4 Stigma-free curriculum design

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JOANNA BAKER: Research has shown that improving student mental health and well being requires whole University responses. The curriculum plays a vital role in any whole University response as it’s the only guaranteed contact point between students and their University. The Education For Mental Health toolkit has been created to provide evidence informed guidance on how the curriculum can support being and learning.

GARETH HUGHES: So we’ve designed this toolkit specifically to support academic staff, academic teams, curriculum development staff, and University leadership to help them really think about curriculum that can support learning of students so that students are learning more, but that can also support the mental health and well being of students right across their University.

TAMSIN BOWERS-BROWN: So we focused right from the start on thinking about how the toolkit could support student learning and welleing. We wanted to make sure that everything in the toolkit was underpinned by research, evidence, and guidance from the literature.

CHRIS WILSON: An important part of staff development in higher education is to challenge some of the assumptions that staff can bring to what academia means and what learning and teaching means in higher education. And there are some common patterns and perspectives that tend to emerge in working with different constituent groups, different disciplinary perspectives.

GARETH HUGHES: I think some people are worried that when we think about curriculum and mental health, that this means we have to lower the academic challenge, that we have to make it less stressful for students by making it easier. But in fact, what the research shows and hopefully what the toolkit shows is that’s not the case at all. Academic challenge can actually be really good for students when they’re properly prepared for it, when there’s appropriate scaffolding in place. And when their learning is meaningful. So that they’re able to gain positive wellbeing from their learning.

SALLY BRADLEY: When students find curriculum content and activities meaningful, it can enhance psychological and behavioural engagement and lead to positive emotions and experiences.

TAMSIN BOWERS-BROWN: So that really helps with imposter syndrome or avoiding imposter syndrome.

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JOANNA BAKER: Our curriculum supports social belonging is particularly important for being and learning and is a key focus for the toolkit.

JULIET FOSTER: There’s been a great deal of research recently looking at how belonging correlates very highly not just with student well-being in general, but also with student outcomes, attainment, transition, continuation, and so on as well.

GARETH HUGHES: So one of the key factors for students, whether you’re learning online or you’re learning in the classroom, is that sense of psychological safety. That you feel that you belong to a community. That you are in a safe place where you can make mistakes, where you can get things wrong. And that’s just regarded as part of your learning, and that you’re not at risk of being humiliated or feeling stupid, or that you don’t deserve to be where you are because you’ve got something wrong.

TAMSIN BOWERS-BROWN: When students come into higher education, they come from a variety of different backgrounds, different educational settings, different places of origin. And therefore, we need to be aware of that in thinking about their experience and how different that experience might be. So in order to ensure really good learner development and engagement, we need to recognise from the outset that those experiences are really different.

So we need to remember that when students arrive in higher education, that they may not have any understanding of the process or procedures of the institution. And that we start from that point. Rather than assuming what they might know, we assume that they don’t know anything about these processes and procedures.

JULIET FOSTER: Another theme that runs right the way through this is the importance of setting clear expectations, clear norms around learning, around the learning environment, and so on. And an important theme and an important part of that as well, of course, is how we co-produce those norms and ensure they’re embedded along with our students.

TAMSIN BOWERS-BROWN: So there are three things that are really important-- good preparation, not making any assumptions about what learners might know, and thirdly, really strong curriculum design. And that curriculum design needs vertical and horizontal scaffolding to make sure that there are no surprises in the curriculum.

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JOANNA BAKER: Our curriculum is designed and focused has clear implications for student well-being and learning. As evidence shows, curriculum design needs to take account of the spectrum of experiences and the preparation that students receive prior to University. Its focus should be on learning or mastery, and ensure that students are supported to become successful.

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CHRIS WILSON: Another aspect of staff development that I think is quite important is the extent to which staff who may not be involved in formally developing, crafting, writing, or producing curriculum design-- writing modules, writing programme specifications, therefore may not need to be actively involved in studying or being supported in understanding the key principles associated with that.

I think the research evidence demonstrates that not to be the case. And that every member of staff involved in any form of role that has a form of responsibility in supporting students has significant opportunity or there is value in them having that opportunity to study, reflect, and to understand how effective curriculum design operates

TAMSIN BOWERS-BROWN: So when curriculum design happens at a programme level rather than with a silo of the module, we can see that vertical and horizontal alignment. And that means that all the academics that are teaching the programme are aware of what comes before and what comes next. And therefore, for learners, there’s that consistency and expectation about what they’re going to learn and where they’re going to learn it.

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JOANNA BAKER: One of the key messages in the toolkit is that learning can support good well-being. When designed and delivered well, the curriculum can result in students building their confidence and feeling excited, being really interested and engaged, and believing in their ability to meet the future.

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SALLY BRADLEY: The approach adopted by a student can impact on academic learning, persistence, and success, but also psychological well-being.

GARETH HUGHES: One of the key things we’re looking at within all of this is that it’s not just about avoiding stress. It’s actually that learning can be good for us. Learning has the potential to be really positive for our mental health and well being overall.

SALLY BRADLEY: There is an indication that students who perceive their studies to be meaningful have greater life satisfaction.

JOANNA BAKER: The process by which curriculum is designed has a real bearing on how well it can consider wellbeing and learning. The toolkit explores a number of underpinning aspects to curriculum design, including who should be included in the design process itself, and how quality systems work. It also looks at staff development and the relationship between academics and student services. And also, the importance of staff wellbeing.

CHRIS WILSON: Staff development is fundamentally important in higher education. Subject expertise will take you so far beyond subject expertise the need to explore and understand how student learning and teaching can best and most effectively support student learning requires time and energy to develop that expertise.

GARETH HUGHES: From previous research we’ve done, one of the other things that’s really important is the link between academic staff and student support-- and support services in universities. And making sure that signposting and that through flow happens really easily and that academics are able to maintain their boundaries.

CHRIS WILSON: Teaching and supporting students is not a theoretical exercise. So the development of staff for teaching roles needs to cover both underpinning theory, but also some very practical elements. Understanding the principles of constructive alignment and the reason why the way in which curriculum is expressed, described and presented to students as important is fundamental. But also, understanding the impact that teaching can have both through formal sessions but also informal support for students is fundamentally important.

TAMSIN BOWERS-BROWN: So we know that many academics are already doing fantastic work to support student learning and wellbeing. And we really hope that this toolkit will support you in that endeavor and making sure that you’re aware of the links between curriculum and wellbeing.

JULIET FOSTER: As I say, I’m really excited about what I think this toolkit can do. I personally feel that this section is a particularly important one. So do take a look, and I hope you will find it of benefit. Thanks very much.

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