Using the module
Welcome to the module on living costs.
If this is the first time you have accessed a module in the Being Well, Living Well programme, or if you need a brief reminder, here is some information on how the screens are organised, and some of the tools and features that are used throughout:
Content
- The centre of each screen contains the core content for each course, presented either as text, interactive activities, graphics, videos or animations
Text highlighted in a box preceded by an arrow contains instructions on how to navigate the activities that follow - Terms
highlighted like this are clickable glossary terms, and can be clicked on to access pop-up boxes containing definitions of key terms - Note that your responses to the note-making and text entry activities (where you type responses in the space provided) can be printed and used as part of your ongoing work
Confidentiality
Please note that responses to all activities are anonymous and are not saved. We hope this will help you to be as honest as possible about how you are feeling.
Poll questions
The poll questions are designed to help you think about your own situation and attitudes, and to compare your responses to those of others taking the programme. Note: responses are anonymous.
Pods
Throughout this programme, you will see additional learning opportunities in 'pods'. Exploring the information provided in the pods will enrich the learning experience.
Students say: Quotes from students linked to the main content on the screen, including audio from interviews.
Useful links: Links to organisations or other resources to support learning.
Peer support: Information and advice about how students can support each other.
Your context: Information about university services and national organisations as appropriate.
Download: Templates or other useful information to download.
I want to seek help: Links to services that offer support, advice and comfort in a time of need.
Expert panel
Author
Kathryn Lynch
Kathryn has worked in the Education sector since 2003. She currently works as a Student Funding Adviser within Student Services at the University of Winchester. Within her role, she supports students with all issues relating to funding, as well as providing guidance and support to those who experience financial issues whilst studying, helping to build confidence in money management and budgeting skills.
Lead advisors
Dr Dominique Thompson
Dominique is an award-winning GP, young people's mental health expert, TEDx speaker, author, and educator, with over 20 years of clinical experience caring for students. She was most recently Director of Service at the University of Bristol Students' Health Service, and was named Bristol Healthcare Professional of the Year in 2017.
Dominique writes frequently about young people's wellbeing, eating disorders, and mental health in both the medical and non-medical press. Dominique has her own student health and wellbeing consultancy to assist universities, the NHS, and other organisations in improving their student support offer.
Associate Professor Nicola Reavley
Nicola is a Principal Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on improving knowledge and understanding of mental health and wellbeing in the community.
She has led several projects that focused on mental health in young people. These include a national survey of mental health literacy and stigma in young people aged 12-25, best practice guidelines for institutions supporting students with mental health problems, and mental health promotion interventions in universities.
Specialist advisor
Nightline Association
The Nightline Association is the international umbrella charity for university Nightline services. It supports its members to raise the quality, profile, and number of Nightline services.
Nightline is a listening, emotional support, information, and supplies service, run by students, for students. Nightline Services are open at night when other services are closed and are run by trained, caring, fellow student volunteers. There are 36 Nightline affiliation services across the UK and Ireland, available to over 1.5 million students.
Reviewers
Dr Jason Arday
Jason is an Assistant Professor in Sociology at Durham University. Jason is a Visiting Research Fellow at The Ohio State University in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, a Research Associate at Nelson Mandela University in the Centre for Critical Studies in Higher Education Transformation, and a Trustee of the Runnymede Trust, the UK's leading Race Equality Thinktank.
Jason also sits on the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) National Advisory Panel and is a School Governor at Shaftesbury Park Primary School.
Dr Mollie Dollinger
Mollie is a Lecturer of Student Success at La Trobe University. She serves as the academic-lead in the student partnerships portfolio, under the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students). Mollie manages a suite of projects aimed to support student-staff partnerships.
Since receiving her PhD from The University of Melbourne in December 2018, Mollie has had six peer-reviewed articles accepted and edited a book on doctoral success. Her research areas include student and staff partnership (co-creation), higher education policy, and the student experience, and she has worked on numerous cross-institutional collaborative projects and presented at numerous conferences relating to higher education.
Dr Denise Meyer
Denise is a BACP Senior Accredited Counsellor and Chartered Counselling Psychologist, and she is currently Head of Wellbeing at the University of Portsmouth. She has advisory positions with national mental health charities Student Minds and the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust (CWMT), and has published and spoken at numerous sector conferences on a range of student mental health topics. Her doctoral research resulted in CWMT's award-winning Students Against Depression website, which has supported millions of users.
Gedminte Mikulenaite
Gedminte is Vice-Chancellor's Policy Officer at the University of Greenwich. She is currently supporting the refresh of the university's strategy and she is a member of their Health and Wellbeing Strategy Group.
Previously, Gedminte was a researcher at Universities UK, with a specific focus on mental health in higher education and research culture and talent. She has worked on the development of the #Stepchange framework, suicide prevention guidelines, Student Minds' University Mental Health Charter, and other projects. She studied International Relations at the University of Essex.
Accessibility advisor
Wilma Alexander
Wilma Alexander is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy with Master's degrees in Human-Computer Interaction, Linguistics and Information Science. She has over 15 years of experience as a manager with the online learning team at the University of Edinburgh, where she specialised in usable and accessible digital practice, tutored on the groundbreaking Master's degree in Digital Education and developed online staff training on accessible e-learning and online tutoring skills. Since retiring from the University at the end of 2015, Wilma has provided consultancy services on all aspects of online learning, with a special focus on accessibility and usability issues.