22. Research in Higher Education
Paper
Topologies of Belonging in the Digital University
Karen Gravett1, Rola Ajjawi2, Sarah O'Shea3
1University of Surrey, United Kingdom; 2Deakin University, Australia; 3Curtin University, Australia
Presenting Author: Gravett, Karen;
Ajjawi, Rola
Fostering a sense of belonging has become a core part of institutions’ teaching and learning endeavours. And yet, belonging is a complex relational concept. It has been shown to be processual, emergent, and dynamic. This complexity sits in tension with increasingly voluble calls to measure, manage and maintain students’ sense of belonging in universities. In this presentation we unpack belonging through research that invited students to not only narrate how they experience belonging, but also to show how belonging is embodied through actions, behaviours and artefacts. Our data depict the shades and modulations of how belonging is understood, which disrupts dominant discourses of simplicity, stability and uniformity.
Our research draws upon data from a Society for Research in Higher Education (SRHE) funded research study: ‘Belonging to and beyond higher education in hybrid spaces’. The research project commenced in May 2022. The overarching aim of the research was to unpack the ways in which students experience and create belonging within contemporary universities. The study focused on students’ experiences of belonging and non-belonging, exploring the ways these are negotiated through hybrid or blended approaches to learning, which have become prevalent within institutions internationally.
In particular, we engage the theoretical concept of topologies in order to think about both space and belonging as evolving and multiple. We explore how Mol and Law’s notions of topological multiplicity and fluid spatiality (Mol & Law, 1994; Law & Mol, 2001) offer ideas that help us to consider the implications of a more nuanced conception of belonging, inclusion and community for educators and their institutions.
The project sought to answer the following research questions:
• What assemblages of belonging do students create?
• In what ways did the boundaries of belonging shift as a result of the shift to online learning during Covid-19?
• What do students’ day-to-day material interactions with the digital university look like?
• How do students actively create belonging when learning in hybrid mode?
We will share how our data surface belonging as emotional, messy, emergent, textured, material, complex, and shifting. These findings move us beyond a critical interrogation of the nature of student belonging to consider more nuanced perspectives about how belonging is both understood and also enacted at an individual lived level. Given the diversity of both learners and the spaces in which they learn, we suggest that interrogating the nature of belonging is urgently needed if we are to understand diversity and inclusivity in education in more meaningful ways.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedIn this presentation we draw upon empirical data with thirty students in two institutions in the UK and Australia to contend that a sense of belonging is not quantifiable in simple ways. Questions relating to community and belonging have formed a key element of the Student Experience Survey in Australia and the National Student Survey questionnaire in England. Such measures and the work in institutions to respond to these metrics, form strategies in which belonging is increasingly monitored and measured by institutions. Our research seeks to explore the complexities of how students define belonging. By exploring the situated, sociomaterial nature of belonging and the multiplicity of meanings it can engender, we examine a counterview to the notion that belonging can be easily measured, managed and maintained. As a result, we contribute to more granular perspectives on students’ experiences as well as to a deeper theorisation of the notion of belonging and its associated concepts: inclusion and community. We suggest that such insights are particularly important as educators seek to find ways to support a diversity of students in more meaningful and ethical ways. A richer understanding of how students orient towards and enact belonging at university is fundamental to creating a clearer alignment between the goals of the institution and those of the individual, avoiding superficial approaches to measuring the student experience.
This research built upon preliminary conceptual work that has already been carried out by members of the research team (Gravett and Ajjawi 2022). Specifically, this detailed approach enabled us to attend to the day-to-day fine-grained practices of students’ learning, and this study is also inspired by the sociomaterial ethnographic work of Gourlay and Oliver (2016; 2018), and sociomaterial work of Fenwick, Edwards and Sawchuk (2011), seeking to expose ‘the complexities of what is actually going on ‘behind the screen’ and how these evolve over time’ (387). We adopted a video blogging method (or vlogging) at two institutions, the University of Surrey located in the UK and Deakin University in Australia. Participants were asked to produce a short vlog under the broad theme of belonging and invited to participate in a semi-structured interview. The two institutions were chosen to capture a rich international focus; one is a research-intensive university while the other is part of the Australian Technology University Network and a leader in innovative digital engagement.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThis presentation contributes to richer understandings of the concept of belonging in higher education. The research presented will consider the situatedness of learners who were asked to narrate their conceptions of belonging in their own lives and contexts. The results are valuable, pointing to new and more nuanced understandings, including a recognition of the micro and the macro signifiers of belonging as well as its multiplicity. Our research also highlights the dangers of discourses of belonging leading to pressures to belong being experienced by students. Importantly, these student accounts point to the validity of non-belonging in certain times and spaces.
