Enhancing Student Wellbeing with NFC Technology

The NFC Student Support Tags project brings simple, accessible technology into the college environment to make student support easier to find and quicker to access.

Using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, small custom-designed tags will be fixed to tables in the college common room. Students will be able to simply tap the tag with their phone and be taken instantly to a dedicated online student support page, offering access to key services, wellbeing resources, and help when they need it most.

The idea for the this project grew naturally while learning about NFC technology for a separate project I am running with HND Business students, where NFC tags are being developed for a students business (Wills Petting Farm). As part of the learning process, I created a LinkedIn keychain — embedding an NFC chip inside the 3D-printed keychain that linked directly to my LinkedIn profile. Building on that concept, the idea evolved to create larger, durable NFC disks that could be fixed to tables, giving students instant, easy access to support resources through a simple phone tap.

The project is currently nearing completion. A proof-of-concept tag has been successfully designed, printed, and tested, demonstrating full functionality.

The project is now at the final approval stage, awaiting:

• Design finalization for mass production.

• Approval to install the tags in the common room.

• Full-scale printing and installation across key student spaces.

  
  

Once approved, the tags can be produced quickly and installed, offering students an immediate, tech-enhanced route to support and wellbeing services.

By embedding NFC technology into everyday college spaces, this project aims to remove barriers to accessing help, increase visibility of support services, and empower students to take control of their own wellbeing, simply and intuitively.