supporting mental health awareness through the use of augmented reality - jisc digital festival 2015

Education: Transforming learning and teaching

Augmented Reality @ South Staffordshire College

Steve Wileman - Chief learning technologist, South Staffordshire College

Ali Hanson - Learner journey manager , South Staffordshire College

Terry Hammond – Director, Rethink Mental Illness

» South Staffordshire College’s partnership with Rethink Mental Illness charity has led to significant progress being made in developing Augmented Reality resources that promote and raise awareness of hidden disabilities

» This session showcases how the partners contributed to the creation of high quality Augmented Reality resources allowing early identification or self-referral of learners with hidden disabilities

Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality

» Through our collaboration with the charity Rethink Mental Illness, the project has built upon our work promoting greater awareness of hidden disabilities

» Using Augmented Reality will enable us to do this in a way that is comfortable and easily accessible to staff and learners developing a college wide inclusive culture

Often stigma is attached to the perception of mental health issues

» Persuading young people to be more aware of their mental health is crucial because:

› 1 in 4 at some stage in their life will be diagnosed with a mental illness

› Early intervention is crucial, it can make the difference between recovery and years of ill health

» Augmented Reality is a unique tool that really does help young people to be more engaged in understanding mental health

Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality

» The college’s learner journey and Mentor support teams plus combined outputs from the Rethink partnership are allowing staff and learners access to more inspiring, engaging, innovative and modern self-support / situated learning communication methods and mental action

Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality

» Augmented Reality (AR) is a way of superimposing digital contents into the real world

» Our college app takes a device’s camera-view of the real world, understands what is sees and then overlays this view with an interactive layer of the virtual world

What is Augmented Reality?

» It utilises the ever evolving mobile communications industry

» AR has been predominantly be applied in the areas of entertainment, retail, travel, advertising, and social communication

What is Augmented Reality?

» Following the introduction of Augmented Reality at South Staffordshire College, AR is changing the way we teach, learn and communicate to our 21st Century learners making the whole learning experience more entertaining, rewarding, engaging

The App:

Redefinition: Tech allows for the creation of new tasks previously inconceivable

Modification: Tech allows for significant task redesign

Augmentation: Tech acts as a direct tool substitute, with functional improvement

Substitution: Tech acts as a direct tool substitute, with no functional change

Tra

nsfo

rma

tion

En

ha

nce

me

nt

» The technology is having an impact particularly in practical subjects such as construction and is driving up their success rates!!

» See more at: jiscrsc.ac.uk/case-studies/wm/south-staffordshire-college-wm66.aspx#sthash.7Ci5E8xM.dpuf

The App:

Redefinition: Tech allows for the creation of new tasks previously inconceivable

Modification: Tech allows for significant task redesign

Augmentation: Tech acts as a direct tool substitute, with functional improvement

Substitution: Tech acts as a direct tool substitute, with no functional change

Tra

nsfo

rma

tion

En

ha

nce

me

nt

» The Learner Journey mentor team immediately saw the potential of AR and began to look at ways that support and guidancecould be provided to our learners in an unobtrusive manner

The App: :

» Learners can confidentially seek information regarding support and staff are more informed to able to guide the learner towards support provision and relevant agencies

The App: :

» Posters carrying the AR logo are placed in student areas and staff rooms to deliver essential information quickly and efficientlyupon access

» See more at: jiscrsc.ac.uk/case-studies/wm/south-staffordshire-college-wm66.aspx#sthash.7Ci5E8xM.dpuf

The App: :

Learner Journey Team

More mental health in cities than rural areas but a high rate of suicide amongst farmers

Making mental health issues more visible is important for the college

Mentor support

» 562 learners were referred to the College mentoring team and an additional 225 learners were referred for safeguarding support in Term 1, during 2013/2014

› Term 1 in 2014/2015 - 508 learners were referred to mentoring and although this has shown a 9% decrease, we have seen a 59% increase in our safeguarding referrals - 358 learners were referred to safeguarding

» A significant number of those referrals related to self-harm (42% increase), suicidal tendencies, threats or attempts (8% increase), diagnosed mental health concerns (58% increase)

Statistics

Making mental health issues more visible is important for the college

» Rethink Mental illness had been looking for new and innovative ways of engaging with young people to try and get mental health on there radar

» South Staffordshire college was looking for an organisation that had high quality health information -it was the perfect match

» Following discussion between the two parties, Rethink agreed to provide the mental health material and give access to their website and South Staffordshire college provided the IT expertise and mentor support to move forward the initiative

Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality

Jisc FE and skills development and resource programme -Innovation through technology

Promote, engage and collaborate

‘Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality’

Jisc funded project

Content

Augmented Reality (AR) posters

‘Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality’

Jisc funded project

Usage

» Facilitate easy and informal access to short Rethink mental health videos and support services intended to help raise awareness of mental health issues for staff and students

» Appropriate points signposting key topics and messages

» Ongoing and throughout the learner journey

‘Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality’

Jisc funded project

» Themes and content created by Rethink on their website and YouTube channel, allow SSC to repurpose and generate high quality Augmented Reality resources and website support links

» The project helps to overcome stigma and the lack of knowledge about mental health; a problem that affects many individuals but remains little understood and is often treated as a subject which is difficult to discuss

‘Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality’

» As a result of this work the College is continuing to develop teaching and learning approaches and pedagogy across the whole campus through their growing expertise in AR technology. This includes work on student experience, the student learner journey and curriculum enhancement

» Examples

› Student Experience: Interactive Artwork, Directions, Course Information, Student induction trail, AR welcome from Principal

› Student Learner Journey: Surveys, Equality and Diversity messages, Advice and Guidance, Progression Tools, Tutorial messages

› Curriculum Enhancement: Practical demonstrations, assessment tools and tests, learner assessments, demonstrations of other apps, social media and video

› Lets take a look…

‘Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality’