Session Outline

Fostering Belonging Through Micro-Engagements: Digital Touchpoints and Lunchtime Connections

Debra Whitehead (Manchester Metropolitan University)

Creating a sense of belonging is critical for student engagement, retention, and wellbeing. Research shows that a higher daily sense of belonging significantly boosts both emotional and behavioural engagement in students—especially among first-generation learners—underscoring the importance of purposeful community-building (Kahu & Nelson, 2018; Thomas, 2020).

This project introduces a practical, scalable approach to embedding belonging through micro-engagements—small, intentional actions delivered via digital platforms and complemented by short, focused in-person events. Unlike large-scale interventions, these everyday prompts and themed gatherings aim to normalize community-building practices across diverse student cohorts (Ajjawi et al., 2025).

Micro-engagements are inherently low-barrier and inclusive, designed as short, meaningful touchpoints. These include conversation starters, peer recognition prompts, and well-being check ins deployed via tools like Moodle and Teams. Such strategies leverage existing digital infrastructure—known to increase student engagement while reducing logistical overhead (Tinto, 2017).

Importantly, personal tutors facilitate these micro-engagements directly within their tutor groups, ensuring regular, personalized contact that strengthens student–staff relationships and supports belonging and retention (Ajjawi et al., 2025).

To complement online connection, the model integrates brief, themed on-campus events—such as lunchtime meetups, interactive challenges, and problem-solving activities. Evidence shows that even small-scale campus events significantly enhance community bonds and improve student retention (Thomas, 2020).

This strategy elevates belonging from a series of occasional events to a sustained institutional culture, embedding supportive practices into daily student life. The presentation covers implementation steps, sample micro-engagement formats, and findings from early pilots—including feedback and participation metrics. By combining digital and physical micro-engagements, supported by tutor facilitation, institutions can foster inclusive communities that bolster academic success and personal well-being.

Ultimately, this model represents a flexible, cost-effective pathway to transform belonging from a one-off initiative into an enduring learning culture that supports diverse learners in higher education settings.

Non-traditional Students' Transitions- Passports to Success

James Fenton (University of Westminster)

Students transitioning into university face challenges associated with new responsibilities, unfamiliar settings and increased academic demands. And the challenges can be even greater for students from backgrounds not traditionally associated with higher education. While more attention has recently been paid to the needs of non-traditional student groups, it has largely been at a group level which means generalizations that may miss important issues associated with individual experience. We argue that more comprehensive and individuated measures for such a diverse cohort entering each academic year needs to be found, and 2 related recent research strands have suggested how a bottom-up approach based on EAP students' individual needs can add clarity and provide solutions. The first strand is co-created student content (Woods and Homer, 2022) which builds on the curriculum with the kind of skills and knowledge which can benefit transitioning students. The second is student passports (Ryan and Morris, 2020), which have been shown to provide a personalised knowledge base to build from as they progress into and through university.

This presentation reports findings from a project co-created with 3 second-year students at the University of Westminster that sought to establish: a) The challenges faced by non-traditional students transitioning into the 1st year of university and b) The extent a student passport approach could assist individual transitions. Contributing to the project were 2 members of staff, the 3 student co-creators and 9 1st-year student participants. Qualitative data was collected from the 9 student participants in 2, 1-hour long focus groups (1 in person; 1 online) using semi-structured interviews that were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. While some emergent themes aligned with the literature, (e.g. student expectations failing to match experience), others provided more unexpected insights, such as the extent and nature of the supporting input that transitioning students viewed as helpful. The student passport approach, utilized with the right input and support, was largely seen as a constructive addition to the assimilation process and led to ideas which have already transferred to a larger university-wide transition program. Further recommendations emerge regarding future possibilities for supporting more inclusive transitions for all 1st-semester students, with discussion on how these can be adapted and applied to other settings.

Potentials and practicalities of an international virtual community of practice as a model for student professional development and belonging

Corinne Woodfine (MMU)

The growth of online communities across the globe has brought forth the importance of using virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) as a model for global sharing and exchanging of ideas and the co-construction of knowledge (Kirschner & Lai, 2007). The communicative nature of communities of practice (CoP) enables the enactment of community and belonging through common interests and mutual endeavours (Iverson, 2011). Drawing on established links between two Schools of Education (UK and US) enabled the formation of a new international VCoP where education students (teacher education and special education) began to build connections, learn from each other whilst simultaneously enacting belonging.

Defining communities of practice is not an easy task. Wenger’s (1998) initial conceptualisation brought focus to how social learning occurs within an environment where there is a common shared interest, problem to be solved or a goal to work towards. However, CoPs are more than just a club that has members with common pursuits. Participants are actively involved in the sharing of ideas, the finding of solutions to common problems and the building of a repertoire of resources, such as experiences, stories, tools, to help develop new knowledge and strengthen belonging.

Feeling that there was an opportunity to develop a dynamic learning space between two groups of education students from the UK and US, an international VCoP was formed, facilitated by faculty staff from each country. Still at an early stage, this newly created learning environment is beginning to provide opportunities for beginning teachers and educators to interact virtually, exchange insights and collaboratively enact belonging and grow professionally.

Through listening to the voices of student and staff CoP members, this lightening talk will allow the sharing of impact and practicalities of this two-way knowledge exchange whilst encouraging critical consideration of VCoPs as a model that enhances student and staff connectedness and professional development. Time will also be given for the audience to reflect on potential opportunities they may have to form new VCoPs with other UKAT conference attendees and how this may help build new knowledge and create a greater sense of belonging.

Learning Outcomes

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