Overwhelmingly positive feedback from students & staff

Wittenborg's Project Week on Good Health & Well-Being, held from 19 to 21 December, received an overwhelming positive response from students and staff with regards to the activities conducted and the topics covered. The event, in support of the United Nations' SDG#3 of the same name, involved more than 250 master's and bachelor's students as well as faculty and staff. Throughout the three days, students, invited guest speakers, faculty and staff members immersed themselves in lectures, workshops, a panel discussion, live presentations and research.

The culmination of the project week was the Poster Presentation competition. Students, in groups of 4 or 5, were required to research a community/region's access to quality health care services and evaluate possible solutions to the health and well-being challenges faced. They were then asked to evaluate multiple possible solutions to resolve health and well-being challenges faced by the community/region, taking into consideration cultural and economic realities.

The posters developed by the students at the end of the project week were described as 'outstanding' by Wittenborg President Peter Birdsall as well as the panel of judges. The posters were critically evaluated by the panel following specific rubrics and criteria and, at the end of the day, 3 winning teams from each of the master's and bachelor's programmes were chosen. The panel of judges was made up of Head of School of Business Dr Rauf Abdul, Wittenborg lecturers Dr Cha-Hsuan Liu, Fjorentina Muco and Selina White, Communications Administrator Niels Otterman, Assurance of Learning Manager Kriszta Kaspers, EU Project Manager & Junior Researcher Aydan Ismayilova and Research Centre Intern Somayeh Mouri.

Commenting on the quality of the posters, the EU Project Manager & Junior Researcher said that the students understood very well what the assignments were and it was clear that they had enjoyed the topic of this project week, as they could relate to it from their own experiences. She added that the posters demonstrated the creativity and expressiveness of the students. With regards to the topics covered, Ismayilova said that there was lots of practical advice to take away from panel speakers that students can take heed of, not only in their studies but also in their personal lives, from battling exam stress to identifying the first signs of mental health issues that can go unnoticed.

Carry out small acts of kindness every day

When asked to comment on the whole project week, Assurance of Learning Manager Kriszta Kaspers said, "I am very pleased with how this project week turned out to be. It was quite intensive for both the organisers and the students, but to make something impactful, one always needs to put some good effort in." She added that she personally found the project week very inspiring and she hopes that the students have had the same experience. She said that the guest speakers were great and had shared extremely useful information. Throughout the sessions, students shared useful feedback in the areas of mental and physical health. "We will take with us the feedback and find ways to facilitate and answer to these needs. In the end, we mustn't forget that sometimes a great impact on someone’s life happens with a small act of kindness. Therefore, let's all stick to carrying out small acts of kindness every day!"

Project Week was officially closed with the announcement of the winning teams, Wittenborg's Football Pool winner and the elected student representatives during the Christmas Drinks event at Wittenborg's Brinklaan campus in Apeldoorn.

WUP 23/12/2022
by Hanna Abdelwahab
©WUAS Press