Maintaining a healthy lifestyle while in college is easier said than done. From
sleepless nights to heightened stress, it can be difficult to follow the same healthy
practices at school as at home. Self-care is a very important aspect of a healthy lifestyle
that is too often overlooked in the fast-paced nature of college life. However, navigating
stress and adopting healthy practices is vital to both personal wellbeing and academic
success. UC Online is excited to promote Life101: a course offered through UC
Irvine encourages the comprehensive well-being of college students and
demonstrates the power and importance of embracing a healthy lifestyle. This truly
unique, interdisciplinary course will provide students with resources and evidence-
based knowledge to implement into their everyday lives.

Life101 is taught by Dr. Mahtab Jafari from the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy
and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In her research lab, the focus of her work is on improving
healthspan using fruit flies as her model system, and in her educational research in
classrooms, she focuses on preventive medicine and how a balanced lifestyle can add
years to the human lifespan. She aims to use her research to help students challenge
their stressors head-on and learn to better manage them in order to achieve a well-
rounded lifestyle.

“Without a healthy mind and body, it is impossible to be successful–personally
and professionally,” Dr. Jafari says. “Academic institutions focus mainly on academic
achievements without paying attention to the ongoing epidemic of stress. We need to
change this mindset.”

Spanning psychology, physiology, sociology, and more, Life101 is designed for
students of any major at any UC campus. The learning materials are intended to help
students think critically about how they can achieve a healthy lifestyle and make them
actively want to make health a priority in their lives. Dr. Jafari recognizes that this can
be especially difficult in the online learning environment; that’s why this course seeks to
connect students from across all UC campuses to share their diverse life experiences and
inspire each other to achieve their health goals.

“In the new online learning environment, the greatest challenge to students lies
in the lack of social interactions–no matter how much online interactions we can
provide via email or discussion boards,” Dr. Jafari says.

Life101 takes the concept of online learning and turns it into an exciting,
enriching academic experience. Students enhance their own wellbeing through forming
new relationships with students across the UC campuses and creating an uplifting
community that champions health and wellbeing. From covering the science of adopting
good habits and better sleep to helping students manage their personal finances, this
course is useful and purposeful for anyone, regardless of major. The only prerequisites
required to enroll are an enthusiasm to learn, to question, and to be open to change.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to both recognize and
implement healthy habits into their everyday lives, including but not limited to healthy
eating, physical exercise, stress management techniques, and self-care. This knowledge
will allow students to feel empowered and prepared to enhance their overall health and
wellbeing both throughout the remainder of their college years and beyond.

Instruction will occur entirely online through pre-recorded presentation
modules. Students will view the presentations (about 3 10-15 minute video segments per
topic), answer embedded questions, and participate in the self-reflection exercises in the
videos. After watching all the video segments, students will complete a quiz to test
understanding of the materials and participate in an online discussion forum to engage
with classmates.

Life101 is meant to be a stress-free course, therefore grading will be
based only on the aforementioned tasks in addition to a pre and post-course reflective
survey and a course evaluation. Students should expect to devote about two hours per
week to this class in order to get the most out of their experience. Please refer to the
course syllabus for more information about course expectations and learning outcomes.
Life101 is the perfect course for students looking to learn how to lead a healthier
lifestyle in college and beyond.

If you’re looking to enhance your wellbeing and actively
work towards developing healthy habits, this is the class for you! Enrollment is open, so
reserve your seat in this truly one-of-a-kind class through UC Cross Enroll today!