Wellbeing

Powering Peer Support

cdtlsd Lighting Talks , , , , ,

Melissa ZEHNDER and Duane ONG

Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) 

melissa.zehnder@singaporetech.edu.sg, duane.ong@singaporetech.edu.sg

Zehnder, M., & Ong, D. (2024). Powering peer support [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-mzehnder-dong/

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Wellbeing

KEYWORDS

Opportunities from Wellbeing, student peer support, wellbeing, student wellbeing, mental health, student engagement

CATEGORY

Lightning Talk

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

Students in university experience significant stress, they have to navigate and adapt to new environments and adopt new behaviours. At the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), we aim to provide holistic and extensive student care and support. To this end, a Student Development and Care Strategy has been established to ensure a safe, vibrant and supportive campus community. This framework encompasses aspects of student development, integration, care and recreation, to boost their learning journey beyond academic rigour. Throughout each academic year, there is continuous student engagement and support. This creates a common campus vocabulary on good mental health habits and normalises help-seeking behaviours. Often, this is accomplished by harnessing the power of peer-to-peer support. 

 

In 2022, SIT embarked on a peer-to-peer emotional support programme. Potential supporters were interviewed for the programme, before they embarked on specially curated training with five core modules. To help drive ground-up initiatives, a student executive committee was installed. As a group, these peer supporters engage the student community to promote available support (theirs included) and resources for good mental health. Some challenges faced include lack of student awareness of the presence of peer support and their willingness and knowledge of how to connect with a peer supporter, as well as understanding the benefits of peer support. 

 

The next phase of the peer support service has begun, where the student peer supporters should be gainfully engaged and students seeking the support report reaping benefits. 

 

Feedback from other stakeholders such as SIT faculty will also be consolidated. The presentation will share a summary of the Student Development and Care Strategy, objectives of the SIT peer support programme, challenges faced and ideas to navigate these challenges, success stories, as well as ideas for the future. If possible, the presentation will have both SIT staff and student peer supporters sharing their peer support experiences. 

 

Mentoring for Everyone’s Well Being

cdtlsd Lighting Talks , ,

Deborah Ann CHOO* and Julie GOUIN

Centre for English Language Communication (CELC)   

*elcchoo@nus.edu.sg

Choo, D. A., & Gouin, J. (2024). Mentoring for everyone's well being [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-dachoo-jgouin/

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Wellbeing 

KEYWORDS

Mentoring, wellbeing 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talk

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

Mentoring new colleagues is an important part of integrating new staff into the university setting. This presentation is part of a case study through document analysis which evolved from a mentoring relationship. Together we hypothesised that a fruitful mentoring relationship leads to mentee and mentor wellbeing, consequently promoting student wellbeing. We define wellbeing broadly to encompass both the hedonic and eudaimonic forms (Zuo et al., 2017). 

 

Our experience aligns with the literature that good mentoring leads to professional development (Gilles & Wilson, 2004; Hudson, 2013) and retention of new staff (Gardiner et al., 2007; Kanaskie, 2006; Laband & Lentz, 1995). Our workplace handbook, which references Lipscomb and An’s (2010) recommendation to create a structured mentoring relationship also delineates the roles and responsibilities of the mentor and mentee (Lee et al., 2017). We found that throughout our ongoing relationship, we each assumed many of the roles from the handbook and other literature, but mentor as “role model” (Kram, 1983, Levesque et al., 2005, Olian et al., 1988, Shen & Kram, 2011) led to an ethic of care (Noddings, 2012) and thus, we contend, to student wellbeing. Furthermore, Riva et al., (2020) found that teachers’ care for students at the university level correlates with student wellbeing. 

 

Our mentoring relationship was initiated by our management, based on our assignment to teach the same course. Mentoring activities included discussions about the course objectives and materials, addressing students’ questions, and responding to mentee’s questions. The mentor also anticipated items that might need clarification or elaboration and oriented the mentee to the course, the department, the broader opportunities, and the physical environment. A Microsoft (MS) Teams group, created by the mentor, facilitated sharing and reflection on classroom activities among the mentor, mentee, and two additional colleagues. The mentee drove the relationship by seeking clarification, observing the mentor’s class, reflecting on pedagogy, and implementing useful ideas for student learning and the promotion of wellbeing. 

