Connections Seminar: Student self-management, success and wellbeing - Curricular approaches

Self-management, success and wellbeing are key aspects of the student experience of the formal curriculum, and so should be explicitly considered at the program level in terms of curriculum design and delivery.

Moreover, a key implication of psychological research on mental health is that there is scope to increase the population’s capacity to experience wellbeing. Guided by this research, progressive universities could adopt a “healthy universities” population health approach to formulating and implementing policy to support student success. One strategy in such an approach is to utilise psychological research (e.g., based on self-determination theory) to inform curriculum design and delivery in a way that supports student success. Practical examples are given. 

A second strategy is that we can explicitly, within the formal curriculum, give students opportunities to further develop self-management, the capacity to effectively pursue meaningful goals, and to be flexible in the face of setbacks. Within the academic context, self-management includes time-management, effective study skills, and emotional regulation. Practical examples are given for how evidence-based self-management tools have been and could be integrated into diverse courses.

About Jacquelyn Cranney

Jacky's contributions have been in the areas of: (1) curricular approaches that provide opportunities for all students to further develop evidence-based strategies to achieve academic and professional goals, (2) quality education in general, and quality undergraduate psychology outcomes in particular, and (3) inclusive educational leadership. In pursuing these interests, she have been the recipient of several UNSW, national and international Fellowships, grants and awards.

Jacky is a UNSW Scienta Education Academy Fellow and Education Focussed academic. Committed to learning and teaching practice within UNSW, the Scientia Academy Fellows provide leadership and vision in learning and teaching across UNSW and in the higher education sector.

You can read more about Jacky on the Scientia Education Academy page.