We will invite the higher education sector to reframe conceptions of belonging in universities, to resist the lure of the metricisation of the complexity of human experience, and to be cognisant of the dangers of such oversimplification in terms of fostering further exclusions. Instead, we explore the value of thinking about the fluid and multiple topologies of belonging, and drawing upon theoretical ideas of topological space for thinking in more granular ways about students’ experiences in contemporary higher education. We suggest that these are ideas that are urgently needed if we are to understand diversity and connection in education in more meaningful and more ethical ways.
ReferencesBayne, S, Gallagher, M. S. & Lamb, J. (2014). Being ‘at’ university: The social topologies of distance students. Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9662-4
Fenwick, T., Edwards, R., & Sawchuk, P. (2011). Emerging Approaches to Educational Research: Tracing the Sociomaterial. Abingdon: Routledge.
Gourlay, L. & Oliver, M. (2018). Student Engagement in the Digital University. London: Routledge.
Gravett, K. & Ajjawi, R. (2022) Belonging as situated practice, Studies in Higher Education, 47(7), 1386-1396, DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2021.1894118
Gravett, K. (2022). Different voices, different bodies: Presence-absence in the digital university. Learning, Media and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2150637
Law, J. & Mol, A. (2001). Situating technoscience: An inquiry into spatialities. Environment and Planning D, 19, 609–621.
Mol, A. & Law, J. (1994). Regions, networks and fluids: Anaemia and social topology. Social Studies of Science, 24(4), 641–671.
Mulcahy, D. (2018). Assembling spaces of learning ‘in’ museums and schools: A practice-based sociomaterial perspective. In: Ellis, R., Goodyear, P. (Eds) Spaces of Teaching and Learning. Understanding Teaching-Learning Practice. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7155-3_2
22. Research in Higher Education
Paper
Navigating Group Work in the Digital Age: Key Considerations for Effective Design in Post-Secondary Online Courses
Bruna Nogueira1, Amber Hartwell1, Christy Thomas2, Barbara Brown1
1University of Calgary, Canada; 2Ambrose University, Canada
Presenting Author: Nogueira, Bruna;
Hartwell, Amber
Group work in post-secondary courses can be challenging for students for various reasons such as communication issues, conflicting schedules, different work ethics or priorities (Amissah, 2019; Rannastu-Avalos & Siiman, 2020; Woods, 2022). Additionally, working collaboratively with others often requires interacting and communicating with individuals from diverse backgrounds, who bring their unique perspectives, cultures, and personalities to the table. This diversity in group dynamics can be both an arduous task and an enriching experience that leads to the development of new ideas and approaches. Furthermore, working in groups can help students develop crucial professional skills such as teamwork, collaboration, leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving (Bakir et al., 2020; Brindley et al., 2009; Tseng &Yeh, 2013; Woods, 2022). In other words, collaborative learning experiences can help prepare post-secondary students for the professional world as many jobs require the ability to work effectively in a team (Moore, 2016). Despite challenges, group work can ultimately lead to greater success and personal growth for students if designed appropriately.
With the rapid and current expansion of online course delivery in the post-secondary level (Smith et al., 2021), there is an increasing need for research on group work in digital settings. While some of the challenges and advantages of group work seem to be the same in both in-person and online courses (Bakir et al., 2020), the online environment has distinct features that should be considered. For example, online environments may lack the social cues and immediate feedback that are present in face-to-face settings (Ferri et al., 2020), which can make it more difficult to build trust, effective communication among group members, and a sense of belonging (Smith et al., 2021). Additionally, online group work may require more structure and support from instructors to ensure that all group members are comfortable using the technology required, actively participating and contributing to the task (Ferri et al., 2020). As online education continues to evolve, it is important to understand the unique challenges and opportunities of group work in digital environments to better support students in their learning and development. In this presentation, we (presenters) will share and discuss the preliminary findings of an ongoing study. The questions that guided this investigation were "what are the key considerations for effective group work design in post-secondary online courses according to students?”, and “how do these considerations relate to the development of professional collaboration skills and the inclusion of diverse perspectives?". Quantitative and qualitative data from 68 pre-service teachers from two Western Canadian teacher education faculties offering online courses were collected through an online survey with closed and open-ended questions. Detailed findings including tables, graphs and quotes from participants will be shared with the audience. The analysis of the information gathered suggests that the way instructors design group work is important to students’ development and goal achievement. In summary, the research suggests that group work in post-secondary online courses should ideally (1) have clear goals and objectives, (2) be composed of four or fewer students, and (3) promote individual accountability.
