Education pathways (1)

TASO has commissioned Ipsos to evaluate three interventions that aim to support student mental health and wellbeing in higher education.

This project is one of three TASO flagship student mental health projects. Each project involves different evaluation methodologies: randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and evaluation with small cohorts.

Following an open call in spring 2024, TASO has selected and funded three higher education providers to participate in a project that will evaluate their student mental health and wellbeing interventions. 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.

This work comes at a pressing time given the increase in reported mental health difficulties by students (see previous TASO report on ‘Student mental health in 2023’), in addition to the added pressure of the increased cost of living.

There is currently limited evidence on the impact of mental health and wellbeing interventions for students and it is imperative that, as a sector, we understand what works to support better mental health and wellbeing in higher education.

Interim reports will be published in spring/summer 2025, with final reporting later on in the year.

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 for first year students, building on an online module which aims to support wellbeing during transition. 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 potential 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.

Raynette Bierman, Director of the Policy and Evaluation Unit at Ipsos said:

“Our team is delighted to be working with TASO and the three HE providers to evaluate a range of interventions that seek to improve the mental health and wellbeing of students. Our wider work on the National Student Survey found that students were more positive on how information about mental wellbeing services was communicated since last year, and we look forward to this work contributing to a deeper understanding of what interventions and services work to improve student outcomes.”