Is this the hardest time to be a student at university?

This mini keynote explored the questions: is this the hardest time to be a student at university (at least in a contemporary setting)? What are our roles as educators and Learning Developers in supporting students to navigate these challenges? These questions arose from a myriad of challenges that students are now facing at the same time as accelerated, drastic global changes (Davey and Harney, 2023). The mini keynote asked if Learning Development is seeing changes during this time, as many of our students are still suffering from the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (UPP Foundation, 2024). In addition to this, we are seeing a mental health crisis coupled with a cost-of-living crisis which has a serious impact on students’ university experiences (NUS Scotland, 2024). These challenges are taking place at the same time as huge global changes such as the climate emergency, and Industry 4.0 with accelerated digitalisation impacting students’ education and day-to-day lives, as well as future workplaces (World Economic Forum, 2024). This is coupled with the additional challenge for staff in higher education (HE) to become AI ready (Bobula, 2024). So, is this the hardest time to be a student or are we just more aware of the challenges students face and how does this impact Learning Development? Prompt questions: Is this the hardest time to be a student at university? How do these outlined challenges impact Learning Development? What are our roles as educators and Learning Developers in supporting students to navigate these challenges?