Promoting Students’ Mental Health through Design and Implementation of Multi-Activity Pods in Educational Institutions Using the WELL Building Standard

Abstract

The findings of several research studies conducted with university students that aimed to investigate the quantitative relationship between psychological distress, sleep difficulties, and homesickness have shown a significant interrelation among those factors. All the previous studies demonstrated benefits of napping, meditation, relaxation, and sharing feelings and experiences on students’ mental well-being, which could enrich the brain’s educational capacity, a matter that is relevant to a student’s learning level. This study aimed to encourage on-campus students to alleviate their feelings and relax. This process will help students to recharge their energy, in addition to increasing their alertness and focusing abilities, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified global stresses. In this study, the authors used a systematic review and literature analysis to understand the relationship between mental stresses and student performance. We then used an evidence-based research opinion poll and presented our work at different academic exhibitions for feedback as an approach for developing an experimental conceptual multi-activity unit that can be used across university campuses. The “Reviving Pod” was specifically designed for different activities: napping, meditation, and virtual communication. The designed approach utilizes state-of-the-art technologies (embedded sensors, smart ergonomic seats, contactless technologies, self-cleaning materials, IoT, virtual meetings platforms, mobile applications, etc.). A Reviving Pod can be located variably within a university campus. According to the poll results, we proposed a recreational zone design to accommodate the pods, as well as a diversity of activities that can encourage students to relieve their stresses and reinforce their health, consequently increasing their academic performance and supporting their well-being using the WELL Building Standard to promote better mental health, which is vital for students’ success.

Keywords

• napping pod
• students’ mental health
• educational institutions
• human-centered design
• IoT
• interior architecture