A sector changing project using advanced
data capture and student facing educational analytics will help to generate
early warning signs for students’ mental health and wellbeing.
The way in which student mental health
and wellbeing is approached by the sector will be transformed following a
successful bid by Northumbria University to identify how big data, technology, educational analytics and student facing interventions can be
used to recognise and support students with mental health issues.
The challenges facing the sector are
well-known, with the rates of students disclosing mental illness continuing to
rise, and 95 students took their own lives in England and Wales in 2016/17.
A £2m project supported by the OfS will
use innovative integration of technology, advanced educational data analytics,
student relationship management and student support to provide an understanding
of the opportunities to predict whether a student is already experiencing or
will have a mental health crisis. The purpose of the study is to identify
actionable insights to deliver holistic approaches to student health, wellbeing
and education. This will be
done in collaboration between nine partners from the Higher Education, charity
and technology sectors and Students’ Unions.
By 2021, the project will provide
answers to the questions the sector is asking on how best to identify and
respond to students with poor mental fitness. All outputs from the project will
be scalable sector wide, giving providers mechanisms to make positive
interventions and tools to engage their whole student community.
Professor Peter Francis, Deputy
Vice-Chancellor of Northumbria University and project lead, said: “This project
brings together the best ideas alongside cutting-edge analytical technology to
support all students, with the goal of seeing how big data can support a
thriving student community. We will build an understanding of how a student
gets into a state of crisis and whether joined up collected data can generate
the targeted personalised support that they require.”
“We are taking a pioneering and
sector-leading approach to this very serious issue, and one which will provide
all universities with the mechanisms to help those most in need”
Professor Andrew Wathey CBE,
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, said
“Northumbria’s lead role in this project demonstrates clearly the University’s
commitment to tackling this key sector-wide issue. The extremely complex
issue of student mental health is a strategic priority for the whole of the
Higher Education sector: our lead role in this project signals our
determination to improve the lives of all students by tackling this issue.”
With innovative technology central to
the aspirations of the project, leading Higher Education specialists have been
engaged to provide their expertise. This includes world-leading experts
in student data, Civitas International Learning.
Dr. Mark Milliron, Chief Learning
Officer and Co-Founder of Civitas Learning said: “We help Higher Education
institutions make the most of their learning data so that they know what is
working for their students and can better personalise and scale student
supports. The Office for Students and Northumbria University are addressing the
critical challenges on differential attainment, holistic support and student
thriving. We’re honoured to be a part of this important work.”
Acknowledging this successful sector
leading and collaborative proposal as part of the Universities UK #StepChange framework,
John de Pury, Assistant Director of Policy and mental health policy lead for
Universities UK, added: “UUK is delighted to be working with Northumbria and
other partners on this ambitious project to harness leading digital analytics
to realise our shared vision – set out in UUK's Stepchange framework – to
transform health and educational outcomes. This reaffirms that the UK sector is
taking a leading approach to mental health in higher education.”
Full
list of project partners:
- Northumbria
University - Lead
- UUK with
James Murray - Partner
- Buckinghamshire
New University - Higher Education Partner
- University
of East London - Higher Education Partner
- Microsoft
Education - Technology Partner
- Civitas
Learning International - Technology Partner
- Jisc Technology - Partner
- Papyrus - Charity Partner
- University of Bristol - Beta Partner
- Northumbria University, University of East London and
Buckinghamshire New University Students’ Unions - Students’ Union Partners
