Glasgow Clyde College: Nurturing Wellbeing in the Digital Campus

PaulTowers · ‎06-23-2025

A recent conversation with Alison Cox, Mental Health Lead at Glasgow Clyde College, highlighted a truly inspiring approach to student and staff wellbeing. It’s a story of vision, collaboration, and the powerful role of digital tools in fostering a thriving educational community.

Beyond "Mental Illness Lead": A Holistic Approach to Wellbeing

Alison shared her journey, appointed as Mental Health Lead just a year ago. She quickly realised that while people initially saw her as someone to fix mental illness, her remit was far broader. "My remit is actually to enable every student and every member of staff at Glasgow Clyde College to be the best version of themselves, to be able to cope well with their work and to stay well and thrive."

This philosophy led to the creation of their flagship resource: "Stay Well and Thrive" on Canvas.

"The session I've just been running for support staff was helping them to understand the difference between a coping strategy and a coping mechanism," Alison explained, drawing a clear distinction. "A coping strategy is stepping away from your desk, getting outside, breathing some fresh air... A coping mechanism is necking a couple of vodkas at the end of a difficult day!"

The "Stay Well and Thrive" resource, co-developed with John and the e-learning team, is a testament to this proactive, holistic approach. Accessible to all 17,000+ students from their very first day of enrolment, it covers eight vital aspects of wellbeing:

Sleep
Water
Daylight
Fresh Air
Connection with Others
Exercise
Nutrition
Time Away from Tech

"It's not preachy," Alison emphasised. "It's written for students and it's got lots of graphics in it... It assesses their awareness of all these elements and, importantly, their direct connection to mental wellbeing.” The resource even inspired a journalism student to write an article on "doom scrolling" – a powerful indicator of its relevance.

Embedding Wellbeing: From Agreement to Everyday Use

One of the most exciting developments is the co-produced Student Health and Wellbeing Agreement. This formal commitment from the college to its learners will be launched soon, becoming an integral part of every student's experience through Canvas. It's a tangible outcome of Alison's "blank slate" mandate, allowing her to shape a comprehensive strategy.

Alison is passionate about measuring impact. "I want to measure impact. I don't want people just telling me, 'oh, this is lovely, oh, this is really interesting.' I want to measure impact." They use Canvas's built-in metrics to track engagement and completion of the eight embedded quizzes. For broader impact assessment, they utilise Mentimeter to gauge baseline wellbeing and track changes over time.

The early results are promising. A recent student satisfaction survey reported that an impressive 93% of students felt the college understood and looked after their mental wellbeing. While acknowledging that "Stay Well and Thrive" isn't the sole contributor to this, Alison is keen to conduct a baseline study this autumn to clearly evidence the resource's impact.

The Future of Wellbeing: Staff Support and Wider Reach

Looking ahead, Alison's next big priority is to develop a similar "Stay Well and Thrive" resource for staff. This comes off the back of overwhelmingly positive feedback from recent staff training sessions. "Your analysis of the components of mental wellbeing and health was so good as it allows us to better understand and choose those supports that will best meet our needs," read one appreciative email.

The power of Canvas in this mission is clear. It's not just a learning platform; it's a dynamic, interactive space that offers 24/7 access to crucial wellbeing support via mobile devices. Canvas becomes "just as important as the physical environment. It's a learning space."

The "Stay Well and Thrive" initiative is rapidly becoming ingrained in Glasgow Clyde College's identity. The marketing team has even incorporated the phrase into their prospectus, pointing prospective students directly to Canvas for wellbeing resources. As Alison recounted a conversation with one colleague: "She said, 'Yeah, it is common sense, but it's certainly not common knowledge.' And I said, 'That's the thing. I'm going to use Canvas to make it common knowledge so that it... becomes absolutely embedded.'"

This work will be highlighted at The National Union of Students Think Positive Forum on June 17th, where Glasgow Clyde College will formally launch "Stay Well and Thrive" to a wider audience.

Alison's dedication is palpable. Her drive to empower individuals to be their best selves, coupled with Glasgow Clyde College's trust in her vision, has created a truly impactful programme. It's a prime example of how educational institutions can proactively champion mental wellbeing, ensuring it's not an add-on, but a fundamental part of the learning journey.