StudyWell: Student Well-Being Initiative

Scientific insight. Practical impact. Student well-being at the centre.

What is the StudyWell Initiative?

StudyWell is a specialised research initiative within Management Cybernetics—a collaborative research entity formed between the Faculty of Economic and Management Science and the Faculty of Engineering at the North-West University.

Our mission is to use rigorous, data-driven research to better understand and support university students’ subjective well-being. By applying advanced research methodologies, we aim to generate practical, actionable insights that inform and improve the student experience across academic and support environments.

Our Focus

At StudyWell, we are committed to developing real-time, evidence-based tools and strategies that enable universities to proactively support student well-being. Our work is grounded in the Study Demands-Resources (SD-R) theory, a framework that helps us understand how academic environments influence students' well-being and performance. This theory allows us to better assess and support the needs of both students and institutional stakeholders, ensuring our solutions are both student-centred and system-aware.

Our Approach

Multidisciplinary, practice-integrated research and stakeholder collaboration.

StudyWell is built on a multidisciplinary, practice-integrated approach, grounded in organisational psychology and enriched through collaboration with experts from diverse fields, including industrial engineering, statistics, machine and deep learning, and accounting.

By working closely with international organisational psychology researchers and multiple university stakeholders, such as management and student support structures, StudyWell fosters resource sharing and capability enhancement to drive impactful research and practical solutions. Our approach is agile, adaptive, and deeply collaborative. From identifying emerging student needs to deploying responsive interventions, we stay closely aligned with the realities of student life and the strategic goals of the institution.

Further setting StudyWell apart is our commitment to contextualised and embedded research, shaped by and for the South African higher education landscape. Our work reflects the unique cultural, institutional, and systemic factors that shape student experiences, making our insights both meaningful and applicable. Furthermore, our partnerships with local stakeholders and practitioners ensure that our work is not only theoretically sound but also practically relevant and culturally informed. From data to delivery, we turn insights into action, supporting a university culture that actively promotes well-being.

Through partnerships with international thought leaders in organisational psychology and a wide range of institutional stakeholders, including student support services, faculty members, and institutional leadership, we foster resource sharing, capability building, and co-creating tools that make a tangible impact.

Internal Stakeholders

StudyWell Team, Management Cybernetics* research entity, Faculties, Student Sponsors, Students, NWU Ethical Committee, NWU Research Data Gatekeeper Committee, StudyWell Steering Committee

Strategic Partners

Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Career Centre, Student Counselling and Development (SCD), Machine and Deep Learning Group (MUST-AI), Student Success Collaborative Forum (SSCF), Centre for Health & Human Performance (CHHP), Student Information Systems (SIS)

Co-Investigators and Collaborators

Prof Arnold Bakker, Prof Leon de Beer, Prof Johann Holm, Prof Pieter Buys, Prof Maria Peeters, Prof Eva Demerouti, Dr Guus Timmerman

At StudyWell, we believe research should do more than inform, it should empower. We are committed to building healthier, more supportive university experiences through collaboration, innovation, and evidence-based practice.