From Arts-in-Health Theory to Student Practice: An Exploratory Qualitative Case Study of an Interdisciplinary Online Course

Arts and cultural participation are discussed in relation to health, prevention, community connection and wellbeing, yet their integration into higher-education pedagogy remains underexplored, prompting this exploratory qualitative case study of an interdisciplinary online elective at a Hungarian university. The corpus includes eight group projects completed by 30 students, 30 individual outputs and seven anonymous end-of-course survey responses. Structured qualitative document analysis identified five recurring application areas: mental wellbeing and stress management, wellbeing in later life, support for children and young people, health and social-care contexts and community participation. Questions of professional responsibility, facilitator competence, accessibility and the boundaries between educational, preventive, community and therapeutic practice appeared throughout the corpus. The study outlines a pedagogical sequence connecting literature engagement, practice analysis, creative programme design and guided reflection. Its contribution concerns the teaching of arts-in-health in interdisciplinary higher education.