Students' well-being in higher education has been a growing concern globally since the coronavirus pandemic, which disrupted learning and lives generally.
Well-being has been described as "the combination of feeling good and functioning well; experiencing positive emotions such as happiness and contentment as well as the development of one's potential, having some control over one's life, having a sense of purpose, and experiencing positive relationships".
Well-being is important for student engagement, achievement and belonging, which all make for a more positive learning and teaching experience.
We teach in an academic literacy module at a historically disadvantaged university in South Africa. Since the pandemic, we've continued to see that students' well-being is often neglected, especially by students themselves. This neglect could potentially lead to lack of motivation, lack of interest and burnout.
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In South Africa, first-year students' well-being is often precariously placed, as they have to navigate socioeconomic and familial stresses, while adjusting to the demands of higher education. One of the many hurdles that students face is due to the "digital divide", and it includes having to learn how to use unfamiliar technological resources. There are high dropout rates for first-year students.
That's despite the efforts of universities to support them.
As academic literacy practitioners, we aim to help students to understand what's required of them academically. In the last five years, since the pandemic, we've revised our module to foster a more caring, responsive and engaging environment. The idea is to smooth the way into university studies and to enhance student well-being.
We recently published a paper on what we've learnt so far. Our main finding is that creating a "care-full" environment for learning is not as simple as it sounds. Care has to be offered at various levels - and also received. Universities, lecturers and students still need to overcome some barriers to receiving care.
Getting to know students
Our academic literacy module is offered to first-year undergraduate students and runs for both semesters, with a different group of students each semester. In line with the university's mandate, the module is concerned with student flourishing and success.
During the pandemic (2021-2022), we became aware of our students being in emotional distress, and so, to focus more deliberately on student well-being, we adopted a more "care-full" approach to learning and teaching. We embedded "care" into our module, by considering how we might equip students better to deal with the demands of higher education. We listened to our students' experiences and needs and made the necessary adjustments to provide a more supportive, holistic, care-full classroom. This continued in our post-pandemic classroom.
Read more: During lockdown, South African students wrote a book about 'a world gone mad'
The changes included adding assignment-specific guides, more resources, more focused discussions on time management and organisation, regular reminders of due dates, and links to work apps.
We also had regular conversations with the students as our way of getting to know them and finding out how they were coping. We wanted them to know that we were there to care for them, not just to impart knowledge.
Read more: Lecturers reflect on their efforts to ensure no student gets left behind
But we came to realise that by 2023 students were still struggling with the same issues as before, despite the changes we had made. This became clear from student questionnaires, end-of-semester feedback forms, and the informal conversations we had with them.
An analysis of our data showed that certain challenges acted as impediments to care and negatively affected students' well-being. The three main impediments were:
- resources
- time management
- anxiety.
In other words, these problems prevented students from "receiving" and benefiting from the care we offered.
Resources
Resources present a dual impediment to students' well-being. Firstly, students might not have access to resources like laptops and a stable internet connection. Secondly, they might not know how to use the available resources efficiently.
For example, many of our students indicated that they struggled to find lecture content or to submit assignments on the university's Learning Management System. This was even though we had made "how-to" guides for students showing step-by-step instructions and the university scheduled workshops on how to navigate it. Resources became another hurdle instead of helping as intended.
Organisation and time management skills
Many students struggle with meeting deadlines and balancing their social and university lives. During the pandemic, the online environment provided little structure to their days, so some of them struggled with managing their workload. This continued when classes were back on campus. It is not a problem that is unique to South Africa, but time management is important for well-being (and thus student success).
Feelings of inadequacy and anxiety
The last impediment we identified related to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. These feelings may be a result of struggles with resources and time management skills, but they might also be related to students' own perceived competence in their studies. Anxiety has become a challenge for many students in university, not just in South Africa, but globally. These feelings may stop students from reaching out for help.
Getting past the impediments
We've realised these challenges act as impediments to care. That is, despite the efforts educators may put into creating a "care-full" environment, certain challenges can hamper their effectiveness. In our context, we weren't able to make all our students feel cared for. This realisation could negatively affect the well-being of students and educators alike. Academics are at risk of burnout too.
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We still think academics have to be "care-full" with students, but they can't do it alone, and their care has to be reciprocated if it's to result in academic success and well-being. Care requires input from both the educators (the carers) and the cared-for (the students). When it works both ways, a "care-full" approach might improve students' well-being.
Both parties need to take responsibility. Students must be willing to receive care by taking care (that is, asking for advice, accepting the advice and resources that have been made available, doing what they can).
We understand that they might feel uncomfortable or anxious; we are not blaming them. Educators must take care in interactions with students, in pedagogical choices, and in content. University structures and processes are also involved in care. And the issue extends beyond the confines of the university into the national health, welfare and safety landscape. Care requires buy-in from all parties. Otherwise there may be limits to how care is received.
Martina van Heerden, Senior Lecturer in English for Educational Development, University of the Western Cape
Sharita Bharuthram, Associate Professor, University of the Western Cape