 

In our study, we quantified the data by creating tables using three of Zuo et al.’s six dimensions to uncover evidence of wellbeing in the following documents: student feedback, the course coordinator’s review of the mentee, the mentee’s review of the mentor and the MS Teams forum. The three dimensions were then separated according to hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. Additionally, we produced tables using four selected categories of care ethics (Noddings 2012) to analyse selected documents. We also created a table to demonstrate the connections between mentor, mentee and student care and wellbeing, analysing all documents in addition to mentor-mentee communications. 

 

Our analysis showed that the mentor’s modeling with her own students and suggestions for care positively impacted mentor, mentee and student wellbeing. For instance, the mentor displayed care by asking students about their sleep and encouraging open communication about stress. She also suggested that the mentee survey her students, which led to a positive change in the mentee’s teaching style as reported through the student feedback exercise. Furthermore, like the mentor’s engagement with student wellbeing, the student feedback exercise reflected the mentee’s use of this approach as a strength and thus, the mentee’s wellbeing. Further analysis of this student feedback showed a distribution of wellbeing across the three dimensions (Zuo et al., 2017). Additionally, mentor wellbeing was evidenced in the mentee’s observation and MS Teams forum, using the same method for analysis. Overall, there was a predominance of eudaimonic wellbeing for mentor, mentee, and students across all documents. These findings are significant because they support the importance of effective onboarding of new staff members. Well-executed mentoring relationships increase the likelihood of positively impacting the mentee, the mentor, and the students. 

REFERENCES

Gardiner, M., Tiggemann, M., Kearns, H., & Marshall, K. (2007). Show me the money! An empirical analysis of mentoring outcomes for women in academia. Higher Education Research & Development, 26(4), 425–442. 10.1080/07294360701658633 

Gilles, C., & Wilson, J. (2004). Receiving as well as giving: mentors’ perceptions of their professional development in one teacher induction program. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 12(1), 87–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/1361126042000183020 

Hudson, P. (2013). Mentoring as professional development: ‘growth for both’ mentor and mentee. Professional Development in Education, 39(5), 771–783. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2012.749415 

Kanaskie, M. L. (2006). Mentoring—A staff retention tool. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, 29(3), 248-252. https://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00002727-200607000-00010 

Kram, K. E. (1983). Phases of the mentor relationship. Academy of Management Journal, 26(4), 608-625. https://doi.org/10.5465/255910 

Laband, D. N., & Lentz, B. F. (1995). Workplace mentoring in the legal profession. Southern Economic Journal, 61(3), 783–802. https://doi.org/10.2307/1060998 

Lee, G, Tang, J., & Tan, S. H., (2017). Educator’s Development Programme (EDP) Mentoring Handbook. Centre for English Language Communication, National University of Singapore. 

Levesque, L. L., O’Neill, R. M., Nelson, T., & Dumas, C. (2005). Sex differences in the perceived importance of mentoring functions. Career Development International, 10(6/7), 429-443. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13620430510620539 

Lipscomb, R., & An, S., (2010). Mentoring 101: Building a mentoring relationship. Journal of American Dietetic Association. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2013.02.010 

Noddings, N. (2012). The caring relation in teaching. Oxford Review of Education, 38(6), 771– 781. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2012.745047 

Olian, J. D., Carroll, S. J., Giannantonio, C. M., & Feren, D. B. (1988). What do protégés look for in a mentor? Results of three experimental studies. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 33(1), 15-37. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(88)90031-0 

Riva, E., Freeman, R., Schrock, L., Jelicic, V., Özer, C.-T., & Caleb, R. (2020). Student wellbeing in the teaching and learning environment: A study exploring student and staff perspectives. Higher Education Studies, 10(4), 103. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v10n4p103 

Shen, Y., & Kram, K. E. (2011). Expatriates’ developmental networks: Network diversity, base and support functions. Career Development International, 16(6), 528-552. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620431111178317 

Student Feedback Report. (2024). National University of Singapore. 

