Ecological Mapping Activity

1. What is the template about?

Exploring Your Exosystem

This activity helps you map the people, organisations, services and wider environments that can influence your university experience, even when you may not interact with them directly.

Examples could include:

• Parents, family or partners

• Your employer or workplace

• University support services

• Programme teams and tutors

• Friends and their networks

• Local services and community organisations

• Government or financial services

• Social media and online communities

The aim is to recognise that your experiences at university can be shaped by things happening outside your immediate day-to-day interactions.

2. What can it help you achieve?

Understand what influences your student experience

The activity can help you:

• Identify the different influences and pressures around you.

• Recognise sources of support that you may already have.

• Identify areas where you may need additional support.

• Understand how different parts of your life connect with each other.

• Think about how changes in one area may affect another.

• Build awareness of the wider environment influencing your wellbeing, relationships and studies.

Key question:“What is happening around me that might be affecting my university experience?”

3. Who would benefit from it the most?

Anyone wanting to better understand their support network

It can be particularly useful for:

• New students adjusting to university life.

• Students experiencing challenges with wellbeing, finances, relationships or studies.

• Students who feel overwhelmed or unsure where to seek support.

• Students balancing university with work, family or caring responsibilities.

• Students who may feel they have limited support around them.

• Students wanting to identify opportunities to strengthen their support network.

It can also be useful as a starting point for conversations with a tutor, student adviser or support service.

4. How do I use it?

Map your wider world

1. Start with yourself in the centre.

2. Think about the different people, organisations and environments that influence your life.

3. Add these to the appropriate areas of your map.

4. Consider whether each influence is positive, negative or mixed.

5. Draw lines between things that are connected — for example, work → finances → stress → university attendance.

6. Look at your completed map and ask:

   • What has the biggest influence on me?

   • Where do I have strong support?

   • Where are there pressures or challenges?

   • Is there an area where I could seek additional support?

Reflection:“Looking at my map, what is one thing I could change, strengthen or seek support with?”