Development projects
Students at our faculty should have access to programmes of high pedagogical quality with strong links to research, in a study environment that supports learning and motivates them to remain in education. In order to continuously develop this, the faculty is constantly involved in various development projects.
The faculty shall offer competitive programmes characterised by high expectations and a scientific approach. This requires strong links to research in the subject area, high-quality teaching, and a way of interacting with students that supports their learning and motivation to remain in the programme. As a way of supporting the development and maintenance of such programmes, the faculty regularly announces funding for pedagogical development projects. The faculty also runs projects on its own initiative, for example to improve the study environment and students' physical and mental health.
THRIVE aims to improve student health and learning environment
In spring 2026, the faculty will launch the THRIVE project – Tools for Health, Resilience, and Improving the learning enVironmEnt. The project is a collaboration between the Faculty of Social Sciences and Sahlgrenska Academy. The aim is to develop a simple and reliable measurement tool to map and strengthen student health and learning environments.
THRIVE will develop a new questionnaire-based scale that will give the faculty better opportunities to understand how students experience their study situation, workload and well-being. By highlighting factors that affect well-being and stress, the project will contribute to more proactive and long-term work for student health.
Three phases
The project will run from 2026 to 2027 and comprises three phases: development of a questionnaire and pilot studies, refinement and calibration of the scale, and an impact assessment of targeted support measures. The aim is to create a practical tool that can be used by course leaders, programme coordinators and faculty management to monitor and improve the learning environment.
Student influence is a central part of the work. A student reference group and several student unions, including the Sahlgrenska Academy Student Union (SAKS) and its body at the Medical Programme (LUR), are participating in the development work.
Can be integrated into the work of the entire university
After the project is completed, the scale may be integrated into the university's quality and work environment efforts. The idea is also that a shorter ‘pulse version’ of the survey will be able to be used in course evaluations for faster temperature measurements, while the results will also be linked to a bank of measures with evidence-based improvement proposals.
THRIVE is funded by extra funds for student health from the University of Gothenburg.
Project organisation
Therése Skoog – Vice-Dean, Project Manager, Faculty of Social Sciences
Gudmundur Johannson – Vice-Dean, Sahlgrenska Academy
Sandra Buratti – Docent, Department of Psychology
Christel Backman – Docent, Department of Sociology and Work Science
Lotta Dellve – Professor, Department of Sociology and Work Science
Carolina Lunde – Professor, Department of Psychology
Malin Hansson – Researcher, Department of Health and Care Sciences
Agneta Blomberg – Doctoral student, Department of Community Medicine and Public Health
Agnes Nurbo – Quality Coordinator, Faculty of Social Sciences Office
How the physical environment can promote student health and learning
SHAPE – (Student Health and Physical Environments)
What aspects of the physical environment make students feel comfortable on campus? That is what the SHAPE project aims to find out. The project will also lead to concrete, physical measures that promote student health and learning.
The SHAPE project will be carried out in 2025 by researchers and students at the Faculty of Social Sciences. It is funded by government grants.
In the SHAPE project, we focus on how students experience the premises on campus where they spend their time. The project is based on previous research that has shown that the design of physical learning environments is important for students' well-being, sense of belonging and wellbeing. The basic idea is that positive physical learning environments where students feel comfortable also increase the likelihood that students will stay and complete their education. Now, the faculty wants to increase its knowledge by taking note of students' views on the environments at Annedalsseminariet, Studietorget/Campus Haga and the old reception at the Department of Psychology.
An important part of the project is that the students themselves are involved in creating their new learning environment. They do this by, among other things, photographing places they find particularly pleasant or unpleasant, and by analysing and discussing the photographs with other students.
