← Back to blog

Mood Matters: How Integrated Student Life Platforms Improve Wellbeing Tracking

The Orah Team

November 15, 2023

Mood Matters

What to expect from this article?

Exploring the Benefits of Integrating Mood Tracking in Student Life Platforms: This article delves into how student life platforms, when enhanced with mood tracking features, offer a holistic view of student wellbeing. It discusses the advantages such as early intervention, increased student engagement, and customized support. The piece also highlights enhanced privacy and security measures, advocating for a more empathetic and supportive educational environment.

What is a student life platform?

A student life platform is a comprehensive software system designed to manage and enhance various aspects of a student's educational experience. These platforms often encompass a wide range of functionalities and tools aimed at both students and educational administrators. Key features and benefits include:

  1. Attendance Management: Student life platforms often include tools for managing class schedules, student leave, and passes. They can provide students and families with easy access to request leave. And they allow school staff to quickly and easily record class attendance and get notified if a student is going to be late or not attending.
  2. Wellbeing Tracking: Some platforms integrate wellbeing tools, such as mood tracking or mental health resources. This feature allows students to monitor their emotional health and seek support when needed.
  3. Extracurricular Activities: Student life platforms can include functionalities for managing extracurricular activities, clubs, and events, helping students engage in campus life and find communities of interest.
  4. Communication Tools: They often have built-in communication tools like messaging systems, broadcast emails, forums, or announcement boards, fostering better communication between students, faculty, and staff.
  5. Resource Access: These platforms can provide students with easy access to a variety of resources, such as library databases, learning materials, and career services.
  6. Personal Development: Some platforms offer tools for personal development, such as career planning, skill assessments, and personal goal setting.
  7. Community Building: They can foster a sense of community among students, providing spaces for interaction, collaboration, and shared experiences.
  8. Administrative Functions: For school administrators, these platforms can offer data analytics, student progress tracking, and tools for managing campus operations more efficiently.

In summary, a student life platform is designed to be a one-stop digital environment that enables schools to better support and enhance various aspects of a student's educational journey, from attendance management to personal wellbeing.

What's the state of student wellbeing tracking in 2024?

In the dynamic landscape of education, the emotional wellbeing of students has taken center stage. Gone are the days when academic performance was the sole focus. Today, educators and administrators recognize the profound impact of mental health on learning and overall student success.

This evolving understanding has sparked a pivotal shift towards more holistic approaches in tracking and supporting student wellbeing. Leading this change is the innovative use of integrated student life platforms.

These platforms, transcending the capabilities of standalone wellbeing tools, offer a comprehensive lens through which the moods and overall health of students can be monitored and nurtured.

Next up, we're going to delve into the multifaceted benefits of integrating mood tracking into student life platforms, highlighting how this synergy enhances not just individual student experiences, but also the broader educational environment.

Benefits of a holistic student life platform

Utilizing a student life platform to track student moods, as opposed to a standalone wellbeing platform, offers several benefits, particularly in the context of educational environments.

These benefits include:

  1. Integrated Approach: A student life platform often integrates various aspects of student life, including academic performance, extracurricular activities, and social interactions. Tracking moods within this integrated system allows for a more holistic understanding of a student's wellbeing. For example, mood data can be correlated with academic performance or participation in activities, providing a comprehensive view of a student's overall wellbeing.
  2. Early Intervention and Support: By monitoring mood changes within the context of a student's overall life, educators and administrators can more easily identify patterns that may indicate a need for intervention. This proactive approach can lead to timely support for students who might be struggling with mental health issues, academic stress, or social challenges.
  3. Enhanced Student Engagement: Platforms focused on student life typically have higher engagement rates because they encompass a broad range of student interests and needs. When students are more engaged with the platform, they are more likely to provide accurate and consistent mood data, which can improve the quality of the insights gained.
  4. Customized Support and Resources: Student life platforms can use mood data to offer tailored resources and support. For instance, a student showing signs of stress might receive recommendations for stress management workshops or counseling services available through the school.
  5. Privacy and Security: Educational institutions are generally more equipped to handle sensitive data with appropriate privacy and security measures. A student life platform managed by the institution can ensure that mood data is handled with the required confidentiality and ethical considerations.
  6. Community Building: These platforms can foster a sense of community and belonging, which is crucial for mental health and wellbeing. Students may feel more comfortable sharing their mood data within a familiar and trusted platform that is part of their daily school life.
  7. Data for Policy Making: The aggregated mood data can be invaluable for school administrators and policymakers in understanding the general wellbeing of the student body. This data can inform decisions on mental health policies, student support services, and overall campus environment improvements.
  8. Cost-Effectiveness: Integrating mood tracking into an existing student life platform can be more cost-effective than investing in a separate wellbeing platform. This integration allows schools to utilize existing resources and infrastructure.

A student life platform that includes mood tracking offers a more comprehensive, engaging, and efficient approach to understanding and supporting student wellbeing, compared to a standalone wellbeing platform. This integrated approach can lead to better student outcomes, more effective interventions, and a stronger sense of community within the educational institution.

Want to see what an integrated approach to student wellbeing looks like in action?

If you're curious, why not check out Orah's free student life tools? They offer a glimpse into how seamlessly mood tracking can be woven into the daily tapestry of student life.

You can also request a demo of Orah's student life platform. No pressure, just an opportunity to explore and see if it's a fit for your institution.

Sign up or request a demo whenever you're ready to take a peek. Your journey towards a more connected and supportive educational community can start with just a click!

Article

Our gift to you: a free behavior management tool, plus an incredibly useful newsletter

Join thousands of school leaders learning to improve student life. Subscribers receive free access to our behavior management tool, Orah Notes. When you subscribe, you will receive an email with instructions on how to get it set up, as well as an introductory version of the Orah-cle, our monthly newsletter.

The Orah Team

Featured articles

Orah Location Overview

Know Where Your Students Are, in Real-Time.

The new Location Overview page gives you a real-time understanding of where your students are so you can easily find students when you need to.

Product Update
Orah Direct Communications

Introducing Orah's New Direct Communications Chat Tool for Schools

Our communications team have been busy developing the much-requested ability to bring direct messaging into Orah so you can have one place where messaging, organising communications and ensuring your school has oversight, all in one place.

Product Update

Latest Updates to Workflows (May 2024)

Orah schools have been looking for ways to improve their utility in response to student actions, so we’ve made a number of enhancements to help with this.

Product Update