Sexual violence remains a critical risk to student safety and wellbeing, and this Australian study demonstrates the potential of scalable digital interventions to address it. Led by researchers at The University of Queensland, the study evaluated a university-wide online module focused on consent, bystander intervention, and responding to disclosures. The results showed meaningful improvements in students’ understanding of consent, confidence to intervene, ability to support peers, and awareness of available services, with the online format proving accessible and engaging. The findings position sexual violence prevention as both a behavioural and cultural issue that can be effectively addressed through
targeted education. This presents a clear opportunity for Australian universities to implement cost-effective, scalable prevention strategies across campus.
Citation: Heard, E., Evans, C., Buckley, L., Hatchman, K., Masser, B. Evaluating an online module for sexual violence prevention in a tertiary educational setting: An exploratory study. Health Promotion Journal Australia. 2024 (link)