University of Zimbabwe

University students have been affected physically, academically, socially, and mentally by the upended experience of the higher education system due to the dramatic transformation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are therefore proposing implementation of a psychosocial intervention through an adaptation skills training program for university students to enhance their capacity to effectively adjust and adhere to new standards and maintain a healthy lifestyle whilst they continue with active learning. Globally scaling up this solution could result in increased adherence to COVID-19 protocols and reduce the risk of infection and upsurges of the virus. Production of competent professionals could also be retained globally in this era of COVID-19 pandemic.

The dramatic transformation in the university education system has left students stranded and desperate for alternatives following closure of campuses, face to face interactions with facilitators and classmates as they shifted to at home virtual learning. This shift resulted in a huge, rapid and  unplanned shift which affected their academic, social, health, lifestyle and behavioural elements also resulting in a decline in their growth academically, socially and personally. The introduction of non-pharmacologic interventions like social distancing, mask wearing and travel restrictions whilst reducing the transmission rate, have also disrupted their learning experience. Up to 13% of university students have been affected by the new normal, with more than 50% of students in our setting failing to engage in remote learning due to poor equipment, disturbing home environment and increased and unavoidable family responsibilities.

We would like to provide a psychosocial intervention through the implementation of an adaptation skills training program. An adaptation skills training module would be prepared and reviewed by identified experts. The students will be trained using the blended approach. The assumption is that they will learn and apply the leant skills not only in the COVID-19 pandemic but even for more real life challenges.

The target population for our solution is the university students in Zimbabwe. These are all the students enrolled and registered with the local universities from the new intake to the finalists. There will be no age limit. This is a population group affected by the dramatic transformation in the education system following the introduction of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. They have been moved to a new learning environment with its own challenges. The adopted online learning method is associated with huge costs. We are directly engaging with the students and interacting with them on a daily basis and understand their experiences, which they share with us. Through our interactions with them, we have identified the skills gap in adaptation.

The problem is under the first challenge of Health Security and Pandemics Challenges. The specific item being addressed with our solution is the fourth one, on combating loneliness, stress, depression and other mental health impacts of disease outbreaks. The solution is to address the psychosocial problem which  occurred as a result of the introduction of online learning, social distancing and face mask use due to health threats of the COVID-19 pandemic. The solution is intended to provide a lifelong adaptation skill, which will help the students to copy well in the face of the currect and future new challenges.

The intervention is well understood by team members. The team members have leant and mastered the adaptation skill to be taught. Team members would evaluate the effectiveness of the service and spread it to other universities. The team is highly competent to provide the proposed service.

The solution provides a unique psychosocial intervention approach, which is not currently being practised or tested. The intervention is set to address university students mental challenges as they face the prevailing and uncertain situation imposed by COVID-19 pandemic. This program is concerned with university student reactions and responses to the changes, which must help them to guide their behaviour, thinking, and decision-making. The program intends to main a good quality of life and healthy lifestyle which promotes successful learning and completion of their programs.

Currently, the solution is not serving anyone as the program has not been implemented yet.

The solution is to serve a minimum of 50 000 students in one year.

In 5 years, up to 250 000 students will have been served.

Progress will be measured by use of a post training evaluation tool on lessons and skills leant.

We will engage students in informal and formal interviews to obtain feedback on program outcomes.

Lifestyle assessment will be done after the program implementation.

Stress indicators will be evaluated  on university students at the end of the program

Full time - 3, identified

Part-time - 3, to be identified

Contractors - 5, to be identified

We have 2 seasoned nurses who are highly skilled in preparation of training modules and coordination of program activities. We also have e mental health specialists, highly experienced in mental health management and research. The 3 full time team members are committed and interested in student training and support. All the three full time team members are senior university lecturers. They are specialist in 3 different nursing areas including mental health and psychiatry, midwifery and medical surgical nursing. They all have a subspecialty in education. The all possess project management skills. One part-time member will be an experienced senior lecturer, a Psychiatrist, who will be identified from the Department of psychiatry. The other two part-time members will be identified from the Ministry of Health and Child Care and Ministry of Higher and Tertiary education. The subcontractors will be identified among the university students to work with the team when required.

Our team values collaborative practice and interprofessional education. The solution will involve invitation of experts in different speciality areas, including other university lecturers and professors. The team should comprise both men and women and members from different academic levels and professions.

We are applying to Solve because we have a solution to one of the pressing 2021 Global challenges presented.

We would need assistance in the preparation of our module, and the development of a website.

The Ministry of Higher education and tertiary education in Zimbabwe.

Ministry of health and child care

These are governing bodies in our country and would be interested parties in the program.

Our team members would love to learn about the data science and machine learning so that we all understand and be up-to-date with new technologies and developments.