The purpose of this paper is to provide a description of how critical reflection can be used to update and revise teaching practices in response to evolving student needs and challenges in higher education. The authors identify the types of challenges that faculty and graduate students face in the current educational environment. Generational differences between faculty and students, the impact of increased student stress levels, and advances in technology will continue to shape how we instruct graduate students. We identified a number of evidence-based practices which were reported to be useful in reducing stress and anxiety in students while still maintaining academic rigor. We found critical reflection to be beneficial in shifting instructional paradigms. Critical reflections are crucial at the individual level, but there is merit in performing them at the departmental and organizational level as well to promote systemic change.