The number of students undertaking PhD studies is growing substantially; however, recent research indicates that doctoral students experience poor wellbeing outcomes during candidature. A study of doctoral student experiences at a regional Australian university (n = 222) explored some of the challenges that PhD students experience during their studies. Doctoral study requires deep sustained engagement to successfully contribute to a scholarly field, yet findings suggested that many PhD students experienced shallow supports, which they perceived as insufficient to meet their candidature needs. PhD student experiences are visualised through Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems model and the authors draw upon Bauman’s liquid modernity to trouble impacts of contemporary accountability and performative practices in postgraduate research. The authors propose that liquid institutional support encourages PhD student success to rest largely on self-navigation, individual resourcefulness and the ability to locate anchoring ports.

Candidate wellbeing is recognised as a continual challenge for doctoral programs, with government mandates requiring an institutional response. This article explores the experiences of candidates undertaking intensive writing sessions (‘Write-Ins’) and their influence on their wellbeing. Exploratory findings demonstrate opportunities for Write-In models to contribute positively to ‘Spaces of Wellbeing’. Spaces of Wellbeing theory highlights four dimensions of space that influence wellbeing: capability, security, integrative and therapeutic spaces. Findings show the Write-Ins contributed positively to wellbeing by offering space for candidates to enhance writing productivity, to work to their own pace, to connect with others, and to work flexibly.

Educating for sustainability is a critical step in moving towards a more sustainable future for humanity. As higher education moves into the online space, education for sustainability can reach larger and more diverse audiences; the University of Tasmania’s Diploma of Sustainable Living is one such example. However, while sustainability education has the potential to impact student attitudes and behaviours about sustainability, these impacts are rarely evaluated. Here, we present the outcome of a study evaluating the impacts of taking a fully online unit, Backyard Biodiversity (KPZ006), part of the Diploma of Sustainable Living. In this study, we analyse 265 paired, before-after surveys to examine changes in student biodiversity knowledge, attitudes (including connectedness to nature), pro-environmental behaviours, and wellbeing. We found statistically significant increases in students’ subjective knowledge and agency around biodiversity management and sustainability attitudes, including the perceived importance of biodiversity and nature connectedness. Students also reported more pro-environmental behaviours after taking the unit and many believed that taking the unit improved their wellbeing. We attribute these impacts to the unit design, which emphasised nature-based experiential learning designed to facilitate wellbeing benefits. While this study is specific to our online unit and the students who completed the survey, the results suggest that sustainability education—even fully online units—if carefully designed can create real-world impacts for sustainability and student wellbeing.

Inclusive school environments have been shown to improve educational outcomes, retention, mental health and overall wellbeing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. Anti-bullying approaches have been common strategies used in schools to promote safety for all students, yet a well-established critique among scholars and educators suggests such approaches by themselves are insufficient. Little research exists investigating the spatial aspects of forming LGBTQ-inclusive school cultures. This article reports on an Australian study exploring teachers’ and school staff understandings of how space influences inclusion and how they negotiateed or established ‘safe spaces’ for LGBTQ students. Drawing on the work of Edward Soja, we explored how participants constituted safety in conceived and perceived spaces, and how this informed the ways in which physical environments were established in the lived space to promote inclusion. We reveal the role of physical, discursive and curriculum spaces in everyday schooling activities and practices to promote LGBTQ inclusion.