Zuo, S., Wang, S., Wang, F., & Shi, X. (2017). The behavioural paths to wellbeing: An exploratory study to distinguish between hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing from an activity perspective. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 11(10). https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/prp.2017.1

 

Smart Calendar: Integrating AI for Student Mental Health and Wellbeing

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1, *Akshay Narayan, 1LI Jiayao, 1Bimlesh Wadhwa, 2Alex MITCHELL, 3Eric KERR, and 2Weiyu ZHANG

1Department of Computer Science, School of Computing (SOC)
2Department of Communications and New Media, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)
3Tembusu College and Asia Research Institute (ARI)

*dcsaksh@nus.edu.sg

Narayan, A., Li, J., Wadhwa, B., Mitchell, A., Kerr, E., & Zhang, W. (2024). Smart Calendar: Integrating AI for student mental health and wellbeing [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-anarayan-et-al/

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Wellbeing 

KEYWORDS

Smart calendar, AI, Time management, Rest and recovery, Wellbeing 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation

 

INTRODUCTION

University students face high cognitive loads and often feel they lack time for academic activities (Kyndt et al., 2014), increasing their stress levels (Kausar, 2010). Time management is a suggested coping strategy (Macan et al., 1990) that enhances academic performance and reduces anxiety (Razali et al., 2018). However, many students struggle with time management due to juggling academic, extracurricular, and personal commitments (Xu et al., 2014). 

 

Good time management helps students analyze tasks, plan effectively, and understand task priorities (Nonis et al., 2006; Sauvé et al., 2018). It leads to academic success and enhances life quality beyond university (Wang et al., 2011). However, students need support to develop these skills (Van der Meer et al., 2010). 

 

THE CORE CHALLENGE 

Despite its importance, studies haven’t focused on effective intervention mechanisms for time management or directly considered students’ mental wellbeing. Research often mentions stress reduction as a side effect but doesn’t address it directly. With AI advancements, we can now provide targeted interventions. AI can offer personalised scheduling and proactive reminders, including breaks and relaxation periods, to support both time management and mental wellness. 

 

OUR PROPOSED STRATEGY 

Our proposal results from discussions within a Technology for Social Good learning community. Recognising student mental wellness concerns at NUS, we explored technological solutions. We suggest a two-pronged approach using AI with a “smart calendar.” First, automate task planning and scheduling to reduce cognitive load and include intervention mechanisms. Second, incorporate mental wellness by automatically scheduling “recovery time” in the task schedule. 

 

Addressing mental health and wellbeing 

It is assumed that better time management improves mental health by reducing stress from unfinished tasks. However, most studies overlook the need for recovery and relaxation after demanding tasks. Research shows regular micro-breaks and sufficient sleep enhance productivity (Kim et al., 2018; Kühnel et al., 2017). 

 

We propose incorporating sleep schedules and explicit micro-breaks, proportional to the duration and the demand of the cognitive task, automatically in task scheduling. For example, a two-hour core-course lecture should be followed by a thirty-minute recovery break in the schedule. 

 

Automating time management 

We believe AI can enhance task scheduling by automating it using the following inputs: 

  • System input: Fixed academic schedules from university sources like timetables and LMS. 
  • User inputs: Personal schedules defining non-academic and extracurricular activities. 

 

We solve the task scheduling problem algorithmically, treating it as a constraint satisfaction and resource optimization issue. Given the fixed, limited available time, we aim to optimise its utilisation. Tasks and micro-breaks are modeled as constraints for the schedule. Additionally, the system can learn user behavior and preferences to refine the schedule. 

 

The smart calendar also nudges students (Caraban et al., 2019) to record task completion and follow scheduled micro-breaks, providing targeted interventions for mental wellbeing.

 

THE PATH FORWARD 

Currently, we have formulated a Master’s thesis project for developing an AI-driven smart calendar that addresses the intertwined challenges of time management and mental wellness for university students. Under this project, we are prototyping a calendar application based on the discussions arising out of the learning community focused on Technology for Social Good. The calendar aims to provide personalised, proactive support, helping students manage their busy schedules with ease and confidence. Going forward, we intend to perform a user study to measure the effectiveness of such a calendar application among university students. We believe as educational institutions prioritise mental wellness, adopting AI calendaring solutions could significantly foster a healthier, more productive student community.  

