Presented by:
Jenny Callender, Dr Pete Bridge, Daniel Blair, Flora Al-Samarraie & Pauline Pilkington
(University of Liverpool)
Description:
There are significant challenges to social and academic development facing students entering higher education; and it was anticipated that these would be exacerbated as a result of the 2021/21 ‘lock-down’ restrictions employed in the UK. Radiotherapy students within the School of Health Sciences not only suffered isolation during online teaching but were also required to attend clinical placements that may be remote from family support networks. It was crucial therefore, that the programme team try to understand their feelings and the impact of the situation on their mental wellbeing.
This project aimed to identify the key factors impacting on student mental health and learning during lockdown conditions using a novel approach for data collection. Participating students were asked to provide anonymous daily emojis and weekly SMS messages. Gathering thoughts and feelings of young people is best achieved by engaging them in a meaningful way aligned with their culture, behaviours and values. This is particularly relevant when loss of control over situations such as lockdown, and associated feelings of anxiety or depression can lead to apathy and avoidance in participation. It was hypothesised that ‘WhatsApp’ messaging, believed to be used by around 80% of adults aged 18-24 in the UK, would be a free, low burden data collection method for harvesting student wellbeing data. In turn, it was hoped that this method would increase engagement and response rates, compared to traditional in-depth survey methods.
The responses from students regarding both their wellbeing, and the data collection method are informing communication strategies moving forwards. The session will be used to discuss our experience of implementing this method for eliciting student response, and to share outcomes and feedback from students about both wellbeing and the method of communication.
For more information the University of Liverpool’s Centre for Innovation in Education: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/centre-for-innovation-in-education/
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