Student mental wellbeing at critical times: Normalising discussion and action

Abstract

Student Academic Experience surveys evidenced that undergraduate students fare worse than the whole population in wellbeing measures. Several studies have found that students reported assessments as one of the top stressors. At the same time, research has shown that studying at a Higher Education Institutions (HEI) contributes to students’ personal growth and have lifelong benefits. This study explores how to support students at critical times during an academic year. In doing so, it proposes the use of psychoeducation through an unconventional, decentralised, and targeted intervention. This goes beyond counselling service provisions and focuses not only on disciplinary academic challenges but also embeds mental wellbeing in the curriculum. Its aim is to normalise talking about mental wellbeing at classroom level and bring the conversation about it out in the open. More specifically, this solution uses targeted newsletter (t-NL) to enhance students’ academic experience in a non-health-based course when students are more vulnerable to diminished mental wellbeing. The use of newsletter is intertwined with formative assessments which promotes students and staff collaboration as well as student engagement using play-based learning approach. In addition, this framework allows co-creation of resources by feeding forward diverse and multicultural students’ voices for future issues of the newsletter attending to students’ lived experience, required support and possible intersectionality. The findings of this research are supportive of such an intervention and indicate students’ interest in engaging with mental wellbeing content alongside academic activities.