 3 hours total. Each module is about 10-30 minutes in length. The modules are best done gradually (e.g., 1-2 modules per day). Each module has a “resume” feature so if you do not finish a module at one time, you will be prompted to continue where you left off when you come back to the module.

  • Educators (those teaching and supervising students academically):
    • Sessional instructors
    • Faculty
    • Research Assistants
    • Postdoctoral Fellows
    • Clinician Educators
    • Residents
    • Fellows
  • Navigators (those interacting with, supporting and supervising students in other ways):
    • Administrators
    • Full-time staff
    • Part-time staff
    • Contract staff
  • All Employees of McMaster (those who have access to Mosaic can register)
  • Teaching Assistants (TAs) may take the core program, but are strongly encouraged to complete a separate 1-hour module specifically designed for TAs. Visit the TA Training tab to learn more.

Participants who complete all of the following steps to certification will receive a “Certificate of Attendance” for completing the Professor Hippo-on-Campus program.

Steps to Completion and Certification Timeline
1. Fill out the eligibility form here. You will receive an email with further details. Complete anytime. Allow up to 7 business days to receive the information.
2. Enrol in the term course on  Mosaic, using the self-enrolment  link that you will receive in your email. Anytime within the current term.
3. Follow the steps listed in the course announcement on A2L, and complete the consent form. We kindly ask that you also complete the Pre-Survey, so we can continuously improve our program Within 2 weeks (after registration)
4. As soon as you complete the Pre-Survey, you will be given a code and can start accessing the 8 modules in Avenue to Learn. The full content takes about 3 hours, but you do not need to do all at once. You must complete the “Module Completion Quiz” (takes 1 minute) when you’ve finished the modules. Before the end of the term
5. Complete the Post-Survey, after the quiz and module completion. The link to this survey will be sent to your email by the program within 2 business days of completion. Within 4 weeks after completing the “Module Completion Quiz”.
6. A digital Certificate of Attendance will be issued by McMaster Continuing Education at the end of each term, and you will receive it to your email. About 10 days after the end of current term.

This training will ask you to:

  • Reflect on what you know about mental health
  • Gain confidence in supporting students or others in your life
  • Apply the Responding to Students in Distress and Difficulty (RSDD) protocol
  • Direct students to the appropriate resources on campus or in the community
  • Take pro-active measures in building a mental health-inclusive classroom
  • Consider how you can work with others to address the “hippo in the room” (i.e. decrease stigma around mental health)

In addition to all of the practical skills and knowledge you will:

  • Receive a Digital Certificate of Attendance and can say you are a certified Professor Hippo-on-Campus participant
  • Be able to request a printable sign or sticker which lets others know you care about student mental health. Simply drop us an email at profhipp@mcmaster.ca, and we’ll coordinate a convenient pickup arrangement for you.
  • Be eligible and can be contacted about future educational or training opportunities offered by Professor Hippo-on-Campus at McMaster
  • Retain ongoing open access to the most up-to-date set of modules and all of the attached resources on Avenue to Learn, which you can access 24/7/365
  • Be able to have your name shared with McMaster leadership and the McMaster community (optional) to let them know you are a student mental health supporter

This is a ‘club’ you can join and a certificate you can receive for free!