Smart Solutions for Student Well-being

This research investigates the deepening mental health crisis among youths in Singapore&s;s higher education institutions. Inspired by analysis and recommendations from the Ngee Ann Kongsi-IPS Citizens’ Panel, it also examines contributing factors like social media, limited campus resources, stigma, and student-teacher disconnect. A closer evaluation of existing initiatives at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) reveals more reactive rather than preventative care. A survey of students in NYP School of Design & Media reaffirmed gaps in accessible care made available to youths at polytechnics, where students face immense pressure, yet support falls short. Blending insights into strengths and weaknesses within the current commercial mental health mobile app ecosystem, this report proposes a progressive solution using design thinking – empathising, defining issues, generating ideas, prototyping, and testing. The proposed mobile app MAESTRO delivers an AI-driven platform that supports student mental health through multifaceted, personalised, and preventative strategies. Automating tasks relieves overburdened stakeholders to focus more on complex cases. Testing during its evaluation indicates significant potential such holistic digital systems could effectively address. Feedback from staff and teachers examined the proposed system&s;s potential and ethical, privacy, and intrusiveness concerns, which could hinder adoption. Exploring both merits and limitations informs a conclusion on the solution&s;s feasibility amidst the escalating problem of struggling youths in higher education. Recommendations integrate scalable technology, stigma-reduction initiatives, community-building, and enhanced campus resources to cultivate healthier learning environments so no student falls through the cracks. This study could form a foundation to re-examine approaches to student mental health and wellness. There is a call for bold solutions that apply progressive, anticipatory models tailored to our increasingly brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible world. As academia&s;s digital transformation accelerates, so too should innovative efforts to support our young learners facing novel stressors through proactive means versus outdated reactive measures. By embracing an emergent strategy, polytechnics can champion preventative care ecosystems that empower resilience, connection, and human success – ultimately graduating skilled professionals and responsible global citizens able to thrive amidst adversity.