Campus interview: Laura Allen from Trinity University on connecting student well-being to the natural world

 

Can spending time in natural environments support students’ well-being? The is the question that an interdisciplinary team of researchers and educators at Trinity University in San Antonio Texas wanted to answer.  Despite research showing that spending time outside does support students’ mental health, the team struggled to get students to actually spend time outdoors. So they developed an innovative course combing theory, research and practice to help students improve their mental wellness and better understand how it’s connected with the natural environment.

 

On today’s episode of the podcast, Laura Allen, co-developer of the course and a professor in the department of education at Trinity University joins us to talk about what inspired her and colleagues to develop this programme, how it combines forest bathing and undergraduate research, and, most importantly, if it’s helped their students. 

 

Thanks to one of our newest Campus+ members Trinity University for sponsoring this episode. 

Watch the video recording of this episode on Campus.