University student life

How to support students beyond the classroom, in all facets of university life. Here you'll find resources to direct student services, foster well-being, support a rich extracurricular offering and build inclusive campus communities and student societies.

By Miranda Prynne, 23 February, 2022

Working with student activists to speed up progress towards a sustainable future

Advice on collaborating with student activists to improve institutional sustainability

Jaime Toney explains how working with grassroots student activists can help accelerate institutional action towards the Sustainable Development Goals

By dene.mullen, 22 February, 2022

Gatekeepers or greeters? We must demystify university for first-gen students

The way university teachers and lecturers speak to first-generation students can make a huge difference to how they get on in higher education

Stone Meredith gives advice on using positive introductory phrases and how this can help first-generation students navigate university

Reading time

4minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 10 February, 2022

Building student social networks offline

Advice on helping students to form social bonds and join clubs and societies after two years of isolation

Becky Lewis explains how to purposefully encourage and support students in forming social bonds and groups after two years of remote learning, isolated from their peers and lecturers

By Miranda Prynne, 9 February, 2022

Are you optimising the user experience for your students?

Advice on applying user experience thinking to enhancing your student services in teaching and on campus

Kevin Curtis provides an introduction to simple user experience (UX) techniques that can help when considering how students and staff engage with higher education services and their campus surroundings

By Miranda Prynne, 29 December, 2021

Play on: how to build community on campus through music

Advice on using music as a way to bring students together and rebuild a sense of community on campus

Nick Merwitzer explains why and how music projects can help build a sense of connection and belonging on campus and outlines the key considerations for supporting student ‘bands’

By dene.mullen, 15 December, 2021

Why do we expect students to work well in groups if we don’t teach them how?

A group of university students arguing. We should teach students how to work together as a team

If we’re going to assign team projects, and if we really believe working well in a group is important, we must teach effective group processes, says Todd Zakrajsek

By Miranda Prynne, 17 November, 2021

How to foster student well-being with online mindfulness training

Advice on using a free online mindfulness programme to support student well-being

Adam Kay explains how educators can effectively use an innovative, freely available, and research-backed online mindfulness programme for student well-being

By Miranda Prynne, 5 November, 2021

Taking the shock out of culture shock: helping international students navigate transitions, part two

Advice on supporting students to manage and overcome culture shock after arriving at university

Inga Ackermann shares advice on helping students manage and overcome culture shock after their arrival at a university overseas or far from home

By dene.mullen, 21 October, 2021

Students demand action on the climate crisis now – not later

Students are demanding action from higher education universities on climate change now

COP26 is the world’s best – and perhaps last – chance to get runaway climate change under control, and to reach net zero HE needs to act swiftly, says Manveer Gill

By dene.mullen, 19 October, 2021

Prepare for student sustainability demands to go through the roof

Sustainability needs to be taught but also embraced by universities as students become ever more concerned

Students will be the driving force behind universities finally being held accountable and made to practise what they preach on climate change, says Andreas Kaplan

University student life