 

REFERENCES

Caraban, A., Karapanos, E., Gonçalves, D., & Campos, P. (2019). 23 ways to nudge: A review of technology-mediated nudging in human-computer interaction. In Proceedings of the 2019 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems,  

Kausar, R. (2010). Perceived stress, academic workloads and use of coping strategies by university students. Journal of Behavioural Sciences, 20(1). https://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/doap/PDF-FILES/3rd-article-Vol-20-No-1-2010.pdf 

Kim, S., Park, Y., & Headrick, L. (2018). Daily micro-breaks and job performance: General work engagement as a cross-level moderator. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(7), 772. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/apl0000308

Kühnel, J., Zacher, H., De Bloom, J., & Bledow, R. (2017). Take a break! Benefits of sleep and short breaks for daily work engagement. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(4), 481-491. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2016.1269750

Kyndt, E., Berghmans, I., Dochy, F., & Bulckens, L. (2014). ‘Time is not enough.’ Workload in higher education: a student perspective. Higher Education Research & Development, 33(4), 684-698. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2013.863839  

Macan, T. H., Shahani, C., Dipboye, R. L., & Phillips, A. P. (1990). College students’ time management: Correlations with academic performance and stress. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(4), 760. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-0663.82.4.760  

Nonis, S. A., Philhours, M. J., & Hudson, G. I. (2006). Where Does the Time Go? A Diary Approach to Business and Marketing Students’ Time Use. Journal of Marketing Education, 28(2), 121-134. https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475306288400  

Razali, S., Rusiman, M., Gan, W., & Arbin, N. (2018). The impact of time management on students’ academic achievement. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/995/1/012042  

Sauvé, L., Fortin, A., Viger, C., & Landry, F. (2018). Ineffective learning strategies: a significant barrier to post-secondary perseverance. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 42(2), 205-222. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2016.1224329  

Van der Meer, J., Jansen, E., & Torenbeek, M. (2010). ‘It’s almost a mindset that teachers need to change’: first‐year students’ need to be inducted into time management. Studies in Higher Education, 35(7), 777-791. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070903383211  

Wang, W.-C., Kao, C.-H., Huan, T.-C., & Wu, C.-C. (2011). Free time management contributes to better quality of life: A study of undergraduate students in Taiwan. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12, 561-573. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-010-9217-7

Xu, J., Yuan, R., Xu, B., & Xu, M. (2014). Modeling students’ time management in math homework. Learning and Individual Differences, 34, 33-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2014.05.011 

Exploring The Potential Of Mentorship Programmes In Supporting Students’ Wellbeing

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , ,

Hui Ting CHNG1, * and Golda Zhizhen WANG2

1Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, NUS
2Department of Pharmacy, Alexandra Hospital, Singapore

*phacht@nus.edu.sg

Chng, H. T., & Wang, G. Z. (2024). Exploring the potential of mentorship programmes in supporting students’ wellbeing [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-chng-wang/

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Wellbeing

KEYWORDS

Mentorship, wellbeing

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

INTRODUCTION

Mentorship plays an important role in the academic and professional development of individuals across various fields. Effective mentorship is not only beneficial for enhancing learning outcomes and career advancement, but could potentially impact the wellbeing of mentees. Burnout, defined by the World Health Organization as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, is characterised by: (1) Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, (2) Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and (3) Reduced professional efficacy. Health professions students are particularly susceptible to burnout due to intense academic pressures, long hours, and emotional demands (Dyrbye et al., 2006; Hirsch et al., 2009; Ishak et al., 2013). Effective mentorship can mitigate burnout in various ways. Mentors can provide a social support system (Haase, 2020), role-model (Hagemann et al., 2020) and foster resilience among mentees, a quality that protects against burnout (Tan et al., 2022). Mentors can also provide advice on work-life balance (Raub et al., 2015).

 

Since 2021, an alumni mentorship programme (INSPIRxE) for pharmacy and pharmaceutical science undergraduates in the National University of Singapore (NUS) was launched where alumni mentors mentored students for nine months-long in a group format. The aim of the programme is for mentees to enhance their skills and knowledge, seek feedback for personal and professional development, and gain insights about their passion and interests. While it was not formally briefed to mentors and mentees that the mentorship programme could also support mentees’ wellbeing, topics on managing stress, conflicts, and work-life balance were included in the mentor/mentee guidebook as suggested discussion topics.

