Belonging in the first year: A creative discipline cohort case study

Abstract

Drawing on contemporary transition pedagogy, this paper provides a case study of a suite of transition activities piloted by The Belonging Project in collaboration with a creatively oriented academic program in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University. Through qualitative research, this case study demonstrates the importance of adopting Kift, Nelson and Clarke's (2010, p. 6) notion of transition "as a process, not an event." This paper argues that a sustained program of low cost transition activities that bridge the formal and informal curriculum fosters an essential "sense of belonging" among first year students. It provides a successful example of an approach that embeds essential social and academic literacies while facilitating positive social, cultural, and academic transitions.

“I’m Not a Number, I’m Someone to Them”: Supporting Commencing University Students’ Through Technology-Mediated Personalised Communication

“…Research has noted that withdrawal and disconnection from study is most common within the first year of university as students adapt to new social, cultural and learning environments (Araújo et al, 2014;Krause et al, 2005). As noted by Tinto (2009), support and feedback are two attributes of effective classrooms that promote success for commencing students.…”

Supporting entrepreneurship students’ sense of belonging in online virtual spaces

“…Nevertheless, this bonding may take time to develop, due to the nature of the cohort, and hence the time spent with academics in this context is worth further research. There is, besides, diversity in expectations and needs at different stages in an online student’s academic journey (Araujo et al, 2014; Hughes, 2007), which merits closer scrutiny than is currently provided in the literature, especially since individual needs for a sense of belonging may vary as a result (Peacock et al, 2019).…”

Intrusive Teaching: The Strain of Care Labor, Identity and the Emerging Majority in Higher Education

“…Thus, universities have sought to expand their target audience to more non-traditional first-year students, termed the "emerging majority" (Anderson, 2003;Betances, 2004;Laden, 2004). They often come from economically challenged backgrounds, have caregiving responsibilities, and are more likely to identify as students of color (Araújo et al, 2014;Athens, 2018;Whitford, 2019). Further complicating the road to success are expectations that students, who have little socialization into higher education or social network support, are unable to navigate.…”