Stephanie had the best university experience online

From Online Learning to inspiring change

Stephanie completed the MSc online in Health Psychology, which is the first step to becoming a health psychologist.

“I’m really fascinated by how people make health decisions, and the barriers they face to carrying out health behaviours. My goal is to understand more about these areas and hopefully work out the best ways of supporting people to make better health decisions.”

Due to completing her course during Covid-19, Stephanie studied online so she could balance her studies alongside other commitments.

For Stephanie, the course provided the best experience as the webinars enabled interaction with staff and fellow students. Stephanie also found it rewarding and enjoyable to collaborate with others as a Student Representative.

Building confidence and connections

Stephanie felt supported during her course and found the student experience remarkable as the teachers were invested in the students learning, not only in terms of completing course assignments but also ensuring that they were aware of broader conversations in health psychology.

“It was the best degree experience I’ve ever had! I’ve done distance learning before but never had so many opportunities to attend webinars and courses and interact with staff live. We also used Teams for some of the modules, which made things seem quite friendly.”

The course strengthened Stephanie’s confidence in her research skills, which she used in her work and when conducting qualitative research. In addition, the course developed her health psychology knowledge and enabled her to focus on areas that she is passionate about.

Advice for current students

Stephanie believes that being involved with the course work through webinars was helpful at building relationships.

“Webinars give you the opportunity to build relationships with students and staff, which are valuable both for peer support but also for establishing professional connections that could be useful during your future career. Also consider volunteer roles like joining the union or becoming a student representative.”

She also suggests that having a schedule that works around deadlines and commitments is useful as, although there is flexibility around assessments and webinars, there will be busy periods.

Stephanie encourages those applying for the course to reach out to academic staff and student representatives with any questions.

“There are no silly questions and there is lots of support out there for whatever you may be struggling with. It is much better to communicate early and often, so that any queries can be addressed.”

Future aspirations

Stephanie is interested in developing her skills further and progressing towards research or as a health psychologist. She is starting her PhD at the University of Derby, whilst also continuing research projects to further develop her skills.