 

This presentation explores the potential of mentorship programmes in supporting students’ wellbeing. Specifically, we present findings from NUS Academic Year (AY) 2022/23 INSPIRxE, evaluating if the topic of burnout was discussed amongst mentors and mentees.

METHODS

In AY2022/23, 38 mentees were mentored by 22 alumni mentors in 11 groups. Mentors and mentees were invited to participate in a survey to evaluate the impact of INSPIRxE on mentee’s professional development in terms of knowledge, skills and attitude. A subset of five questions related to burnout was included in the survey to assess if mentees and mentors discussed this topic during their interactions.

RESULTS

Thirty-six (95%) mentees and 16 (73%) mentors responded to the survey. After being presented with the WHO definition of burnout, 63.9% of the mentees agreed that they were experiencing burnout in their studies. 47.2% felt that their mentors taught them strategies to prevent burnout. This was comparable to 68.8% of mentors who responded that they taught their mentees strategies to prevent burnout. 52.9% of mentees felt that they were inclined to approach their mentors in times of difficulty. This was consistent with 43.8% of mentors who agreed that their mentees approached them in times of difficulty.

CONCLUSION

The extent of burnout reported by the mentees was alarming. While providing support on wellbeing was never specified in the aims of the mentorship programme, it is heartening to note that mentees sought mentors’ support during challenging times, and mentors provided tips on ways to prevent burnout. In the context of INSPIRxE, the alumni mentors are working adults with rich work and life experiences. These mentors bring in a different dimension of advice which complements that of academic mentors. We posit that students may feel less inhibited to confide with the alumni mentors especially if the concerns are studies related. They may also trust the advice of the alumni mentors given their wealth of experience in the “real-world”. Our findings suggest that mentorship programmes hold a great potential in supporting students’ wellbeing.

REFERENCES

Dyrbye, L. N., Thomas, M. R., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2006). Systematic review of depression, anxiety, and other indicators of psychological distress among U.S. and Canadian medical students. Acad Med, 81(4), 354-373. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-200604000-00009

Haase, K. K. (2020). Addressing burnout in clinical pharmacy: What can we learn from other health care disciplines? JACCP: JOURNAL OF THE American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 3(3), 645-654. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1189

Hagemann, T. M., Reed, B. N., Bradley, B. A., Clements, J. N., Cohen, L. J., Coon, S. A., Derington, C. G., DiScala, S. L., El-Ibiary, S., Lee, K. C., May, A., Oh, S., Phillips, J. A., & Rogers, K. M. (2020). Burnout among clinical pharmacists: Causes, interventions, and a call to action. JACCP: Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 3(4), 832-842. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1256

Hirsch, J. D., Do, A. H., Hollenbach, K. A., Manoguerra, A. S., & Adler, D. S. (2009). Students’ health-related quality of life across the preclinical pharmacy curriculum. Am J Pharm Educ, 73(8), 147. https://doi.org/10.5688/aj7308147

Ishak, W., Nikravesh, R., Lederer, S., Perry, R., Ogunyemi, D., & Bernstein, C. (2013). Burnout in medical students: a systematic review. Clin Teach, 10(4), 242-245. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.12014

Raub, J. N., Thurston, T. M., Fiorvento, A. D., Mynatt, R. P., & Wilson, S. S. (2015). Implementation and outcomes of a pharmacy residency mentorship programme. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 72(11_Supplement_1), S1-S5. https://doi.org/10.2146/ajhp140884

Tan, Y. Z., Chong, J. J., Chew, L. S. T., Tan, K. H., & Wang, A. (2022). Burnout and resilience among pharmacists: A Singapore study. JACCP: Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 5(1), 75-84. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1551

Cultivating Student Wellbeing and Skills: The Role of Arts and Cultural Participation in Student Development

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , , , ,

Rimi Parvin Khan

Department of Communications and New Media,
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), NUS

rimikhan@nus.edu.sg

Khan, R. P. (2024). Cultivating student wellbeing and skills: The role of arts and cultural participation in student development [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-rimikhan/

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Wellbeing

KEYWORDS

Co-curricular activities, arts and cultural participation, skills, wellbeing

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

Institutional conversations about student wellbeing are leading to a greater emphasis on co-curricular activities. There is growing recognition of the multi-dimensionality of student wellbeing, including the need for students’ ‘self-actualisation’ as part of their university experience (Baik & Larcombe, 2023). This paper explores the particular role that cultural participation plays within these practices of self-actualisation.