In addition to presenting the key elements identified in this study for effective online group work design in post-secondary contexts, we plan to engage the audience in deeper reflections and discussions of the findings, linking them to diversity issues in education. Working in groups inevitably requires being mindful and respectful of the different cultures, beliefs, and perspectives of each group member, and actively working towards creating an inclusive and equitable environment, which is a key aspect to be considered by educators when designing group work, and by educational researchers when studying the phenomena.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe information shared in this presentation draws from a larger ongoing multiple case study examining how instructors of two Western Canadian institutions designed group work in post-secondary online courses. In this presentation, we prioritize the data collected from 68 post-secondary level students of both institutions through an online survey that focused on students’ perceptions of group work in online courses. The survey had close (quantitative) and open-ended (qualitative) questions. Participants were at different stages of their Bachelor of Education degree and received pseudonyms to protect anonymity. Close-ended questions were organized under four categories: group work design, group work perceptions, professional skills, and social connectedness and elements of collaboration. Answers were designed using a 5-point Likert scale including Strongly Agree (SA), Somewhat Agree (SWA), Neither Agree or Disagree (N), Somewhat Disagree (SWA), and Strongly Disagree (SD). The open-ended question asked participants about their experiences in group work in online courses.
Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis were conducted for this inquiry. Quantitative data analysis was conducted in MS Excel and SPSS software. Qualitative data underwent open coding (Miles, et al., 2014) for a more detailed understanding of themes that emerged from the students’ responses. An audit trail was documented, including coding methods and the creation of a codebook containing a description for each code (Miles et al., 2014). Coding methods used during analysis will be further elaborated on in the presentation. Throughout this process, the research team held regular meetings to discuss ideas and promote critical reflection of the data. Those conversations also served the purpose of reducing bias through the incorporation of different perspectives and interpretations. This detailed and careful data analysis resulted in the identification of participants' perceptions of the most significant elements of online group work in relation to its design, potential to promote peer collaboration, social connectedness, and develop both professional skills and positive relationships among peers. Some challenges of group work were identified. A table with the most prevalent answers under each of the four categories of the survey will be shared during the presentation together with quotes pulled from the open-ended answers provided by participants that support and enhance understandings of the quantitative findings. Overall, the findings indicate that group work in online courses should be designed as to (1) have clear goals and objectives, (2) be composed of four or fewer students, and (3) promote individual accountability.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsInstructors of online courses should design group work in a careful and intentional way to promote effective learning experiences that mitigate common challenges and develop collaboration skills that will be useful for students’ future professional practice. Results of this study suggest that instructors are clear when providing instructions and explaining both the expected outcomes and evaluation criteria of group work. Additionally, strategies to ensure that each member is held accountable for their participation must be employed, which could be achieved through timely/continuous feedback and guidance, for instance. Factors linked to group formation were also identified as relevant to the success of group work in online settings. Group size was vastly mentioned by participants as a key aspect that impacts a group's dynamics and effectiveness when working collaboratively on a task. Ideally, groups should consist of four or fewer students, and considerations on group composition should be embraced. Issues of diversity in group work deserve attention from instructors and students of post-secondary online courses to help create an inclusive and equitable learning environment for all. There are circumstances where grouping students according to their similarities is beneficial, but this is not always possible nor desirable. In many situations, designing group work with diversity in mind allows for the inclusion of different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds, and leads to a more robust and nuanced understanding of a topic. Additionally, by creating opportunities for diverse students to collaborate and learn from one another, discrimination and bias can be reduced, resulting in a more positive and respectful learning experience. The findings of this study contribute to the literature related to group work in post-secondary online courses and are relevant to the contemporary educational scenario. Moreover, the results serve to inform designers and instructors of online/hybrid courses, advancing the practice and profession of teaching.
