Author: Sue Sing

What’s your body telling you?

by Abby Sanderson, Move

Our bodies are incredible systems; they cope with so much on a day-to-day basis to keep us well and functioning. Sometimes we can take them for granted and forget to listen to what our body is trying to tell us. On the one hand, while student life can be busy, fast-paced and enjoyable, it can also be stressful at times, and this can manifest itself in the body as pain, fatigue or illness. On the other hand, we can experience periods of boredom or feel like we lack motivation. All of these feelings are normal, but try asking yourself this:

What would happen if we slowed down, took a minute, and really tried to listen to what our body is telling us…? (more…)

The power of taking breaks

by Laili Sadr, Imperial SCHMAS

What happens when we don’t take a break?

Focusing or hyper-focusing on a topic or a problem can be a double-edged sword. Although spending hours in the library reading and researching can make us feel as though we’re working hard, actually our brain can start switching off and we might stop processing the information in front of us. This is due to “cognitive overload” (Neurolaunch, 2024), which is when the working memory – where we retain and manipulate information in real time – is overflooded. This affects the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in our brain and results in mental chatter, stress, inability to make decisions, impaired memory and/or an inability to focus.

But why?

The simple explanation is this: (more…)

From Surviving to Thriving: How and why peers can be your best support and resource

co-authored by Dr Jon Fenton, Department of Physics & Dr Sue Sing, Centre for Higher Education Research and Scholarship

As part of the inaugural Learning Well Programme, we hosted a student-panel discussion exploring the question: ‘Why are peers your best support and resource?’ Students shared rich, personal insights into the wide-ranging ways peer support can be advantageous for Imperial students – academically, emotionally and practically. Our six speakers were from a range of departments and faculties and were at different points in their undergraduate and postgraduate journey. Interestingly, their perspectives shared many common threads (more…)

Imperial Learning Well Resources – Co-created with students, for students

by Dr Sue Sing, Centre for Higher Education Research and Scholarship

“It’s not how smart you are. It’s not how hard you work. It’s about the strategy you use” (Student Participant, Learning Well Project Focus Group)

Who are the Learning Well resources aimed at?

Our Learning Well Resources have been created for all Imperial students – in any year group, any department, any faculty. They can enhance every student’s learning experiences, whether you want to refine and strengthen your approaches to learning, you feel like you’re struggling or you would simply like a bit of extra help.

Learning well is about more than good grades – it’s about how you can achieve in effective, efficient and sustainable ways. 

The concept of ‘learning well’ is relevant to every student at Imperial. (more…)

Welcome to the Learning Well Blog!

Welcome! This resource is inspired and informed by the Imperial Learning Well research we’ve been doing with Imperial students, for Imperial students, focusing on students’ learning experiences and how these relate to their wellbeing.

This space belongs to all of us and together we’re part of a community of practice. In other words, this is a space where we can learn from, and with, one another.

In our blog, you can expect to read evidence-informed posts which means that the ideas and strategies shared are rooted in empirical data. We’ll feature a range of content from a range of contributors (more…)