‘Culture’ is a broad and ambiguous term that is used to describe both ‘art’ (Arnold, 1869) and ‘ordinary’ practices of identity- and meaning-making (Williams, 1958; Ang, 1993). In both the Singapore and international policy contexts, ‘cultural participation’ encompasses activities ranging from music, literature, audio-visual and new media, as well as sports and other leisure activities. For several decades, cultural studies scholars and policymakers have been debating the impact of cultural participation, and whether these can, or should, be tied to a range of creative, cultural, or economic objectives (Galloway, 2006; Miles & Gibson, 2016; Yue & Khan, 2014). Over this period, economic justifications for arts and cultural participation have come to the fore, emphasising the importance of creative industries in contributing to national economies.

It is in this context that my research, which is part of a larger collaborative project funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC LP200301027), explores the role of arts and cultural participation in contributing to transferable skill development for the future economy.

The paper discusses NUS co-curricular activities (CCAs) as both facilitating student wellbeing and contributing to transferable skill development, highlighting the potential tensions that arise between these goals. It draws on qualitative research with students involved in NUS Centre for the Arts’ CCA programmes. University-based student clubs supporting a range of arts and creative activities have long been part of the student experience in Singapore. These clubs, ranging from music ensembles to theatre and performing arts groups, provide students with opportunities to engage in creative expression and collaboration outside the formal academic curriculum. This paper examines the role of these CCAs in the cultivation of skills such as critical thinking, social and cultural awareness, problem-solving, and collaboration, aligning with the World Economic Forum’s 21st Century Skills Framework and the Singaporean government’s ‘SkillsFuture’ policy, both of which directly inform curriculum and labour market planning. The research asks: 1) How do young people acquire 21st-century skills through arts participation?; 2) Why do young people participate in CCA arts activities?; and 3) What are the longer-term vocational outcomes and career pathways for young people who participate in these activities?

The data suggests that creative participation does lead to such skills and contributes not only to students’ ‘lifelong’ but also to ‘lifewide’ learning (Barnett, 2011), emphasising individuals’ holistic development. However, students do not necessarily see the value of their CCA participation in these terms and are more ambivalent about the contribution of these activities to their longer-term employment trajectories. The paper asks whether activities that promote wellbeing should be tied to economic and educational outcomes, or whether they should offer a space for personal development that exists outside these objectives. Is such a space possible given the competitive structures of educational and career attainment that students participate in? Given these questions and tensions, how might we best advocate for students’ cultural participation and the continuing value of CCAs?

REFERENCES

Arnold, M. (1994). Culture and anarchy. 1869. Ed. Samuel Lipman. Yale UP, 1, 164.

Baik, C., & Larcombe, W. (2023). Student wellbeing and students’ experiences in higher education. In Research Handbook on the Student Experience in Higher Education. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Barnett, R. (2011). Lifewide education: A new and transformative concept for higher education. Learning for a Complex World: A Lifewide Concept of Learning, Education and Personal Development, 22-38.

Williams, R. (2011). Culture is ordinary (1958). Cultural theory: An anthology, 5359.

Ang, I. (1993). To be or not to be Chinese: Diaspora, culture and postmodern ethnicity. Asian Journal of Social Science, 21(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1163/030382493X00017

Galloway, S. (2006). Cultural participation and individual quality of life: A review of research findings. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 1, 323-342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-007-9024-4

Miles, A., & Gibson, L. (2016). Everyday participation and cultural value. Cultural Trends, 25(3), 151-157. https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2016.1204043

Yue, A., & Khan, R. (2014). Accounting for multiculturalism: the utility of cultural indicators and the politics of diversity and participation. Conjunctions, 1(1), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.7146/tjcp.v1i1.18600

