Engagement in technical student-run organizations: How do this effect the students’ well-being and what does it mean to the future of education?

Abstract

Loneliness among Norwegian students has never been higher than after the Covid-19 pandemic (Lervåg et al. 2022). In recent surveys, over 50% of Norwegian students report they felt troubled by loneliness (Lervåg 2022, Tekna 2022). One article written by a student representative implies that loneliness may be counteracted if engineering students participate in student organizations, and that the universities needs to facilitate for that (Nitschke 2022). Engineering students worldwide engage in student-run organizations (SRO) where they design, develop, and build technical solutions (Li et al. 2023, Dol 2016). At the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) those student organizations are referred to as technical student-run organizations (TSRO). This study investigates what it means to be a part of a TSRO. The following three questions are asked: 1) How does it affect the students experienced well-being? 2) How does it shape their views on education? 3) What do they think are the benefits from participating in a TSRO? This study makes use of in-depth interviews, think-out-loud protocols, and the UCLA loneliness scale. Eleven engineering students from NTNU have been respondents for this study. They are all associated with different TSROs at NTNU. This study might give new insight to important factors of the student well-being after the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our students’ psychological conditions. Is there a potential in the TSROs that has not yet been unleashed?