Mental health and well-being

Advice on effective mental health support for students and staff. Find out how universities and academics can protect their campus community from spiralling stress, minimise the risk of burnout and build resilience - from institutional practices that create a culture of care to personal self-care tips for overworked academics.

By Miranda Prynne , 11 January, 2022

Co-creating an interdisciplinary well-being module for all students

Advice on working with students to develop a well-being module that educates them in mental health and self-care

Elena Riva and Wiki Jeglinska explain how academics can work with students to co-create well-being modules that span multiple disciplines and support students’ self-care, drawing on their own experience of collaborating on such a scheme

By dene.mullen , 5 January, 2022

Universities must help their communities preserve heritage languages

Even second-generation immigrants are in danger of losing their heritage language, but universities can help

Language loss is a real danger among even second-generation migrants – here’s how to help, say Sender Dovchin and Rhonda Oliver

By Miranda Prynne , 29 December, 2021

Play on: how to build community on campus through music

Advice on using music as a way to bring students together and rebuild a sense of community on campus

Nick Merwitzer explains why and how music projects can help build a sense of connection and belonging on campus and outlines the key considerations for supporting student ‘bands’

By Miranda Prynne , 22 December, 2021

What is the long-term impact of online learning?

Webinar discussion how to reduce student drop out rates in the context of the pandemic and online learning

Online learning looks set to remain central to the delivery of higher education long after the pandemic. In this webinar Maryanne Dever and Diana Laurillard discuss what the long-term impact of this might be, on teaching, student support, well-being and the sector as a whole

Reading time

60minutes

By Miranda Prynne , 15 December, 2021

Transitioning to a PhD: common struggles and how to overcome them

Advice from a doctoral student on overcoming common challenges while studying for your PhD

Camille Bou outlines the key struggles she encountered during the first year of her PhD and shares useful insight on how she overcame them

By dene.mullen , 10 December, 2021

If universities push staff towards social media, they must protect them, too

At the very least, there should be training on managing online discourse, blocking tools and recognising when ‘robust debate’ becomes abuse or libel, says Andy Phippen

By Miranda Prynne , 9 December, 2021

Mind matters: embedding socio-emotional learning in higher education curricula

Advice on embedding socio-emotional learning into curricula across disciplines

Kathleen Chim and Benjamin Chan explain how universities can embed socio-emotional learning into courses across multiple disciplines to better prepare students for the future workplace

By dene.mullen , 9 December, 2021

It’s time to tackle perfectionism head-on in the classroom

Perfectionism has long been an affliction in academia for students and faculty alike

Perfectionism has long been the norm in academia. To combat it, we must offer help before it has to be asked for, say Laura March and Maggie Melo

By dene.mullen , 8 December, 2021

Researchers are too critical – we need to give ourselves (and others) a break

University researchers are too critical of themselves and others

It doesn’t have to be like this. Critical thinking means looking for the evidence – that is evidence both for and against, says Hugh Kearns

By Miranda Prynne , 1 December, 2021

Say my name: the importance of correct terms, titles and pronunciation

Advice on handling individuals' names with respect to create an inclusive learning environment

Jane Bryan shares lessons in handling people’s names with respect and sensitivity, ensuring correct use and pronunciation to boost feelings of belonging within institutions

Mental health and well-being