ReferencesAmissah, P. A. K. (2019). Advantages and challenges of online project based learning [Master’s thesis, Rochester Institute of Technology]. RIT Scholar Works. https://scholarworks.rit.edu/theses/10231
Bakir, N., Humpherys, S., & Dana, K. (2020). Students’ perceptions of challenges and solutions to face-to-face and online group work. Information Systems Education Journal, 8(5), 75-88. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1258226
Brindley, J., Blaschke, L. M., & Walti, C. (2009). Creating effective collaborative learning groups in an online environment. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 10(3), 1-18. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ847776.pdf
Ferri, F., Grifoni, P., & Guzzo, T. (2020). Online learning and emergency remote teaching: Opportunities and challenges in emergency situations. Societies, 10(4), 1-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soc10040086
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook (4th ed.). Sage.
Moore, C. (2016). The future of work: What Google shows us about the present and future of online collaboration. TechTrends, 60(3), 233−244. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11528-016-0044-5
Rannastu-Avalos, M., & Siiman, L.A. (2020). Challenges for distance learning and online collaboration in the time of COVID-19: Interviews with Science teachers. In: Nolte, A., Alvarez, C., Hishiyama, R., Chounta, I. A., Rodríguez-Triana, M., & Inoue, T. (eds). Collaboration Technologies and Social Computing . CollabTech 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12324. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58157-2_9
Smith, C., Zhou, G., Potter, M., & Ammar, F. (2021). Post-secondary student perspectives on the promising practices for teaching online international students. International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education (IJCDSE), 12(3), 4542-4547. https://infonomics-society.org/wp-content/uploads/Post-secondary-Student-Perspectives-on-the-Promising-Practices.pdf
Tseng, H. W., & Yeh, H. T. (2013). Team members' perceptions of online teamwork learning experiences and building teamwork trust: A qualitative study. Computers & Education, 63, 1−9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.11.013
Woods, J. C. (2022). “The illusion of collaboration”: An integrated examination of the antecedents, processes, and consequences of online group work [Doctoral dissertation, West Virginia University]. The Research Repository. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/1126
22. Research in Higher Education
Paper
A New Mindset in HE Promoting Social and Emotional Engagement of Students in Online Learning
Camelia Radulescu, Laura Ciolan, Tania Maria Colniceanu, Elena Ungureanu
The Learning Center of the University of Bucharest, Romania
Presenting Author: Radulescu, Camelia;
Colniceanu, Tania Maria
We discuss the need for a new mindset in HE which focuses on social and emotional aspects of the learning experiences universities offer to their students in order to reach academic success, as concluded by several research studies conducted in seven European universities, partners in an Erasmus+ project, carried on between 2021 and 2023, called eBelong: Sense of belonging in online learning environments.
Before looking at the excellence each study programme strives to offer in terms of academic teaching and learning, we believe that we need to consider the learning experiences of the students (their development as an individual, not only as a professional) as part of a community that fosters a sense of belonging (identification of common values, needs, purposes, visions for career/life) (Hoffman, 2003, Peacock & Cowan, 2019)., without forgeting about the academics who contribute to the creation and the mentainance of these communities of learning as facilitators.
We conducted several studies with the purpose of identifying best practices that could improve teaching and learning when using distance or hybrid training, creating the conditions for a social and emotional engagement of students in e-learning environments and creating the tools to develop students' sense of belonging in the context of virtual learning communities (Strayhorn, 2018; Peacock & Cowan, 2019; Zaheer, 2019). A community of practice (CoP) is a set of relationships and ongoing interactions among a group of individuals with common interests. In other words, it is a group of people who meet to discuss a topic of common interest, they learn together and from each other. The focus of this group is shared learning. Additional resources such as research and online tools may enhance that learning and sharing. In connection with the dynamics of the group, there is a solution as effective facilitators/teachers to strengthen the ties between the members of the community and to keep everyone focused on the common goals of the group. They can also promote the mutual trust, respect and support needed to support a CoP. Probst and Borzillo (2008) suggests that weak links between group members may condition the success of a CoP. Although communication will occur electronically in an online CoP, the steps needed to establish goals and activities for the group remain the same. CoP uses various modes of communication: listservs, emails, forums, social groups, conference calls, in-person meetings, and cross-collaboration among the interest areas.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedA needs mapping was ensured under the form of two surveys, one about modalities to sustain students’ wellbeing (Luhmann, 2012) and related innovative pedagogical practices, starting from OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Wellbeing (2013) adapted to COVID19 time and completed with questions about time of isolation, educational attendance and loss of reference persons (Brooks et al., 2020; Hares & Mundy, 2020), and another one survey about dimensions of social risk linked to the interaction with digital environments (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). These include: social exclusion, hyperconnection and loss of social relationships. In addition to the risk dimensions, the research allowed to reflect on the opportunities related to the experience of distance/blended learning, focusing on practices and paths of change able to respond to the social needs and requirements emerged during the pandemic, using rubrics as an evaluation tool (Allen & Tanner, 2006; Andrade, 2007; Panadero & Jonsson, 2013). Evaluation rubrics are to be understood as a specific methodology for competence evaluation (Davidson, 2004). (Mc Tighe & Ferrara, 2021) The rubric consists of a scale of set scores and a list of criteria describing the characteristics of each score on the scale (Mc Tighe & Ferrara, 2021). These were complemented with a recent literature review on online education and evaluations of existing support services. They formed the basis for course curriculum design, digital tools design and training activities proposed and piloted in the other studies run by the partners.
