DWEL - Module 6

1. Digital
Wellbeing
Module 6
DWEL Online Course © 2023 by DWEL Partner Consortium is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
International

2. DIGITAL
WELLBEING
FOR
HIGHER
EDUCATION
LECTURERS
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does
not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which
may be made of the information contained therein
01 Introduction
02 Digital wellbeing practices
03 Maintaining personal digital wellbeing
04 Finding support
05 Self-care practices
06 Overview
TABLE OF
CONTENTS

3. In the previous modules, we have been
introduced to digital wellbeing and its
importance in the educational
environment. In this module, we will
learn about the challenges of digital
wellbeing in education and the areas in
which there is a need for improvement.
In the former modules, we have also
learned about building healthy habits
and the importance of online safety and
privacy to ensure digital wellbeing.
In this module, we will look at some
recommendations to maintain the
digital wellbeing that we have
achieved.
www.DWEL.eu
01 Introduction

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Digital
wellbeing
practices
02

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“Digital technologies have reshaped our
approach to education and become an integral
part of everyday school life. We must continue
to develop the school environment in which
students and teachers feel well, safe, secure and
are able to recognise the risks associated with
the use of digital means. It is primordial that
throughout the EU we use these technologies in
a way that they enhance the well-being of
everyone – from pupil to teacher – involved in
education and training.”
– Vladimír Balaš, Czech minister of Education, Youth
and Sports
Progress in digital wellbeing practices

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Challenges of the digital education
There are some areas of the digitalisation that need improvement to ensure the
intersectional wellbeing of all students, and that (as a higher education educator)
are important to be aware of:
 Digital divide
 Accessibility barriers for persons with disabilities
 Migrant background/language barrier
 Digital “threats”
 Misinformation
You can read more about it, in the Council of the
EU conclusions on supporting well-being in
digital education:

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Digital divide
Digital divide refers to the gap between demographics and regions that have
access to modern information and communications (ICT) and those who do not
have or have restricted access. On this note, it has been recognised that the
digital divide poses a threat to wellbeing in education and risks to contribute to
the widening of the gap between social classes, impeding the access to lower
social-economic status persons.
Therefore, educational providers should address the problem of insufficient
access, inadequate equipment or unsatisfactory learning conditions, to tackle all
forms of digital divide.

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Accessibility barriers for persons with disabilities
Digital education should be aware of the accessibility barriers that can exist for
disadvantaged learners and create new learning models to ensure their well-
being.
The Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 indicated the
need to remove accessibility barriers for persons with disabilities and to invest in
their digital skills to ensure the effective use of digital technologies.
Not only tackling those with disabilities and/or special education need should be
our concern, but also developing tools for those who are temporarily unable to
attend school because of a health condition, as well as learners living in isolated,
insular or remote areas, such as the EU’s outermost regions

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Migrant background
Digital tools could also improve the
wellbeing of learners from migrant
backgrounds and those whose first
language is different from the
language of instruction, by helping
them to maintain their connection
with their language and culture of
origin and to cope with possible
traumatic experiences and new
challenges.

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Digital threats
With the increase of digitalisation learners
are every day more and more exposed to
threats from the digital world, e.g.,
cyberbullying and/or isolation, etc.
Improvements should be made to ensure
the wellbeing of the learners and to
ensure that educators are adequately
trained and cooperate with other
professionals to truly promote a safe
digital learning environment

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Misinformation
Internet is overflowed with false
information and fake news. To ensure
the wellbeing of learners, educational
providers should empower their
students with the skills to focus on
critical thinking, media and digital
literacy and resilience to
disinformation and misinformation.
Thus, they will be able to respond to
the potential threats and challenges
and will have an overall safer and more
positive experience online.

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Maintaining
digital
wellbeing
03

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How can we maintain it?
On previous modules, we have seen
the importance of digital wellbeing
and how to ensure it, but
In the next slides you will see how to
develop a comprehensive plan to
maintain digital wellbeing by
incorporating strategies for managing
screen time, establishing healthy
boundaries, practising effective stress
management, and fostering a
balanced approach to technology use
in the higher education setting.

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Steps to maintain personal digital wellbeing
Step 1 Assess and monitor your habits
Step 2 Establish boundaries
Step 3 Limit distractions
Step 4 Utilize self-control tools
Step 5 Strengthen your privacy and security
Step 6 Be mindful of social media
Step 7 Take care of your health

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1. Assess and monitor your habits
The most important step to be able to improve your digital wellbeing is to be aware
of your habits and get a detailed understanding of your tech use, so you can know in
which areas you need to work on.
It is important to know how you are using your digital devices and how are you
interacting with them.
Digital devices and digital platforms are really useful and can simplify our work when
used correctly, but it is crucial to maintain a healthy use of them and not get blasted
with too many tools. Assess how these digital devices are making you feel:
• Do you feel overwhelmed by information?
• Do you feel pressured by social media and messages?
• Do you get anxious if you aren’t connected?

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2. Establish boundaries
Setting boundaries for the use of
technology is crucial. We are surrounded
by digital devices, sometimes it’s hard to
separate our work life from our personal
life. But maintaining a work-life balance is
essential not to end up in burnout.
Ensure to be available for yourself and
forget about work during your personal
time. Spend time with your friends and
family and engage in activities where you
don’t need digital devices. Leave the work
for the working hours!

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3. Limit distractions
To feel that you are satisfied with the work you
have achieved on your day-to-day, it is crucial
to avoid distractions and to focus on your tasks.
It is very easy to get distracted by notifications
from other applications when using digital
devices. Try organising your desktop to avoid
getting distracted, turn off your notifications
when working, use the settings on your phone
to pause apps…

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There is an innumerable quantity of
time management tools that exist to
help digital device users to control how
much time they spend plugged in. As we
have seen, assessing and monitoring
our habitats is essential to maintain
digital wellbeing.
4. Utilize self-control tools
Utilising self-control tools can help users
analyse how they spend their online time
and re-consider their approach.

