Sleep, Learning and Wellbeing in NUS Undergraduates: The NUS1000 Study

Sleep, Learning and Wellbeing in NUS Undergraduates: The NUS1000 Study

NUS1000 is a large scale freshman-year study of undergraduate sleep, well-being and learning patterns that has unique key features: (1) continuous objective multi-dimensional data gathered with passive sensing of sleep and stress over a semester, (2) utilisation of Learning Management System-based outcome data as a marker of study behaviour and academic achievement. The goal is to gather information that can be used to improve student sleep, mental wellbeing and performance.

The first year in university can be a challenging experience for undergraduates who must learn to cope with learning in an unfamiliar environment, form new relationships, live away from home and/or might have to manage personal finances for the first time. These academic, social, and personal demands can result in significant stress, affecting sleep, learning and mental/emotional wellbeing. Characterizing and understanding the time-course and inter-relationship of these demands and their consequences is crucial for making science-based improvements to a student's university experience. To this end, the investigators will longitudinally evaluate sleep, learning and wellbeing in ~1000 first-year students as they adapt to university life to understand how these behaviours fluctuate and interact throughout the academic term.

Inclusion Criteria:

• NUS first-year students with smartphones operating on Android 8.0 and up, or iOS 14.0 or later

Exclusion Criteria:

Participants will be required to :

1. Have their sleep and physical activity rhythms will be recorded via wearable sensors, while they continue daily life as usual.
2. Complete periodic questionnaires, short daily surveys and daily audio diaries on their smartphones.
3. Agree to interactions with their smartphones and as well as grades tracked. Participants who do not agree to have these measures recorded will not be eligible for the study.