Skip to main content
header search
ahihi OpenLearn
OpenLearn
Menu
sticky search

About this free course

Become an OU student

Download this course

Share this free course

Course content Course content
Supporting adult learners’ positive mental health
Supporting adult learners’ positive mental health

Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available.

More free courses
This is a poster entitled ‘Mental health in distance learning’. There is a banner at the top containing three bits of text: ‘Interviews with students (N=16) and tutors (N=5) let to a model of barriers and enablers’; ‘A student survey (N=584) provided quantitative data on barriers and enablers’; ‘Student and staff focus groups (N=116) co-created solutions’. There is a section titled ‘Enablers’ with the following statistics: ‘58.2% of students said studying helped with their sense of confidence and identity; 62.1% of students said their curriculum content was positive for their mental health; 63.7% of students stated that building study skills had a positive impact on wellbeing; 64.8% of students found the people in their life helped their wellbeing; 58.4% of students said a distance learning environment was good for their mental health. There is another section titled ‘Barriers’ with the following statistics: 60.1% of students struggled with difficult life circumstances during their studies; 33.3% of students found isolation negatively affected mental health; 40.6% of students disclosing a mental health condition struggled with communication skills; 71.9% of students disclosing a mental health condition found assessment was a problem for their mental wellbeing; 62.4% of students said assessment was a barrier to wellbeing. Underneath this is a section titled ‘Solutions’. Four solutions are offered: The first is ‘Assessment design and strategy should be more inclusive, with built-in flexibility and choice. A more dialogic approach to assessment is needed.’ The second is ‘Regular, proactive contact from the OU is needed, checking in on students with mental health issues to check they’re okay and show the university cares.’ The third is ‘Confidence-building activities should be embedded in modules, helping students recognise their strengths and achievements.’ The fourth is ‘Bridging materials and discussion forums between modules should be in place to reduce students’ isolation and build a peer community.’
Figure 2 Taxonomy of barriers and enablers to wellbeing in distance learning (Lister et al., 2021).

 2 Taxonomy of wellbeing: understanding barriers and enablers to wellbeing