When coronavirus first began to spread in the UK back in March 2020, Student Minds made the decision to pause and listen. We wanted to truly understand what students were experiencing, how the pandemic was affecting them and what we could do to help. We gathered insights from thousands of sources and conducted our own primary research to build as accurate a picture as possible. Almost 18 months later, following continued listening, the launch of Student Space and a shift to online delivery of our peer support and training, in August 2021, we collated and published our findings, reflections and recommendations in ‘University Mental Health: Life in a Pandemic’. The report explores the wide-reaching impacts of Covid-19 on higher education communities, focusing on four themes from Student Minds’ University Mental Health Charter: Live, Learn, Work and Support. By exploring the disruption to each of these themes and taking a holistic approach to student mental health, we were able to develop policy recommendations for universities, students’ unions, and the Government, which we believe will support students as we move beyond the initial impacts of the pandemic. 

COVID-19 has enormously impacted the international education sector. Results from the 2020/21 edition of the International Student Barometer (ISB) show a marked negative impact on student satisfaction. However, as demonstrated in i-graduate’s recent global report The global student experience; 2021 insights and analysis from the world’s largest student survey, satisfaction amongst international students studying in New Zealand has remained relatively high.  

As institutions globally rethink how they deliver education and the wider student experience, they continue to listen to the student voice. As such, i-graduate’s latest global surveys, the Covid-19 Response Barometer and the International Student Barometer (ISB) have been able to deliver valuable insight to the sector. Here we share just some of the findings. (The full global report, including regional focus reports, can be accessed here.)

Student support and wellbeing: the challenges of today and tomorrow - In conversation with HE

In fact, the first question must be why is student engagement so important?

Well, its the lifeblood of your university. Without happy, inquisitive, thought-provoking and challenging students, a university would be a very sterile place – not conducive to learning, stifling creative thinking or crushing ambition. 

There are currently around 2.4 million students at UK universities, with one in three suffering from clinical levels of psychological distress during these formative years.

Predictive analytics is invisible, yet its benefits are highly tangible. The use of predictive analytics can bring a range of advantages to all educational settings; the ability to easily access and interpret results and attainment data is integral to any institution’s forward-planning. A holistic, systematic approach to using data will unquestionably drive improvements to standards across the whole institution.

Safeguarding student wellbeing and mental health is a challenge faced by all universities and colleges. As time has passed, student wellbeing has become a major focus for Higher Education institutions as student support services come under increased pressure. Wellbeing and mental health are vital parts of creating a positive student experience, with any issues impacting both social and academic student life.

We’ve all heard it: “content is king”, but do you ever feel like you might be relying on the same content formula just a little too often? Maybe you even feel stuck in a bit of a rut when it comes to creating content for your education and student marketing campaigns? Do you want to shake things up a bit, try something new, and maybe even connect more successfully with your students? 

Keep Listening: Let your students shape how your institution adapts to COVID-19 and beyond?