Project group
Carolina Lunde – Project manager, professor, Department of Psychology
Christel Backman – Excellent teacher, deputy head of department, associate professor, Department of Sociology and Work Science
Agnes Nurbo / Anna Elvö – Quality Coordinators
Jakob Sandin – Local Administrator
Franz James – Senior Lecturer, Department of Design and Crafts
Linn Farsbo – Student Representative
Causes and solutions for student absenteeism
The primary goal of the project is to determine the reasons behind students' decisions to attend or refrain from attending university classes. In general, students want more teacher-led time, but at the same time, it is common for many students to be absent from classes. Understanding the complexity of increasing teacher presence in teaching while student attendance is low is crucial to improving the learning experience and preventing the waste of societal resources.
The central research question is:
How can we understand undergraduate students' decision-making process when it comes to attending or abstaining from on-site teaching and learning activities?
Project group
Project period
Autumn semester 2025 until spring semester 2026
Completed projects
How does AI affect teaching?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is developing rapidly - but how does it affect teaching and learning at the university? This project investigates how both students and teachers in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Gothenburg use AI tools such as ChatGPT, and how they are regulated in teaching.
The project team maps what strategies are in place to deal with these new technologies, and what effects this has on learning and teaching quality. Through a combination of surveys, interviews and document analysis, a picture of the current situation - but also of future possibilities - will be obtained.
The project is expected to provide concrete examples of how AI tools can be used in a way that enhances student learning, without compromising academic integrity. It will also show which approaches work best - and in which contexts - for both students and teaching staff.
The results will be disseminated via seminars, blog posts and a scientific article, and the project team also plans to contribute to the development of guidance documents and training programmes for both teachers and students at the university.
Project team
Arne F Wackenhut,
School of Global Studies
Maris Gillette
School of Global Studies
Elizabeth Olsson
Unit for Academic Language
Project period
2024 - 2025
Students learning from each other
- a new way of developing psychology teaching
How can students become more active in their own learning - and help each other develop? That was the core of this project, which tested the collaborative assessment method. This method allows students to practice both giving and receiving feedback on each other's work, thus becoming participants in the assessment process themselves.
The aim was to increase engagement and understanding of the course content, while at the same time practising important skills such as giving constructive criticism and reflecting on their own learning. An important element was to offer formative feedback - that is, feedback during the course, while still having the opportunity to improve their work.
The project was carried out in an advanced methods course within an international master's programme in psychology, and is evaluated using surveys, interviews and study results. The project team hoped that the approach could become a natural part of teaching in the future - and eventually inspire more programmes to try similar methods.
Project team
Projektgrupp
all at the Department of Psychology
Project period
2024, with evaluation in 2025
Sustainable and accessible learning environments
During the period 2021-2023, the project Sustainable and Accessible Learning Environments (HTL) has been implemented at the Faculty of Social Sciences. The background to the project is the large number of young people reporting poor mental health in various surveys. In particular, students in higher education have reported feeling unwell, anxious, stressed and depressed. The purpose of the HTL has been to investigate whether, and if so how, the Faculty can work at a structural level to promote mental health among students with a focus on improving the conditions for student learning, understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic affected teaching and increasing access to higher education for students of various circumstances. The project has consisted of five sub-projects (see below).
Results
The results of the project show that systematic preventive and promotional work at the structural level seems to have a good effect on students’ mental health and learning as well as contributing to creating a more accessible university. Teachers as well as students report that influence, participation, comprehensibility and inclusion are important in creating favourable conditions for sustainable student life that enables learning as well as health/well-being. The results of the project further highlight the possibility for the Faculty to involve students in more qualitative co-creation surveys in order to gain deeper insight into students' experiences and thus develop and implement appropriate measures.
The project had five sub-projects
Organisation
The project was led by a steering group:
Therése Skoog (project manager)
Malin Broberg (then dean)
Sylva Frisk (then vice-dean responsible for educational issues)
Agnes Nurbo (quality coordinator at the faculty office)
Arne Wackenhut (teacher representative)
Arvid Danielsson (student representative appointed by the student union)
The project was run in collaboration with:
- Student Health Services, University of Gothenburg
- The Unit for Pedagogical Development and Interactive Learning (PIL)
- The Section for Student and Educational Support at the Education Unit, University of Gothenburg's joint administration
- University of Gothenburg Library