We also explored by means of literature review and surveys the way communities of practice contribute and support the sense of belonging. We focused on the sense of belonging as the main feature of a collaborative online community involved in a practical learning and teaching approach in a stressful situation. The social, emotional and affective side of the learning is adding value when addressed with concrete shared solutions. The results of ours studies add to the weight of evidence showing that academics play a critical role in students’ success and academic support experiences.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsOur proposed framework redefines teaching practices in the context of online education and the development of new skills, in an effort to generate inclusion. Our approach is to offer recommendations in terms of strategy design and actions that universities need to adopt in order to promote, develop and foster:
• Belonging to a community of practice
• Engaging online experiences fostering the sense of belonging
• Inclusion and support for all members of the community (students and academics alike)
We believe that this approach will manage to facilitate digital readiness, as it draws its roots from various HE contexts in Europe in which new approaches are being implemented, and to influence decision factors to act towards adapting strategies for inclusion and support offered to students and academics alike. It has a high transferability potential as it focuses not on differences among the partner universities with their cultural specifics, but on common needs of target groups (students and academics) facing the challenges of online education.
ReferencesAllen, D., & Tanner, K. (2006). Rubrics: tools for making learning goals and evaluation criteria explicit for both teachers and learners. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 5(3), 197–203.
Andrade, H. (2007). Self-assessment through rubrics. Educational Leadership, 65(4), 60–63.
Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., et al. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. Lancet 395, 912–920. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8
Davidson E.J. (2005), Evaluation Methodology Basics: the nuts and bolts of soundevaluation, Thousand Oaks, Sage, Ca.
Hares, S., & Mundy, K. (2020). EQUITY-FOCUSED APPROACHES TO LEARNING LOSS DURING COVID-19. The Education and Development Forum (UKFIET). https://www.ukfiet.org/2020/equity-focused-approaches-to-learning-loss-during-covid-19/
Hoffman, M., Richmond, P. D. J., Morrow, J., & Salomone, P. D. K. PDK 2002–2003. Investigating “sense of belonging” in first year college students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory and Practice, 4, 227-56.
Luhmann M, Hofmann W, Eid M, Lucas RE. Subjective wellbeing and adaptation to life events: a meta-analysis. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2012 Mar;102(3):592-615. doi: 10.1037/a0025948. Epub 2011 Nov 7. PMID: 22059843; PMCID: PMC3289759.
McTighe J., Ferrara S. (2021), Assessing Student Learning by design, Teacher College Press, Columbia University.
Panadero, E., & Jonsson, A. (2013), The use of scoring rubrics for formative assessment purposes revisited: a review, Educational Research Review, 9, 129–144.
Peacock, S. & J. Cowan, (2019). Promoting Sense of Belonging in Online Learning Communities of Inquiry in Accredited Courses, Online Learning, 23(2), 67-81.
Pokhrel, S., & Chhetri, R. (2021). A Literature Review on Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Teaching and Learning. Higher Education for the Future, 8(1), 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1177/2347631120983481
Probst, G., & Borzillo, S. (2008). Why communities of practice succeed and why they fail. European management journal, 26(5), 335-347.
OECD (2013), OECD Guidelines on Measuring SubjectiveWell-being, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264191655-en
Strayhorn, T. L. (2018). College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students. Routledge.
Zaheer, I., Maggin, D., McDaniel, S., McIntosh, K., Rodriguez, B. J., & Fogt, J. B. (2019). Implementation of promising practices that support students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Behavioral Disorders, 44(2), 117-128.
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