Conference Agenda

PSICONECTAMOS is an initiative launched in 2022 within the Psychology Department at a Universidad. It emerged in response to a perceived sense of isolation among faculty members and aimed to foster a culture of mutual support, collaboration, and shared professional growth.

The methodological framework was based on qualitative action research and the process unfolded in four phases: Participatory diagnosis and planning, grounded in shared needs such as lack of cohesion and a sense of disorientation. Implementation of actions, through informal gatherings that combined thematic presentations, open dialogue, and group interaction dynamics. Observation and data collection, using feedback forms, participant observation, and interaction logs. Reflection and continuous adaptation, which led to the evolution of the project through gamification, the creation of digital communication channels, and the inclusion of external experts in training activities.

85% of the department joined the communication network, and the gatherings averaged 9 participants, with peaks of up to 13. Qualitative feedback revealed significant improvements in interpersonal trust, a sense of shared purpose and perceived alignment toward common goals. Moreover, the initiative catalyzed the development of an Innovative Final Degree Project framework, and promoted training activities during low-teaching periods.

100% of participants rated the gatherings as useful and meaningful for their personal and professional development. The most requested topics for future sessions include teaching innovation, collaborative research, and well-being activities among with experiential learning events.

PSICONECTAMOS is presented as a case study that validates the transformative potential of informal spaces and support networks in academic settings. Through an action research model, the initiative has strengthened team cohesion, improved workplace climate, and generated innovative dynamics that benefit both faculty and students. This experience invites reflection on the role of community and collaboration in building more human and creative university environments.

A sense of belonging is a key condition for the academic, personal, and social success of university students. The objective of this study was to explore how students within the CIVIS European University Alliance, specifically at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of Bucharest (Romania), and the Aix-Marseille University (France), (Greece), experience and construct belonging and inclusion within higher education settings. The research aimed to identify the institutional, social, and pedagogical factors that promote or hinder a sense of belonging among diverse student populations.

The study followed a mixed-methods design approved by the respective university ethics committees. Quantitative data were first collected through online surveys (N=752 across the three universities) exploring inclusion, accessibility, well-being, and participation. In a second phase, qualitative inquiry was conducted through focus groups and semi-structured interviews involving 35 students (Master’s and PhD levels) and 3 faculty members. Discussions were guided by a thematic interview script addressing personal experiences of inclusion, perceived barriers, and recommendations for improving student integration. Data were coded and analyzed following an inductive qualitative approach using NVivo software to ensure rigor and traceability.

Four major categories emerged from the analysis: recognition, participation, support networks, and institutional responsiveness. Belonging was perceived as a dialogical process—developed through opportunities for active participation, fair communication, and mutual respect between students and staff. Students emphasized the role of mentoring, inclusive teaching, and visibility of support services as key facilitators. Conversely, bureaucratic opacity, lack of information, and limited flexibility were cited as exclusionary factors.

Overall, the study demonstrates that belonging is not a static feeling but an evolving relationship between individuals and their academic environment. Promoting belonging through inclusive communication, collaborative governance, and continuous faculty engagement strengthens not only student well-being but also institutional cohesion across the CIVIS Alliance.

The first year of university is a turning point in students’ lives, as the rapid changes and various challenges that this transition entails can negatively affect their mental health, and a wide range of academic outcomes. However, some students face a greater number of difficulties than others, while differences in individual characteristics, personality traits, motivation, coping strategies and forms of support, can greatly influence their ability to cope with and overcome these new challenges.

The present study attempts to explore how first-year university students perceive and navigate the transition to higher education, by employing a qualitative research design, with data collected through repeated qualitative interviews held over a five-week period. Participants were 22 first-year undergraduate students enrolled in various academic departments across Greek universities. Each student participated in an initial interview regarding their expectations and perceptions about university life, followed by five consecutive weekly interviews focusing on their experiences during the first semester of their studies.

Thematic analysis of the data revealed four main patterns in students’ narratives: (i) aspirations for academic success, (ii) personal and academic adjustment challenges, (iii) social integration, and (iv) the influence of different support systems. While most participants began their studies with a positive outlook and strong aspirations, many of them faced emotional strain, academic pressure, and moments of self-doubt, especially during the first stage of their transition. Over time, many described increasing autonomy, while peer and institutional support appear to have great significance in shaping their university experiences. These findings underscore the complex interplay between first-year students’ initial expectations, their socio-emotional adjustment and their evolving perceptions of academic success during the first semester of their university studies.

Community engagement is a mutually beneficial collaboration between an educational institution and surrounding communities. Appreciative Education is a framework for building on the best of what is working in educational practice. Drawing from dissertation research on appreciative teaching practices in music therapy as well as ongoing cross-disciplinary research on appreciative community engagement, the presenter will offer findings on powerful community-based learning practices. The session will include an introduction to the appreciative education framework and a discussion of implications for educators and researchers.

This paper explores the messy relationalities that emerge in qualitative collectives working within the neoliberal academy. We propose the concept of non-friendship-friendship to name a form of academic relationality that resists neat categorization. These reflections are grounded in the work of our qualitative collective, HaSalon – The Living Room, founded in 2023 and largely inspired by ECQI. Drawing on feminist, poststructuralist, and new materialist theories of diffraction and entanglement, we analyze vignettes, diary fragments, and correspondence from our collective. These accounts trace how intimacy, hierarchy, care, and inequality intra-act in our practices, often in ways that are uncomfortable, yet generative. By situating our reflections within the specific context of an ongoing collective that has written, presented, and persisted together across continents and in turbulent times, we foreground tensions and asymmetries rather than smoothing them over. We argue that non-friendship-friendship offers a framework for understanding collective academic life beyond binaries of professional versus personal ties. In doing so, we suggest that embracing relational messiness can serve as both an ethic of resistance and a practice of survival in precarious academic times.