Awareness raising
It will raise awareness among staff and faculty of higher education institutions to effectively engage with the current diversity of
students
#IBelong – Towards a sense of belonging in an inclusive learning environment is a Strategic Partnership for Higher Education. It focuses on improving the experiences and outcomes of students from diverse backgrounds (in particular migrant students and first generation entrants) through creating a more inclusive learning environment in higher education.
Higher education institutions have not yet succeeded in offering equitable opportunities and outcomes for the diverse student population participating in higher education. This prevents the talents of students from flourishing, as can be seen in the performance gap between diverse groups of students in higher education across Europe.
#IBelong approach builds on the student experience, their academic self-confidence thus contributing to more equitable outcomes.
The main objective of the #IBelong Strategic Partnership is to build a programme of interventions to develop a real sense of belonging amongst higher education students irrespective of their diversity, thereby increasing student retention and promoting a fair chance of succeeding. With this objective this Strategic Partnership project fully addresses the renewed agenda for higher education.
#IBelong approach addresses 4 sub-objectives
Capacity Building
It will develop the capacity of higher staff to understand and value (cultural/ethnic) diversity and sense of belonging, and to design
and deliver learning that is inclusive of the breadth of diversity found in a modern higher education cohort
Cultural Sensitivity
It will develop a set of culturally sensitive interventions, which can be adapted to various contexts, positively impacting higher
education needs in terms of diversity, sense of belonging, inclusion, retention and success
Evidence Based Policy Design
It will provide evidence and examples of interventions for higher education institutions to develop their own policy and practice on
improving students’ sense of belonging
