Summary


Students from a wide range of different backgrounds come together once a week to learn and/or practice different languages and partake in activities. This is an example of a session run by the Study Happy Team in the library.

There is a lot of collaborative working between different teams and departments at the university when it comes to the promotion of wellbeing. An example of this is the work of the Wellbeing Support Services, specifically the wellbeing advisers from the Wellbeing Support Team. Each adviser is linked to faculties and departments as well as the library. They focus on building and maintaining close links with departments and the library in order to understand staff and student’s wellbeing needs and the aim to meet these needs through planned interventions. In addition to these links, wellbeing advisers also link in with various teams across the university such as the Study Happy Team, PG Community Engagement Team, Student Opportunity (Careers and Skills Service, Student Internationalisation Team, Warwick Volunteers), Warwick Sports, Chaplaincy, Widening Participation Team, SU, etc. Through such collaborative working it is hoped that the promotion of wellbeing will be a thread throughout the university structure.


Theory


  • Building and maintaining links with faculties, departments and teams/ services across the university with a focus on promoting wellbeing across the university community.
  • Through regular liaison amongst faculties, departments and teams it is hoped that a good understanding of the wellbeing needs of different student groups/ populations will be obtained in order to be able to plan targeted and focused wellbeing interventions.
  • Through collaborative and targeted interventions at various levels (faculty, departmental, centrally) across the university it is hoped that the promotion of wellbeing will become the culture and common norm for both staff and students, and that wellbeing considerations will be integrated into all activities across campus.

Practical Example


The Wellbeing Support Service collaborates with the Study Happy Team (based in the library) to run a variety of events which focus on encouraging students to consider their wellbeing needs and to take regular breaks from study and engage in fun and creative activities which are recognised to improve wellbeing. In addition, by students taking regular breaks it has been proven that their productivity can increase.

The Wellbeing Support Services have planned different activities with Warwick Sport in order to engage students to engage in sporting activities which it is recognised that regular exercise can improve physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

The Student Internationalisation Team and Wellbeing Support Services are currently exploring collaborative sessions focus on the cultural transition many international students experience. It is recognised that this can be a stressful and uncertain time for students and subsequently there is a close correlation between transition/ change and wellbeing.

Student Opportunity (Specifically Careers and Skills Service) and Wellbeing Support Services have held and are regularly planning interventions/ events focus on careers progression/ aspirations as it is recognised that this topic can cause anxiety to students and have an adverse impact on wellbeing. Subsequently this form of collaboration is aimed at providing career support and guidance, whilst at the same time increasing awareness of wellbeing related matters associated with the future and career aspirations/ uncertainty.


Additional Information


There is a lot of information about the different sessions each team/ service provide on the various webpages linked to Wellbeing Support Services, Study Happy Team, Careers and Skills Service, Student Internationalisation Team, Warwick Sports, etc.


Individual Perspective


The collaborations have been extremely positive and useful. However, in order to ensure students engage with these interventions and the activities reach a good number of the student population there needs to be the commitment and buy in from all concerned. This may be across different teams and services across the university as well as faculties and departments. What has been evident is that wellbeing interventions have been more successful if departments and their staff are involved in the promotion of such activities Subsequently the focus needs to be on this effective collaboration.


Student Feedback

This quote was made by a student during the interview stages of the project. After gathering pedagogies such as this one, we described them to a pair of peers and asked them to reflect on the efficacy, potential and impact in the teaching and learning environment.

  • "Academia and modules should ensure they are decolonising the curriculum, it is essential that multiculturism is in the content and permits students to choose topics/assessments that align with their cultural milieu, as long as it lies in the context of the module"