Course Catalogue

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Life Lab is an evidence-based course grounded in research from Psychology and Neuroscience. It is designed to equip students with durable skills and the mindset and capabilities to navigate uncertainty and change. The course disrupts passive learning through active experimentation and utilizes the Life Design approach (experimentation, reframing, prototyping). Students develop self-awareness via a reflection portfolio and apply learning by designing a student success intervention that addresses sustainability and well-being within the university community.

3hr workshops every two weeks (5 sessions total). These are timetabled on-campus teaching hours.

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The course comprises two individual summative assessments: 1. Reflection Portfolio (40%): Students document and reflect on personal experimentation with evidence-based practical tools, guided by structured templates [ILO 1, 2, 3]. 2. Student Success Intervention Proposal (60%): This comprises (a) a short document outlining the problem, proposed intervention, and evidence base; and (b) a final artefact in a professional format chosen from a prescribed list of options [ILO 1, 4]. Where a student requires an alternative assessment, an alternative assessment of equivalent weighting and aligned to the same ILOs will be provided.

Societal challenge: Declining wellbeing & rising psychological distress

Aim - To respond to the growing societal challenge of declining wellbeing and rising psychological distress among young people by empowering students with evidenced based strategies that support wellbeing, stress mastery, and sustainable performance in the face of increasing psychological pressures.

Societal challenge: Navigating uncertainty in a rapidly changing world

Aim - To prepare students to navigate uncertainty in a rapidly changing world by developing adaptable, durable future-ready skills including critical thinking, self-awareness, creative problem-solving, and life design.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

ILO 1: Critically evaluate a selection of evidence-based strategies for enhancing well-being, adaptability, and resilience, using guided materials and structured discussion.

ILO 2: Implement evidence-based tools for self-regulation, communication, and problem-solving through guided activities and personal experiments.

ILO 3: Reflect on personal growth in adaptability, resilience, and agency, and integrate these insights with relevant theory in a structured portfolio.

ILO 4: Design and refine a simple intervention to improve student success within the university community, informed by selected research and evidence.