This session will explore the relevance of students’ wellbeing in e-learning environments, and different experiences and studies developed in higher education institutions. The session will begin with Prof. Ángeles Sánchez-Elvira introducing the topic. Then, Dr Kate Lister will share her work about “Designing for Wellbeing: An Inclusive Learning Design Approach with Student Mental Health Vignettes”. Liesl Scheepers and Geesje Van der Berg will present their study about “The Value of Providing Online Students with Dedicated Affective Support, Particularly during Times of Crisis”. Q+A and discussion will follow.

Type of session: presentations with discussion

Moderator

Inés Gil-Jaurena

Inés Gil-Jaurena is an EDEN Fellow and member of the Steering Committee of the EDEN Network of Academic and Professionals (EDEN NAP). She is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education at the National Distance Education University (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia-UNED), Spain. She has been the Editor-in-chief of Open Praxis, a scientific journal published by the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) in the period 2012-2022. She coordinates the CO-Lab teaching innovation group at UNED.

Presenters

Ángeles Sánchez-Elvira

Ángeles Sánchez-Elvira is PhD in Psychology and senior lecturer in UNED Faculty of Psychology. She is Head of the UNESCO Chair in Distance Education (CUED), (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia-UNED), Spain the Director of UNED University Institute for Distance Education (IUED) and Chair of the Student Support Group in the EADTU Empower project. One of its main lines of research is on students’ psychosocial profiles and their impact on students’ wellbeing and academic performance in online and distance education.

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Kate Lister

Kate Lister is a professor of education, Head of Academic Professional Development at Arden University (United Kingdom), and Principal Investigator on the Positive Digital Practices project, funded by the UK Office for Students. Her work centers around embedding inclusivity and mental wellbeing in teaching, curricula, pedagogies and student experiences in higher education, particularly around holistic and practitioner development approaches.

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Liesl Scheepers

Liesl Scheepers is the Manager of Online Teaching and Learning at the IIE’s Varsity College Online Centre, South Africa and a current PhD student at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Her research focuses on student emotional wellness, teacher self-efficacy, and burnout in an ODL context. She is currently in the process of completing her PhD, under the supervision of Prof. Geesje van den Berg.

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Geesje van den Berg

Geesje van den Berg is a full professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies at the University of South Africa (UNISA), an open distance learning (ODL) mega university. She is the program coordinator of the structured Master’s in Education in Open Distance Learning. She leads a strategic UNISA project in academic capacity building in ODL, based on a partnership with Oldenburg University in Germany, and her interests includes ODL collaboration. Her research focuses on student interaction, support and the use of technologies in e-learning environments, and she has published widely in the field.