Read our blog to explore ideas in teaching and learning. Students' first assignments often signal where skills and prior learning are wanting. But acknowledging the extent of these gaps and catering for the learning styles of all students can lead to more proactive approaches to addressing the problem.
Over the last year, together with our partners at Wonkhe, and with the help of 15 students’ unions, we’ve explored the concept of student belonging. We surveyed 5,233 students and 430 staff, and analysed over 240 monthly diary entries from anonymous student participants, multiple student focus groups, and 52 projects by sector colleagues from across UK universities.
The link between belonging and student success is well established. A sense of belonging was strongly associated with both academic and social engagement at university a decade ago as part of the Higher Education Academy’s “What works?” programme. In fact, it was stated as the key variable in whether students persist with their studies and are successful. This “sense of belonging” while at university can make or break students’ overall experience and their success.
