Mentally healthy curriculum design for Health and Exercise Science

The challenge

Mental health (MH) can impact on student satisfaction, engagement, continuation, completion, and progression (Hughes and Spanner, 2019). Poor mental health amongst students is increasingly reported with 57% of students self-reporting a mental health issue, with 24% stating they have a diagnosis (Student Minds, 2023). Recent UK data showed that students who feel supported by their university feel better about their wellbeing and are significantly less likely to consider dropping out (Studiosity, 2023). Furthermore, positive MH has been associated with higher achievement, deeper learning, and higher student satisfaction (Houghton and Anderson, 2017). HE curriculum is a guaranteed touchpoint with students and therefore is key to enhancing perceptions of student support and MH (Hughes and Spanner, 2019). The purpose of this article is to share reflections and recommendations from a project which explored how to design a mentally healthy curriculum within sport, exercise and health sciences. The project was informed by principles outlined in the Mental Health Charter for Universities (Hughes and Spanner, 2019) and the Education for Mental Health toolkit (Hughes et al., 2022).

The approach

A case study design exploring how mental health does, and could, feature across the curriculum was undertaken. Current students, academics, well-being and CLT colleagues participated in listening workshops and interviews over a four month period. The analysis informed the design of the revalidation of the Health and Exercise Science course.

The impact

Recommendations for Mentally Healthy Curriculum Design have been produced and shared widely. These recommendations are below and have informed the revalidation of Health and Exercise Science Course. These have been shared widely both internally and externally.