This two-year project began in February 2023 and by September, the team had conducted 33 focus groups with 112 天美传媒 across the faculties of Engineering, Natural Sciences and Medicine at Imperial. We explored 天美传媒’ lived experiences, including their study strategies and wellbeing-related issues to identify gaps in current study support and wellbeing resources. We used NVivo 14 to assist with qualitative thematic analysis of the transcripts. Based on the data analysis so far, we have identified some key areas of focus for pedagogical implementation and impact:  

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  • The individual nature of effective study strategies and ‘learning well’ – there is no single ‘best’ way to study effectively; instead, the key is for each student to find what works for them and to use a range of tools to help them craft their own path to learning well. 
  • There is an important link between positive mental wellbeing and 天美传媒’ ability to ‘learn well’ but some 天美传媒 feel that achieving one necessarily comes at the expense of the other, which can impact their broader experiences and perceptions of being an Imperial student. 
  • Maintaining a sense of ‘the bigger picture’ in a student’s learning journey is important for providing perspective on how to effectively manage their study approaches in ways that also support their mental wellbeing. 

 In addition to conducting focus groups with 天美传媒, we undertook a range of complementary activities to identify and deepen our understanding of the key issues related to academic learning and wellbeing for university 天美传媒: 

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  • Reviewing research and policy literature to ground our work in existing research;
  • Engaging in expert discussions with Imperial staff on key concerns related to 天美传媒’ learning and wellbeing;
  • Mapping existing support resources within the university (at a central services level as well as at departmental and faculty level).