Session Outline

Belonging rarely happens by chance, it is shaped by design, through the structures, conversations, and hidden curriculum that tell students whether they matter. This interactive workshop explores how personal tutors and advisors can move from passive early engagement to purposeful design that creates the conditions for genuine connection.

Higher education often prides itself on being student-centred, yet many early interactions, whether during orientation, advising, programme briefings or welcome events, still rely on formats where students sit, listen, and receive. These sessions can unintentionally reinforce a transactional dynamic that leaves students informed but not connected. Drawing on insights from belonging and engagement scholarship, including Schlossberg’s work on mattering and Tinto’s emphasis on early integration, this workshop offers an alternative approach: designing belonging into the moments that shape transition.

The session is grounded in student feedback and practice at Marino Institute of Education, where small but deliberate shifts in orientation, advising structures, and peer-led interactions have helped first-year students build community early and feel they have a place within the institution. Participants will work through three short practice examples that illustrate principles rather than templates:

• Reordering orientation so day one centres on peer connection rather than information overload

• Introducing Tasters and Tours, a model that combines lecturer-led tasters with student-hosted panels and tours, offering students choice and authentic peer connection from the earliest stages

• Protecting a weekly Student Life Hour to give first years time and space to build community

These examples act as catalysts for reflection, enabling attendees to consider their own context and identify early touchpoints where advising can shift from information-giving to connection-building. The purpose is not replication but principle: belonging is co-created. It grows when students have space to participate, voice their experiences, and form peer relationships without being over-directed. Through collaborative activities, participants will examine the hidden curriculum within their own institutions and map opportunities for active participation, authentic dialogue and peer connection.

Delegates will leave with actionable strategies for strengthening belonging through early advising and tutoring interactions, approaches for balancing guidance with student agency, and practical ways to embed relational, student-centred design into everyday practice. This workshop is intended for anyone involved in advising, tutoring, induction, or student success who wants to place belonging at the centre of their work in a grounded, human and sustainable way.

Learning Outcomes

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