The stresses of online learning – and a solution

Since the start of the pandemic, mental health and wellbeing have climbed the student agenda. In December, the National Union of Students revealed that more than 50% of respondents to its Coronavirus and Students Survey phase III said their mental health had deteriorated since the onset of the pandemic, with stress, loneliness, anxiety and depression all being cited. But of those to have suffered, only a fifth had sought mental health support.

Against that backdrop and to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, the University College of Estate Management launched on 10 May a new mental health strategy aimed at supporting students and staff, founded on an approach of developing one community that enables the prioritising of mental health and wellbeing.

As an online course provider, UCEM has seen an increase over the past 18 months in both the number of conversations staff are having with students about mental health and wellbeing and the duration of those conversations. “Often that was because we were the only person they had spoken to that day or in the last few days,” says Richard Higgins, disability and wellbeing adviser at UCEM.

Although Higgins recognises that supporting mental health is not a priority unique to his institution, being a distance-learning provider does create specific challenges beyond traditional bricks-and-mortar institutions.

“In face-to-face universities, students will go into lectures. They’ll be at halls with students who are experiencing the same things as them, and they’ll be able to build up those networks,” he says. “This can be very supportive but online, you don’t necessarily have that. Your networks are more in the workplace, and obviously with the pandemic, you no longer have that physical workplace. I think that’s why it’s become more isolating perhaps than if it was a more traditional university.”

Responding to the challenge

Encouragingly, though, Higgins has found that students have been willing to articulate their concerns. He thinks that is because UCEM has been proactive in encouraging students to talk when experiencing problems, but also because over the past year “people have been slightly removed from that normal network” and there have been “less barriers to being able to pick up the phone and talk to us”.

UCEM has been working on its mental health strategy for some time and as an education provider recognises the role it has to play in “not only supporting our students’ wellbeing, but in educating them and providing them with the skills to manage their own wellbeing… when moving into the working world”, Higgins says.

There are five strategic aims to the new strategy (see box). It is initially designed to last three years, a deliberately short period given that event may change post-pandemic, with a view to building on it in future years.

Developments might encompass in-house counselling services for students and staff and creating more resources for students based abroad, who can face barriers. Culturally, there may be differences in how mental health is perceived and how people perceive asking for help if they’re struggling, Higgins says. There may also be challenges in finding support services that are local to a student. Higgins cites Hong Kong as an example, where “mental health support isn’t as available” and where “there can be quite long waiting lists”.

For staff and students

Feedback from student ambassadors and reps who have seen the draft strategy has, Higgins says, been “overwhelmingly positive”, with students “really pleased to see that we are recognising mental health as an organisational priority”.

The strategy will provide enhanced training to ensure that student-facing staff are not only prepared with the resources they need to have conversations around mental health, but to ensure that they “can look after themselves as well as students”, says Higgins.

His colleague, Jenna Roberts, human resources administrator at UCEM, agrees: “We want this to be a strategy for not only students but staff at the organisation as well. Mental health doesn’t discriminate against age or whether someone is studying and we thought it was really important that this strategy encompassed both support for staff and students during not only this difficult time but going forward for the longevity of the organisation. We want to have a solid strategy in place for everyone.”

As part of its provision of support, UCEM is building relationships with external companies such as Lionheart and London Nightline and anticipates that 12 months from now, if successful, a growing number of students will feel comfortable using its call line – “Not necessarily students that have had a diagnosis of anxiety or depression,” Higgins says, “but maybe just students that are a bit worried about how their wellbeing might be affected or they just need a bit of advice on anything wellbeing related.”

The fact that UCEM’s students are distance learning does not mean that they have to be isolated. For UCEM, it’s about supporting everyone – staff and students – to ensure that they are able to be open, supportive and well informed, despite the challenges that distance learning can bring.

UCEM’s mental health strategy – at a glance

Create a supportive, whole university community that promotes positive mental health and ensures mental health is a key strategic priority
Ensure the UCEM community is informed and aware of the importance of good mental health, works to tackle stigma and encourages open discussion around mental health
Ensure appropriate and timely support is provided to those who need it
Develop links with external services and stakeholders
Use data to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of mental health interventions and inform future strategic development.