Mental wellbeing in university environments

Natasha, your role as director of the Center for Higher Education, Research and Evaluation, what does that evolve?

Dr Lackovic

The Center for Higher Education Research and Evaluation is situated within the Department of Education Research, and Lancaster University for educational research at Lancaster University. And it is one of the oldest centers in the world conducting higher education research.

We are committed to enhancing and transforming the higher education sector and its role in society economy and culture. The center has two directors. So I'm one of the directors and center directors provide academic leadership of the center.

So this means things such as organizing centers, meetings, seminars or webinars, workshops, other things of strategic importance to the center, such as responding to student and staff needs, developing reviews, local international collaborations, and centrism. zimage and its key activities. The center is also associated with our research programs in higher education.

Okay, if we go a layer deeper into this topic of wellbeing and specifically student wellbeing at universities today -from from your position, what do you see as being the key issues that are affecting student wellbeing at university?

Dr Lackovic

Tough question. I think that one of the key issues is is an increase in the demand for student well being services which can outweigh the capacity of the services and wellbeing services are constantly under pressure and work at full capacity. And another thing is that there is a need for a whole university approach to mental health so that it becomes a strategic priority at universities.

And this This is part of of the most recent strategic framework called step change mentally healthy universities published by Universities UK and CO developed with student minds University mental health charter. So the strategy means seeing mental health as a multifaceted phenomenon you know, that needs to be tackled across four domains, which are learned work support and and live.

So no learn, it actually tackles the curriculum and how students learning relates to their mental health and work is linked to staff well being support, what kind of support is needed to, you know, prevent particular conditions in, in especially prevent suicide and live is linked to living conditions and student accommodation, for example.

So this approach aims to develop structural, practical and environmental conditions for healthy universities, which means healthy learning, working support, living spaces and lifestyle, I suppose.

Is this a recent problem, or it's always been there, and is perhaps just more awareness of the issues in terms of student mental wellbeing today than they were 20 years ago, or 40 years ago for the previous generation?

Dr Lackovic

Well, I personally think that it has always been there, but probably there is, as you say, there is a greater awareness these days, and I don't know, perhaps, there are other other I'd say structural influences, you know, contemporary pressures, that students are facing.

Students are also now under the pressure to repay the student debt. And its difficulty, you know, this this generation of students like the new generations of students, they are in a not, they're not in the same position, for example, to find jobs or get on the property ladder, for example, as it used to be. You're saying you're referring to 20 years ago, so.

So I think these these new pressures, I'd say, and now we have the COVID. Is it is it COVID, post COVID situation, but another things that are, I think, increasingly weighing students? I think it's it has been intensified probably, of last, I don't know, maybe 1015 to 20 years.

I think there's a lot of similarities between the massive increase in dialogue and debate around mental health in the workplace, that has emerged over the last 18 months in response to to COVID, and what you describe in universities.

Bigger organizations are, there are some who are not doing as much as perhaps they could, but there's certainly some organizations and businesses that are really making massive changes to how they operate and how they address and respond to and in some senses, prevent mental health issues getting out of hand. But have you seen the same experience in the world of education and particularly UK universities?

Dr Lackovic

Well, I think the COVID crisis affected students, but also staff wellbeing in in profound ways. A switch to online learning, you know, that meant that students had to organize, but also stuff and their lives, I mean, our lives and Hall University engagement, then experience around working and studying from home, you know, or being students being isolated in student accommodation.

Think about students from in the UK from faraway places, such as China, a lot of students had to actually stay and isolate themselves on campus, for example. So there are studies that show how the COVID crisis affected students in in negative ways, and I can provide the link to these studies, if you wish. But in that, in our project, we did a survey of more than 120 students, and found that COVID-19 Really, I 10, certified, the importance of healthy and supportive environments.

You know, and the, this, this the importance of space, where you live, learn and work, but also the, I'd say the, you know, the blurring of the boundaries between work, life and learning was difficult. And, and if we talk about students, but I'm sure the same can accounts for for staff, the proximity to nature, as well as bringing, you know, the nature indoors, you know, through plants are even engaging with pets, animals that provided a source of comfort, the source of wellbeing / positive emotions. Yes. So so it was a struggle for I think, a lot of people. Yeah, so so that.

So you have the two big categories there, right? You have the student accommodation, which is typically perhaps the first year of the university experience after which many students, as I remember, then find their own accommodation independently. Right. So let's call it that first year in equivalent of halls, but and then the environments themselves on campus. So if we look at the accommodation, there seems to be quite a bit of movement in the student accommodation market, particularly private real estate developers doing things aimed specifically at students that look really quite revolutionary. How do you see what's happening specifically in terms of accommodation?

