STUDENT EDUCATION FEATURE
In March 2020 , the emerging COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a huge shift in working and learning practices across the UK ( Watermeyer et al 2020 ). In terms of the response within higher education institutes , traditional methods of teaching and learning changed overnight , with face-to-face teaching moving to online platforms .
The occupational therapy cohorts at Cardiff University immediately transferred from experiential and practical learning experiences to virtual lectures and group work .
The course delivery has a heavy reliance on the use of problem based learning and appreciative enquiry , where triggers and scenarios are given to groups of students and they subsequently work collaboratively to explore theory and initiate the problemsolving process .
This style of learning relies on trust , rapport and collaboration , all of which were hindered by the move to online learning . Yet , perhaps an even more detrimental aspect of virtual learning was the social isolation that many of our students were feeling . Many were confined to their bedrooms within student residences , unable to meet with their peers , and too many to count could not even go outdoors to exercise as they were being asked to self-isolate due to the spread of the infection .
As an academic staff team , there were huge concerns about the impact of COVID-19 , lockdowns and isolation on the health and wellbeing of the student population and there was a considerable decline in engagement with academic work that was being set .
Occupational therapy lecturer Rachel Rowlands says : ‘ Many students were uncomfortable with Zoom protocols , refusing to turn their cameras and their microphones on . Incidental contact between students were also non-existent – there was no passing each other in corridors , staying behind in the lecture hall , or popping to the local café for a coffee and a catch-up .’
Students logged in , did their group work and then logged back out , some from their beds , some from desks within their bedrooms . Opportunities for social interaction were more limited than they had ever been before , for both staff and students .
Academic staff shared their own concerns about increased workload and feeling lonely and isolated at home and there was a real understanding and compassion for the students , who were also clearly experiencing such issues .
To tackle this , Rachel Rowlands and another lecturer , Maria Clarke , started to discuss a way forward , not only for current students , but also the new first year cohort due to begin in September 2020 .
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The start of lockdown was a big change for us as students , we needed to adapt very quickly to a whole new style of teaching , and the lack of contact with other students and academic staff was really felt by our whole cohort
They reached out to the current cohorts to explore whether the students felt that an engagement group would be beneficial , and when this was confirmed , asked for student volunteers in order to co-produce a Facebook page and plan the ongoing content .
There was a real enthusiasm from a core group of second and third-year students and collaboration began on planning the page .
Rachel says : ‘ We really wanted to ensure the students were fully involved . I wanted content to be relevant , helpful and meaningful to them . The students who were supporting contributed a number of ideas , and it was decided that the page would require a balance between fun and educational posts and activities .’
Within a few weeks of launching there were over 180 members within the group and posts included ‘ the best place to ( eat / drink / walk / cycle ) in Cardiff ’ for students new to the area , games , Zoom social gatherings and sharing occupational therapy-based news stories and reflections . Engagement was monitored via Facebook statistics and page moderators also ensured they posted monthly to ensure that the group activity was reflecting what the students needed or wanted .
Thus far , the most successful week was during RCOT Occupational Therapy Week in November 2020 . Through advertising and page recruitment , sub-groups were set up for students to arrange contacting schools to present about occupational therapy as a career . Staff and students also participated in the ‘ I love occupational therapy because …’ campaigns and the Small Change , Big Impact campaign wall . During this week , there were over 3,000 engagements on the page by its student members .
In response to Zoom social meetings , during which a number of students voiced their struggles with ongoing lockdowns and isolation , Rachel was contacted by third year student Dion Sutton , who proposed a student engagement wellbeing group . This would be a wellbeing initiative for students on the page to access peer support and was designed in addition to the centrally-accessed university student support and wellbeing team .
Dion recruited a team of approximately 10 third year occupational therapy students who planned events , contributed to group posts and provided peer support .
This was framed around the theme of a ‘ Wellbeing Wednesday ’, whereby members of the wellbeing team used the engagement page as a platform to promote student health and wellbeing . This
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