Building Nature into the Curriculum: Wellbeing Through Nature Education

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Patricia LORENZ

Ridge View Residential College (RVRC), NUS

plorenz@nus.edu.sg

Lorenz, P. (2024). Building nature into the curriculum: Wellbeing through nature education [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-plorenz/

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Wellbeing

KEYWORDS

Wellbeing, outdoor learning, nature education, experiential learning, general education

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

This paper presentation in the sub-theme of “Opportunities From Wellbeing” examines how nature education, built into the General Education (GE) courses at NUS, can benefit student wellbeing. Albeit not being the main focus of the courses, extensive opportunities to spend time in nature promotes a sense of wellbeing in students by countering widespread Nature Deficit Disorder (Lee, 2023). The term “Nature Deficit Disorder” was first described by Louv (2008) as a condition in which children and young people are deprived of spending time in nature and the opportunity to play outdoors. Recent research has demonstrated direct links between Nature Deficit Disorder and mental health in adolescents (Dong & Geng, 2023). Thus, universities have the potential to benefit students’ health and wellbeing by exposing enrolled students to nature through the formal or informal curriculum.

 

Ridge View Residential College (RVRC) focuses on teaching sustainability and labels itself the “College in Nature”. As such, it offers a range of extracurricular nature-based activities, such as the RVRC Leopard Cat Quest, RVRC Intertidal Walk and Clean, and the RVRC Citizen Science Programme. The college also offers two courses under the GE “Community and Engagement” pillar, namely RVN2001 “The Great Extinction”, focusing on the current biodiversity loss and mass extinction, and RVN2002 “Wild Asia”, discussing conservation issues and strategies in Southeast Asia. While both courses were designed with a focus on biodiversity loss and conservation, increasingly reconnecting students to the natural world has become an additional focal point.

 

Observational evidence and survey questionnaires have demonstrated that nearly all students enrolling in the courses suffer from Nature Deficit Disorder. Hence, a larger focus was placed on creating time throughout the course schedule to reconnect to nature. RVN2001 engages students in four local fieldtrips, and one outdoor learning session on campus, while RVN2002 engages students on a highly immersive 10-day overseas fieldtrip to Pahang, Malaysia, which is nearly entirely dominated by outdoor learning. While this provides ample outdoor learning time, specific techniques were employed to facilitate greater awareness of the natural world and the benefits immersion in nature provides to the individual. Great emphasis is placed on being still or quiet in nature, to silently observe wildlife or habitats, as well as to engage in a structured Forest Bathing session.

 

As a result, students have demonstrated a greater appreciation for nature in post-course surveys. Moreover, through experiential learning student were able to identify how these nature engagement sessions benefit their own health and wellbeing. Feedback from RVN2001 demonstrates the understanding “That nature is important to our wellbeing” and “how environmentalism can be directly linked with health”. Students were also able to connect the personal experiences to society: “Going on the field trips to nature parks really helped me take my mind off school work (which, if extended to larger society, could have really beneficial effects too if they would realise)”, and the bigger picture: “This kind of environmental action underscores the interconnectedness of all life and the critical role that conservation plays in our own survival and well-being”. Likewise, a noticeable number of students who took RVN2002 declared that “Forest bathing really opened my eyes and made me truly realise how much I love nature and how much I enjoy it”, and understood the health benefits of the activity: “Being silent in nature was very therapeutic”.

 

Thus, with little outdoor engagement built into the Singapore school curriculum, it can be argued that it is highly beneficial for educators to make an effort to incorporate extensive nature-based outdoor education into the curriculum in order to benefit students’ mental and physical wellbeing. This however ought not to be done in addition to existing classroom teaching, thus further adding to students’ already heavy workload, but instead outdoor learning ought to replace conventional classroom teaching.

REFERENCES

Dong, X. & Geng, L. (2023). Nature deficit and mental health among adolescents: A perspectives of conservation of resources theory. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 87(101995). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494423000439

Lee, K. (2023). Addressing the Nature-Deficit Disorder in Singapore. Nature Watch, 31(1), 14-15.  https://www.nss.org.sg/articles/492463b1-bAllPagesNW23Q1FINAL-5MB.pdf

Louv, R. (2008). Last child in the woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder.  Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. https://richardlouv.com/books/last-child/

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