Community views: Analysis of ‘Before I Die’ statements

Background: A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on death and dying (Dying2Learn) was offered in 2016, 2017 for the general public. It included an activity based on the work of Candy Chang, where participants wrote on a virtual wall what they wanted to do ‘Before I Die’. Purpose: To explore the responses to this activity within both MOOCs in an assumed “well” community. Design: Data from 2016 and 2017 included activity responses from 633 participants. Responses were qualitatively coded and analysed by two independent raters. Respondents were predominantly female (93.3%), with a mean age of 49.75. Most participants resided in Australia (87.5%). Ethical approval was obtained from the Flinders University Research Ethics Committee (Project 7247). Results: Twelve themes emerged from the data in the following order of frequency: family; do an activity; personal aspiration; live life fully, happiness; love; the greater good; peace; legacy; gratitude; religion; and health. Responses could also be distinguished as being inward-facing (about the self), and outward-facing (about others). Conclusion: This “Before I Die” activity encouraged people to articulate values in their life more consciously, within the context of understanding that life is finite. This is a useful way for people to become more aware of their mortality and live their life in a way that is congruent with what they consider to be what really matters. The potential of this activity for building death awareness and preparedness, and for understanding the impact on personal well-being are important considerations for future research.