Digital education reading group: March 2026
Digital wellbeing for staff – sharing our points of view
For our March meeting, we’re really pleased to have Julian Bream, digital education team coach from the Bloomsbury Learning Exchange leading the session.
Drawing on his experience of coaching, alongside guidance and recommendations from Jisc and Student Minds, Julian will help us explore digital wellbeing and how it intersects with our working lives in higher education.
Digital wellbeing was something students said they needed more support with in the Jisc Transnational education digital experiences report we looked at in the January DERG session. This month we turn spotlight on ourselves and ask what we need. Is everyone is feeling very overworked at the moment?
To help us, we’ll look at Theme 8 (Staff wellbeing) and Theme 9 (Staff development) of Student Minds’ University Mental Health Charter which UoL and many HEIs have signed up to. We are interested in how ‘digital’ intersects with each of these propositions for staff and interacts with our own experiences of underlying workplace cultures we experience at work.
Jisc guidelines for senior staff expands on how some of this might be accomplished: Good practice principles to support the digital wellbeing of your learners and staff – Guidance paper for senior leaders
However, this is a chance for learning from each other based around our reflections and experiences. Especially as this can become an emotive topic in times of change and challenge, let’s be kind to each other and see what we can learn🤗
As always with DERG, you’re very welcome to join even if you’ve only had time to skim the readings. The conversation and shared reflections are the most important part.
Core resources
Jisc (n.d.) Digital wellbeing
Web page which explores digital wellbeing as part of digital capability and how technology can positively and negatively affect mental, physical, social and emotional wellbeing.
Jisc (2024) Good practice principles to support the digital wellbeing of your learners and staff – Guidance paper for senior leaders
Report about how universities can support the digital wellbeing of staff and learners through policies, practices, and environments that maximise the benefits of technology while minimising their potential negative impacts.
Student Minds (2024) The university mental health charter – Principles of good practice
Theme 8 Staff wellbeing and Theme 9: Staff development pp. 10-11
The charter is a UK-wide programme that supports universities to promote the mental health and wellbeing of their students and staff. Themes 8 and 9 emphasise that universities should create supportive workplace cultures and provide training and development so staff feel safe, confident, and equipped to maintain their own wellbeing.
For more detail and background
Jisc (2024) Digital wellbeing for you, your colleagues and learners – Guidance for practitioners
How practitioners can support digital wellbeing across personal, social, learning and work contexts.
UCL (2026) Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan 2026–2028
Provides a comparison, and you can read the plan if you’ve access)
University of London (2023) UoL joins University Mental Health Charter
News article about joining the University Mental Health Charter in a commitment to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of students and staff.
Questions to prompt thinking
1. Which aspects of digital work currently have the most impact on your wellbeing?
2. Looking at Themes 8 and 9 of the Mental Health Charter, where do you see digital practices helping or hindering staff wellbeing and development?
3. From your perspective, what practical actions or cultural changes would actually make a difference in supporting digital wellbeing for staff?
4. What could digital education professionals across different roles contribute to improving digital wellbeing in our institutions?
We’re looking forward to the conversation. Let us know if you have any questions or need help accessing the materials.
Julian
List of topics discussed at previous meetings
Photo by Todd Jiang on Unsplash
