Abstract:

Ensuring students and teachers well-being has been an important part of higher education but with the Covid-19 pandemic it took a necessary central place. Recent studies on Generation Z, which forms the majority of our current student population and is the most ethnically diverse generation yet, reported that two of the top five factors affecting their academic performance are stress and anxiety (Seemiller & Grace, 2016). Hence, one of the most significant recent trends in the context of higher education is that student needs are increasingly front and center - health & wellness, social support & community, a focus on the whole student not just academics.

Mindfulness and contemplative pedagogy have been finding their way in the classroom at universities and academic libraries over the last decade. Scholarly research showed that adopting mindfulness practices has been helpful with managing stress and optimizing learning (Hartel et al., 2017; Hassed, 2015; Karadjova, 2020, 2019, 2018; Mourer & Karadjova, 2017; Vilvens et al., 2021; Zell et al., 2021). The aim has been centered primarily around unplugging and engaging with mindfulness practices through intentional brain breaks and activities that support emotional self-regulation and foster singular thoughtful focus.

During the pandemic, mandatory online education (Bhagat & Kim 2020) seemed to put another obstacle in front of mindfulness practices in academic settings. This paper provides a systematic literature review on the intersection of mindfulness practices and technology during the last five years. Three major trends emerged from the literature review:
- Mindfulness practices through interactive technology (e.g. Dauden, 2021; DeLucia, 2021; Döllinger et al., 2021; Hadar, L.L. & Ergas, O. , 2019; Lukoff et al., 2020; Parsons et al., 2019; Taylor et al., 2021)
- Using technology to measure positive effects of mindfulness practices (e.g. Balconi et al., 2019; Burnett-Ziegler et al., 2018; Hawley et al., 2021; McMahon et al., 2021)
- Mindfulness of technology adoption (MTA) (e.g. Sun et al., 2016; Thatcher et al., 2018)

The paper also provides examples of the adaptation of mindfulness practices and activities to online environments by the Brain Booth Initiative at two university settings. The Brain Booth is an experiential space to learn about the mind-body connection, reduce stress, and optimize learning. Most of the scholarly studies and practice experiences support the notion that mindfulness and technology could be the two sides of the same coin. (References list available upon request).

Keywords:

Mindfulness, Technology, University, Academic Library, Mindfulness Practice.