TITLE:
Survey to Inform the Development of an Online Support System for Higher Education Students —Higher Education and Online Support
AUTHORS:
Rhianna Goozée, Marietta Papadatou-Pastou, Elizabeth Barley, Mark Haddad, Patapia Tzotzoli
KEYWORDS:
Online Intervention, Mental Health, Study Skills, Students, Well-Being, Higher Education
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.10 No.3,
March
27,
2018
ABSTRACT: An increasing number of higher education students face mental health difficulties, but the universities’ student support services (SSS) struggle to meet demand with limited resources. Web-based alternatives hold promise as a novel medium through which students could access support. Online interventions appear to be effective and may therefore provide a cost-effective alternative, relieving some of the burden on struggling SSS. This paper presents results from an explorative survey of 61 students questioned about their opinion of online support systems. The majority of students indicated that they would use such a system and that it should be interactive and personalized, focusing on time and money management, relaxation exercises, and building social skills. Future directions towards the development of such a system are discussed.