This session showcased how South Staffordshire College and the charity Rethink Mental Illness created high quality augmented reality resources allowing early identification or self-referral of learners with hidden disabilities.

2. Education:Transforming learning
and teaching
Augmented Reality @ South Staffordshire College
Steve Wileman - Chief learning technologist, South Staffordshire College
Ali Hanson - Learner journey manager , South Staffordshire College
Terry Hammond – Director, Rethink Mental Illness

3. » South Staffordshire College’s partnership with Rethink Mental Illness
charity has led to significant progress being made in developing
Augmented Reality resources that promote and raise awareness of
hidden disabilities
» This session showcases how the partners contributed to the creation of
high quality Augmented Reality resources allowing early identification or
self-referral of learners with hidden disabilities
Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality

4. » Through our collaboration with the charity Rethink Mental Illness, the
project has built upon our work promoting greater awareness of hidden
disabilities
» Using Augmented Reality will enable us to do this in a way that is
comfortable and easily accessible to staff and learners developing a
college wide inclusive culture
Often stigma is attached to the perception of mental health issues

5. » Persuading young people to be more aware of their mental health is
crucial because:
› 1 in 4 at some stage in their life will be diagnosed with a mental illness
› Early intervention is crucial, it can make the difference between recovery and
years of ill health
» Augmented Reality is a unique tool that really does help young people to
be more engaged in understanding mental health
Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality

6. » The college’s learner journey and
Mentor support teams plus
combined outputs from the
Rethink partnership are allowing
staff and learners access to more
inspiring, engaging, innovative
and modern self-support /
situated learning communication
methods and mental action
Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality

7. » Augmented Reality (AR) is a way
of superimposing digital contents
into the real world
» Our college app takes a device’s
camera-view of the real world,
understands what is sees and
then overlays this view with an
interactive layer of the virtual
world
What is Augmented Reality?

8. » It utilises the ever evolving mobile
communications industry
» AR has been predominantly be
applied in the areas of
entertainment, retail, travel,
advertising, and social
communication
What is Augmented Reality?

9. » Following the introduction of
Augmented Reality at South
Staffordshire College, AR is
changing the way we teach, learn
and communicate to our 21st
Century learners making the
whole learning experience more
entertaining, rewarding, engaging
The App:
Redefinition: Tech allows for the creation of new
tasks previously inconceivable
Modification: Tech allows for significant task redesign
Augmentation: Tech acts as a direct tool substitute,
with functional improvement
Substitution: Tech acts as a direct tool substitute,
with no functional change
Transformation
Enhancement

10. » The technology is having an
impact particularly in practical
subjects such as construction and
is driving up their success rates!!
» See more at: jiscrsc.ac.uk/case-
studies/wm/south-staffordshire-
college-
wm66.aspx#sthash.7Ci5E8xM.dp
uf
The App:
Redefinition: Tech allows for the creation of new
tasks previously inconceivable
Modification: Tech allows for significant task redesign
Augmentation: Tech acts as a direct tool substitute,
with functional improvement
Substitution: Tech acts as a direct tool substitute,
with no functional change
Transformation
Enhancement

11. » The Learner Journey mentor
team immediately saw the
potential of AR and began to look
at ways that support and guidance
could be provided to our learners
in an unobtrusive manner
The App: :

12. » Learners can confidentially seek
information regarding support
and staff are more informed to
able to guide the learner towards
support provision and relevant
agencies
The App: :

13. » Posters carrying the AR logo are
placed in student areas and staff
rooms to deliver essential
information quickly and efficiently
upon access
» See more at: jiscrsc.ac.uk/case-
studies/wm/south-staffordshire-
college-
wm66.aspx#sthash.7Ci5E8xM.dp
uf
The App: :

14. Learner JourneyTeam
More mental health in cities than
rural areas but a high rate of suicide
amongst farmers
Making mental health issues more visible is importantfor the college
Mentor support

15. » 562 learners were referred to the College mentoring team and an
additional 225 learners were referred for safeguarding support inTerm 1,
during 2013/2014
› Term 1 in 2014/2015 - 508 learners were referred to mentoring and although
this has shown a 9% decrease, we have seen a 59% increase in our
safeguarding referrals - 358 learners were referred to safeguarding
» A significant number of those referrals related to self-harm (42%
increase), suicidal tendencies, threats or attempts (8% increase),
diagnosed mental health concerns (58% increase)
Statistics
Making mental health issues more visible is importantfor the college

16. » Rethink Mental illness had been looking for new and innovative ways of
engaging with young people to try and get mental health on there radar
» South Staffordshire college was looking for an organisation that had high
quality health information -it was the perfect match
» Following discussion between the two parties, Rethink agreed to provide
the mental health material and give access to their website and South
Staffordshire college provided the IT expertise and mentor support to
move forward the initiative
Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality

17. Jisc FE and skills development
and resource programme -
Innovation through technology
Promote, engage and collaborate
‘Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality’
Jisc funded project

18. Content
Augmented Reality (AR) posters
‘Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality’
Jisc funded project

19. Usage
» Facilitate easy and informal access to
short Rethink mental health videos
and support services intended to help
raise awareness of mental health
issues for staff and students
» Appropriate points signposting key
topics and messages
» Ongoing and throughout the learner
journey
‘Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality’
Jisc funded project

20. » Themes and content created by Rethink on their website andYouTube
channel, allow SSC to repurpose and generate high quality Augmented
Reality resources and website support links
» The project helps to overcome stigma and the lack of knowledge about
mental health; a problem that affects many individuals but remains little
understood and is often treated as a subject which is difficult to discuss
‘Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality’

21. » As a result of this work the College is continuing to develop teaching and
learning approaches and pedagogy across the whole campus through
their growing expertise in AR technology.This includes work on student
experience, the student learner journey and curriculum enhancement
» Examples
› Student Experience: InteractiveArtwork, Directions,Course Information,
Student induction trail,AR welcome from Principal
› Student Learner Journey: Surveys, Equality and Diversity messages,Advice
and Guidance, ProgressionTools,Tutorial messages
› Curriculum Enhancement: Practical demonstrations, assessment tools and
tests,learnerassessments,demonstrationsof otherapps,socialmedia and video
› Lets take a look…
‘Raising mental health awareness through augmented reality’