Dr Lackovic

Well, that is a good question. And although I'm not an expert in that, and I don't have an in depth, insight or understanding of, you know, the accommodation services and provisions, I am aware that there is some good work and and interest and student well being in in the organization such as United students and because, you know, they cover the entire kind of, I'd say, accommodation space or landscape in the UK kind of different regions and and I know that they have very vigorous interest and supporting student mental health and improving the conditions that kind of living conditions for students. For example, I just just wanted to deal with through something that I am aware of,

Are you seeing developments on campus itself in terms of creating environments with more biophilic design or nature around and perhaps taking your pets into the library with you is a bit too much for obvious reasons. But, you know, are you seeing changes? And did you see that there's perhaps more effort being made in terms of creating study environments that are productive and promote creativity and productivity? Or do you think there's still a long way to go in terms of universities in general, catching up with perhaps what we're seeing already and in the world of office design?

Dr Lackovic

That's another interesting question, Matt. So, I mean, I can, I can first we'll say a few, you know, reflections in relation to what I am aware, when it comes to Lancaster University. I started working at Lancaster University in 2014.

So it has been seven years and I have kind of witnessed, you know, the transformation of Lancaster University campus into a nicer I would say, more green and well being continues conducive environment, if that's the right expression, so many, many things that are environmentally friendly, and also, you know, that take care of, of sustainability and, you know, the university's outlook towards sustainability, we're also adopted, so you know, things like trees, you know, new trees planted.

The the university itself is on a very, very green field, situated among the beautiful rolling, Green Hill green rolling hills in Lancashire, and that is a very, I'd say, nice environment. So it's worth mentioning that there is a big difference between campus based university spaces, you know, such as Lancaster, especially, you know, the the campuses that are situated in the nature, it is literally, that that's what the case with Lancaster University campuses and, and the campuses that are, I don't know, like city based campuses, if that makes sense.

You know, these are very, very different types of university buildings, and they, they would, I think, look very differently. So, that's what I can say that I have seen a lot of changes, for example, you know, the refurbishment of the library to make it a kind of nicer environment for students more I guess, pleasant, when it comes to both, you know, learning but also socializing as well.

And but, but still, I guess, there is there is much work to be done on really enhancing, you know, the well being unsustainability, potential and, and need that that can that can actually improve staff and students well being and mental health.

Matt Morley

So you mentioned that, again, their staff and student mental mental well being, and clearly there's perhaps the temptation just to think of students, but in fact, the ecosystem of, of mental well being on campus or at a university is made up of both those who work there, the staff and the students. So do you look at both sides? So there really there are sort of perhaps different issues affecting students versus us as the staff, but you do tend to sort of consider both, is there a big division between them in terms of how the research is treated looking at the two different groups?

Unknown Speaker

Well, it's true that research can separate you know, these these two groups, but I personally think that we're both you know, in the same boat, okay. So, staff wellbeing is part and parcel of healthy universities, right. So due to the high workload then and pressures associated with working at universities, staff also need support when it comes to healthy working environment.

And you know, when it comes not to the healthy working environment, but also tackling student mental health, you know, how we support our students and how we support ourselves and also how we can strike the right balance, you know, the right lifework balance so stuff mental health is central to the domain of work I referred to earlier, if you remember when when I talked about that strategic framework, step change mental health in universities and the whole university approach.

And so you mentioned the the research project that you've recently completed with 120 students, I think you mentioned was that was that the research project that gave birth to the latest online book that you've published things in the mind?

Dr Lackovic

Yes, that's right. And for that project, we co developed a graphic novel, together with students about about their experience of mental health, in relation to everyday materiality. And when I say everyday materiality, I'm talking about spaces, places, environments, and everyday personal objects and items.

But we didn't only develop the graphic novel, we also did the students survey in order to understand better how students felt and how they experience their environments and the objects that surround them. And on daily Bailey basis.

Certainly, from what I've seen of having read through, I think it was a sort of a pre release copy that you kindly shared with me. But you know, I was it was fascinating to see some of these themes around what I would call, say, like Biophilia. So connection to nature, and how you'd picked up in the novel, without it being about interior design or architecture. And yet there was, you know, it was a recurring theme of the connection between student mental, like, so the internal well being, yeah, and the external spaces in which they're spending their time. Can you talk to us on that theme, because it came up again and again. And it was, it was great for me to see it being positioned in a completely different way to a very new audience, because it's such a, it's a topic that's so relevant, and you you got there completely organically just through responses from the students, it seems.

Dr Lackovic

Yes, it was really interesting and exciting and transformative for all of us to go through that project. It was transformative for me. And I also learned a lot from our students, co creators. And in the role of spaces, places and everyday objects that students encounter in one word materiality is really a new field in mental health and student mental health research in particular, and if you prefer also educational psychology, so but it is related to an established field of material culture and different approaches that address materiality in human and university experiences, you know, such as certainly materiality studies, for example.

