Browsing by Author "Davies, Rachel"

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    Third space professionals and academic collaboration to embed mental wellbeing in the curriculum
    (Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 2025-01-30) Allman, Zoe; Davies, Rachel
    Collaboration between third space professionals and academics has facilitated the effective implementation of embedded mental wellbeing in the curriculum at a UK university. De Montfort University in Leicester aimed to achieve a whole provider approach to embedding mental wellbeing, bringing expertise, skills and knowledge from third space professionals and academics to the task. A vital element of this activity was to develop face-to-face course-specific provision that had traditionally been delivered by third space professionals into a suite of downloadable teaching materials for academics to use in the classroom. This would facilitate the embedding of mental wellbeing content within the curriculum, aligned with taught academic content. This collaboration between colleagues developed a state of interdependence, with colleagues relying on one another to effectively implement embedded mental wellbeing. The benefits of mutual trust, a culture of collaboration, and empowerment developed across the teams (both academic and professional third space) who had hitherto not worked together.
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    UDL and the Social/Emotional Aspects of Learning: Embedding Mental Wellbeing is Everyone's Business
    (All Ireland Journal of Higher Education, 2024-09-24) Davies, Rachel; Merry, Kevin; Allman, Zoe
    The emotional aspects of learning are important but sometimes neglected elements of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This paper discusses a multi-faceted project to embed mental wellbeing at De Montfort University, Leicester, a UK university with an established UDL policy. The project encompassed the development of teacher training to consider student variability in emotional responses to learning; the provision of tutor resources to support the embedding of learning about wellbeing within the curriculum; and approaches to sharing practice across the campus. This paper argues that academic staff are key players in the support of students’ mental wellbeing and that a whole organisation approach, rather than a narrow focus on the provision of mental health support services, is an effective route to improving students’ mental wellbeing.