Student Belonging in Action Practical Case Studies to Foster a Sense of Belonging Across the Higher Education Student Journey

Student belonging in action: an introduction
David Gilani

Part I - Belonging from the beginning 

Chapter 1 – Join up activities to support students from underrepresented groups
Carl R Harrington

Chapter 2 – Launch free academic society membership trials and community welcome events to build belonging
Charlotte Boulton

Chapter 3 – Shift your perspective from deficit thinking to a model of appreciation that values the student voice
Samantha Wilson-Thain, Beatriz Lagunas, Ryan Arthur, Janet Beard, & Sophie Martucci

Chapter 4 – Reimagine the ‘sticky campus’ concept by centring the needs of commuter students
Gemma Standen

Chapter 5 – Seek to understand study and career motivations as an essential component of employability support
Becka Colley-Foster & Kate Stafford

Part II - Belonging driven through co-creation 

Chapter 6 – Build student networks to transform belonging, success, and departmental culture
Tom Ritchie, Inca Hide-Wright, Adam Alcock, & Leigh Mencarini

Chapter 7 – Co-produce belonging activities with staff and students
Stephanie Baines & Pauldy Otermans

Chapter 8 – Work with students to deliver solutions that enhance their student journey
Michelle Watson & Linda Sherwin

Chapter 9 – Create a space for belonging for students with parental responsibility
Andrea Todd, Emma-Louise Simpson, Helen Williams, & Serena Cornes

Part III - Belonging on the course of study

Chapter 10 – Fostering student belonging through relational pedagogy: implementing the GRACE framework
Lauren Flannery

Chapter 11 – An inclusive higher education framework can reflect on community and belonging in Foundation Year 
Emma Palmer & Katharine Hubbard

Chapter 12 – Embed teamwork into the curriculum
Charlotte Cartledge, Lynn Pickerell, & Kirsty Miller

Part IV - Belonging within learning environments

Chapter 13 – Inclusive student belonging in online distance learning
Lorna Sibbett & Renu Bhandari

Chapter 14 – Develop physical spaces to foster student belonging
Jenny Foster

Chapter 15 – Build a sense of belonging in online learning environments
Liz Hardie, Carol Edwards, Kate Ritchie, Jennifer Harper, Emma Bassett, & Suz Corcoran

Student belonging in action: looking to the future
Kelly Edmunds

Biography

Kelly Edmunds is Professor of Biology Education and Student Experience at the University of East Anglia, UK.

David Gilani is Head of Access and Participation and staff governor at Middlesex University, UK.

This inspiring collection addresses the varying practical, academic, and emotional needs of students, and showcases how intentional, student-led design can foster belonging. Through co-creation, genuine inclusivity, and practical innovation, these chapters offer an evidence-based roadmap for building resilient and supportive academic communities where all students can connect, thrive, and succeed. – Sunday Blake, Guild HE

With contributions from across the sector, this edited collection successfully showcases good practice and evidence about the place of belonging within the wider student experience. With the added bonus of recommendations and practical lessons learnt, it really is a must have read for the Higher Education sector. – Kate Strudwick, University of Lincoln

This book provides fantastic evidence-informed examples of how colleagues and students have co-created practical interventions to engage students and help them to belong and succeed in higher education. I strongly recommend this book to anyone, whatever their role in higher education, who wants to convert belonging theory into reality. – Liz Thomas, University of York