I mean, I won't get into any any detail of these approaches, I'm just trying to say that what is new and our study is actually exploring every day environment and objects in the context of mental health and well being and especially student mental health research.

And so, you know, there are studies actually that showed the role, the positive role of indoor places and all this is particularly designed, you mentioned biophilia, so biophilic design of indoor places and you know, how they can have positive effects on on well being. And if there if there are if the conditions, the environmental conditions are not that great, and then there is of course, negative impact on wellbeing and mental health.

So there are lots of things there, you know, atmosphere, the feel of the place. And and it's it's such an interesting area, there were so many things that students referred to ranging, you know, from mugs, you know, to staircases, environments, such as the gym, or the library, you know, the canal that is not far from Lancaster University, because that's the, you know, where, where our students participants were situated, you know, around.

And so a really wide range of environments and objects that students actually related to deeply, and they saw their well being and lived, you know, authentic mental health experiences through those environments and objects. And for them, that was something new, that they actually, you know, before they did, that they hadn't done before.

And that was really transformative for them, when we when we asked them, you know, how they felt about it. So I think it's a really exciting field, and it opens up a lot of potential for different avenues, you know, to explore in the future, including, of course, the role of biophilia and biophilic design.

I think what's most encouraging about it for me is that, you know, for those of us working in, effectively, you know, the field of real estate interiors, you know, we can get a little bit myopic, we can sort of, you know, get lost in our own world and using our own terminology for things.

What I got from reading the, the graphic novel online was the, just how raw it was, and how the students were effectively communicating a very deep instinct, they didn't have the terminology that an interior designer or an architect might have, and they didn't need it, but they still understood something inside them was telling them, that the space around them, and their relationship to that space was was vital.

And if they got it wrong, if they weren't getting out to walk by the canal, or spend time with the dog playing in the park, or whatever it might be, it almost became, I think, and it was so well communicated in some of the visuals, it became the sort of Oh, messy room, underground, unpleasant gym, no time in nature, negative mental mood state, versus positive mental mood state for someone who had a tidy room and organized life and was able to spend some time in nature. And it was just so simple and natural that it clearly came to them. without there being any theory behind it.

Dr Lackovic

Yes, absolutely. You put it so well, Matt. So I think this is this is the power of visual storytelling as well. And and how we worked, you know, with the students, because we invited students to develop their own scenarios to share their own feelings about how their surrounding environment and everyday objects and personal items that you know, that they use, regularly how that relates to their mental health.

And, and because that was new to them, it also posed the kind of creative challenge. And I think just as you say, they they really did a wonderful job of almost intuitively presenting something that, you know, we can find evidence on what they actually expressed in research, but also that aligns with, you know, the principles of biophilia and biophilic design as well. And for me, that was another thing that, you know, fascinated me as the research and kind of project investigator. I think

In many ways where we're talking about or we can be can be in very different fields, education, higher education, research and evaluation, interior design, workplace well being but actually we're often talking about similar things, perhaps using different language, but ultimately getting to similar experiences and trying to find ways to improve on that. Those physical spaces because once you understand the impact and you see how you can make a difference or encourage people to to adapt their lifestyle a little bit. So what happens next for for your you've published the book, the graphic novel, online? Where do you go from here? What other projects? Do you have? Or do you intend to you're going to evolve what you've done and take it forward? Are you moving on to other projects?

Dr Lackovic

Oh, I would really love to develop this further. So you know, we recently launched the digital resource that embeds a graphic novel. And the novel lead was not referred to it as some kind of unnamed object is called things in the mind.

And so what would happen that the launch we had the conversation with, you know, different stakeholders, different people and professionals interested in student well being but also interested, and the role of the art and design in mental health and well being.

And I think that the next step for for the project is to, and for me, is to continue this work, because we have had a really positive feedback from students and from stakeholders, such as well being services and health services.

And at the moment, I have been developing an interactive, digital resource that embeds different kinds of interactions in order to engage readers, you know, with these different interactions on the selected page of the graphic novel, of course, it readers choose to interact with them. And they can just briefly, you know, sketch what these interactions are.

So there are questions to learn about different things. So like, multiple choice questions. And there are also questions to answer by the readers. So there are opening questions that readers can answer. And that helped will help us also collect further data, you know, deepen our understanding on, you know, students experiences further.

And third, they're also the so called information points that offer a diverse range of information and insight voicing for for readers, you know, who will be students who can be actually any person interested in well being and mental health and the role of everyday environments and objects in our lives. And this can be also embedded in in the word quinoa and diverse stakeholders practices. So I'm very hopeful and excited about what could happen next, Matt?