Behind the celebratory social media posts about college offers, new students can often struggle with feeling out of place and disconnected as they transition into university life. This lack of belonging can breed disillusionment – sometimes even leading students to drop out and start a similar programme elsewhere, in search of a different community rather than new skills.
This problem goes deeper than just student satisfaction scores. Students work incredibly hard to be accepted into university, but once there, many feel lost navigating disconnected courses across different departments. To address this challenge, we need to adopt a proactive approach, one that fosters belonging from the outset. Here are three strategies to weave a sense of connection into orientation and teaching activities, based on my five-year experience of managing social science undergraduate programmes.
1. Leverage admission interviews to plant seeds of belonging
Admission interviews offer a valuable first touchpoint with potential students. Don’t underestimate the power of simple questions asking applicants about their motivation for joining your programme. You will be surprised how well students can remember their answers, after years. The competitive nature of the admissions process encourages thoughtful self-reflection. This process also gives students a sense of agency; they are active participants in the selection process, not just passive recipients of an offer based on exam scores.
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To further cultivate this sense of agency, ask specific questions that encourage applicants to envision their role within the discipline. Have candidates identify an issue they care about within your field and explain its significance. Then, crucially, challenge them to imagine how they would leverage the programme’s resources to address this issue if admitted.
Push candidates beyond merely “knowing more” about the issues. Prompt them to consider what they could realistically accomplish as a student with the resources available in your programme. Academic programmes exist to address the big questions. Do not allow these challenges to diminish your students’ sense of efficacy. Guide them to break down large problems into manageable components, where they can begin making incremental differences. This exercise plants the powerful idea that students in your programme are potential agents of change, not just observers of complex problems.
2. Consolidate belonging through a two-day boot camp
Once students are admitted into your programme, don’t wait for the semester to start or rely solely on your university’s student affairs office for orientation. Consolidate student identity by organising a one- or two-day boot camp.
The boot camp should include typical ice-breaking activities and information sessions, but the most crucial component is a comprehensive problem-solving experience. Educators can ask students to identify areas of personal commitment within the discipline and then form teams based on shared interests. These teams then develop proposal frameworks addressing or researching their chosen challenges, receiving structured feedback from peers and facilitators.
This approach is common in social innovation training but equally applies to a wide range of academic programmes. In biology, for example, students might identify interests in topics like microplastics in marine ecosystems or antibiotic resistance. In their teams, they could develop preliminary research proposals outlining potential methodologies, incorporating both laboratory and field components appropriate for undergraduate investigation.
The boot camp needs to extend over one or two days to give students sufficient time to get to know their peers, brainstorm ideas and develop reasonably serious proposals. If the admission interviews plant the idea of change-making and personal ownership of learning, the boot camp serves as the starting point of that transformative journey.
The sense of purpose and social connectedness this creates should follow students throughout their academic journey, helping them see connections between courses and maintain motivation through challenging coursework.
3. Build connection through walking tours
First-year foundational courses present valuable opportunities to reinforce belonging through experiential learning activities. Consider bringing your first-year students on a walking tour of the neighbourhood surrounding campus. It is a fantastic way to build a sense of community and make those sometimes abstract academic concepts come alive. Yes, a good university education often focuses on generalisable knowledge and transferable skills; but it is the unique, local experiences that truly forge a connection with the institution.
Pulling off a walking tour takes work. Instructors must go beyond textbooks and engage with the community to identify optimal routes, discover hidden gems and craft stories that resonate. This is what makes the learning experience unique.
To encourage participation, walking tours should be limited to regular class hours. Walkie-talkies are great for keeping everyone together and connected outdoors, but if that isn’t feasible for you, some free apps can do the trick – just be aware of potential tech glitches if you have a large group.
The above strategies focus on the critical early months of students’ university journeys – when they are most eager to explore their future, yet uncertain about their choices. By focusing on creating a sense of belonging right from the start, educators can help bridge the gaps and make the whole university experience feel more connected and empowering.
Siu Yau Lee is associate professor at Hong Kong Baptist University.
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