Project | Using quasi-experimental designs to evaluate mental health and wellbeing interventions

TASO has selected and funded three higher education providers to participate in a project that will evaluate their student mental health and wellbeing interventions using quasi-experimental designs.

TASO has also commissioned Ipsos as the independent evaluators on the project.

Ipsos will work with the providers to evaluate their interventions using quasi-experimental methods. These methods aim to establish a causal relationship between an intervention and outcomes. They rely on naturally occurring or constructed treatment and comparator groups rather than achieving this through random assignment.

The interventions

Ipsos will evaluate whether the three interventions have a positive impact on student mental health and wellbeing, compared to students who do not receive the interventions, as well as on other student outcomes such as attendance, engagement and attainment.

• Canterbury Christ Church University – A three-pronged intervention building on an online module which aims to support wellbeing during transition – available to all first year students. Half of the new students arriving for the academic year will receive: additional encouragement to complete the module; a one-to-one with course staff to produce a wellbeing action plan; and student co-led sessions focused on building support networks.
• University of East Anglia –  Timetabled wellbeing workshops are chosen by specific courses (across years), and delivered by Student Services/The Wellbeing team. The workshops will cover a range of themes including motivation, managing change, wellness action planning, managing stress, managing emotions, improving self-esteem and building resilience.
• University of Exeter – Pastoral mentors will act as a bridge between academic staff and support services. The pastoral mentors can identify wellbeing issues and difficulties early, through a data dashboard which flags drops in attendance and engagement. The mentors provide support focused on belonging and wellbeing, signposting to other services where needed.

The report is expected to launch in September 2025.