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5. Strengthen your privacy and security
As we have seen on the previous
modules, online security and privacy is
very important. Maintaining these
elements is essential to ensure our digital
wellbeing.
Make sure to protect your personal data
you care most about: improve your
password management practices, don’t
save your passwords, improve your email
management, make sure you review and
update all the privacy settings…

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6. Be mindful of social media
Social media has become an essential part of our day-to-day
interactions and has changed the way in which we communicate with
others. The positive outcomes that digitalisation has had in our lives
are undeniable, we now can feel more connected to family and friends
that live far away or can’t see every day. However numerous studies
show that overuse of social media or online communications can
cause opposite effects like depression, loneliness or social isolation
(among others).
Taking some time off social media from time to time will help you
realise how much time you are spending on it.
Try some face-to-face activities instead, it will have
more long-lasting positive effects!

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7. Take care of your health
The use of digital devices keeps us most of the time in front of a screen without
barely moving for hours, this can end up having some consequences on our
body.
Sitting in a chair for hours can be hard on the body, take breaks and do some
exercises or take small walks in the middle to keep the body active. In the next
slide we will show you some exercises you can try.
Constantly looking at a screen can also have some consequences on our eyes, try
some special glasses to block the blue lights or practice the 20-20-20: every 20
minutes take a break of 20 seconds and focus on something 20 feet way (6-7
meters).

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Try these
exercises at
home during
your breaks!

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Being aware of the negative aspects that the use of technologies can
have on our bodies is the first step towards digital wellbeing. We
have presented you with some recommendations that you can follow
on your own to ensure your digital wellbeing and maintaining it. But
it is also relevant not to do it all alone and find support in others.
It is important to create a support network and to identify relevant
resources for ongoing support in maintaining digital wellbeing, such
as peer support groups, counselling services, or online communities,
considering the specific needs and preferences of individuals within
the higher education community.

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04
Finding
Support

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Find support in others!
Sharing experiences, receiving
encouragement and feeling validated are
some of the positive outcomes of finding
support in others going through the same
experiences. Try to search for local
support groups or counselling services in
your community!
Remember that you have family and
friends – why not to organise your own
group with them to share your concerns
and help each other to have a digitally
healthier life?

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Find support in Podcasts
Podcasts have gained popularity in the last years,
and you can now find podcast about anything you
could think of! So why don’t use them for more
than entertainment or news?
There are multiple health podcasts you can find,
with insights, experiences, advices, practical
strategies…
On the next slides, you will find some podcasts
that could be useful for you!

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Digital detox series
It’s complicated, untangling your relationship with your phone
Digital education practices
The struggle is real for work/life balance in the digital world. Each week, join Lisa Buyer,
entrepreneur and author of Social PR Secrets and Digital Detox Secrets, interviews guests
who are managing their own entrepreneurial digital detox and have some recommendation
in how to create a space for health, happiness and success.
Time To Log Off’s digital detox podcast series It’s Complicated launched in 2019 and was selected
by iTunes as one of its ‘New & Noteworthy’ podcasts in its first month of launch. The podcast
features one-to-one interviews with high profile individuals from the worlds of media, health,
business and art, as well as academics, experts and researchers talking candidly about their
phone habits, sharing research on tech habits and swapping tips and tricks on getting a more
screen-balanced life.
This podcast is runed by a pedagogue who co-develops pedagogy-informed curricula,
programmes and modules through developing the knowledge and skills of colleagues especially
when it comes to technology enhanced learning and teaching. He will provide you with provide
pedagogic advice, consultation, guidance, insight and developmental support through coaching
and mentoring to develop content and activities for both blended and fully online/digital
education experiences.

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Self-care
practices
05

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Part of maintaining digital well-being is
taking care of one’s own. Self-care
practices improve your mental and
physical health. Even small acts of self-
care in your daily life can have a big
impact.
Take some time for yourself away from
technology and explore activities that
make you feel better.
In the next slides, we will recommend
you some activities that you can try out.
•
”

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Meditation
Meditation is a technique that we all have
heard of and that has immense benefits
on our mental health and general well-
being. It is a process of training your mind
that has many benefits:
• Reduces stress
• Controls anxiety
• Promotes emotional health
• Enhances self-awareness
• Increases focus and memory
• Enhances creativity
• Improves sleep

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You can try to join a meditation group in your city or if you prefer to try it
by yourself you can find plenty of courses or videos on the internet. For
example, you can maybe watch these two videos:

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Yoga improves your strength, balance and flexibility, and promotes positive mental health. You
can subscribe to virtual classes and follow an instructor or find the exercises that work best for
you on YouTube.
Below you can see some examples of classes that we suggest:
Yoga
You can even do these
exercises at the office!

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Get some fresh air!
In general, any type of exercise that
makes you move your body, and
that you enjoy will make you feel
better with yourself!
It is also important that you practice
some of these exercises outside
your house. Changing your
surroundings and getting fresh air is
key!

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Overview
06

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Summary
By the end of this module, you should have:
 Gained understanding of the challenges to digital wellbeing practices
 Learned how to develop a digital wellbeing maintenance plan
 Considered some recommendations on how to create a support network
 Understood the importance of self-care practice and some examples you can
try
Have a digital healthy life!

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Find support
in health
professionals
If you feel you are
overwhelmed or can’t
make it alone, try
therapeutical services.
You can go to local
professionals in your city
or you can also try the
digital therapeutic
services.
BetterHelp
Talkspace
Sanvello
This are some digital
platforms you can
check out!

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