#IBelong Talks
What makes us belong, and how does sense of belonging impact our academic achievements, as described by Liz Thomas from Edge Hill University.
BUILDING BELONGING DURING LOCKDOWN LEARNING: A WHOLE TEAM APPROACH
Event Type: Inclusiveness Meetup – #IBelong Multiplier Event
Date: 21.04.2021, Wednesday
Time: 10 – 4.00 BST / 11-5.00 CEST
Location: Online (link will be sent to registered participants ahead of the event). No registration fee.
Hosting institution: Edge Hill University, United Kingdom
Link to the EVENT LIVE STREAM: https://ibelong.eu/building-belonging-meetup/
EVENT SUMMARY
Belonging underpins student success. The #Ibelong project sought to develop an evidence-informed suite of activities to improve the belonging and success of students from a migrant background (including, but not limited to first generation entrants and ethnic minorities) in their HE programmes.
Students’ sense of belonging is nurtured through their course of study, and is developed, in part, through interactions with peers and staff. It is strongly connected to physical space: the place where learning occurs. Nurturing belonging is challenging when learning is shifted fully or partially online, and it requires the engagement of the full team.
The #Ibelong programme developed a suite of interventions that operate at course level, engaging first year students, course mentors and the staff team to improve belonging and success. Activities included dialogue about diversity, belonging and success; staff engagement with and reflection on diversity, and changes to practice; and course-based mentors building a community.
Lockdown learning meant activities had to be adapted and delivered online.
This one-day online event will:
- Share details of the interventions developed and how they were adapted to online and blended delivery.
- Examine the importance of working as a course team: students, mentors, programme leaders, teaching staff and managers.
- Identify the critical success factors that contributed to a sense of belonging online.
- Provide experience of some of the activities that were adapted and delivered online.
EVENT PROGRAMME
EVENT REGISTRATION
Programme
| BST | CET | Programme |
| 9.45
10.00 |
10.45
11.00 |
Connecting and familiarization with #IBelong
Time to connect to the event, get a coffee and review #IBelong resources |
| 10.00
10.40 |
11.00
11.40 |
Welcome and scene setting
Talks and videos Welcome from Lynda Brady,Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience) & University Secretary, Edge Hill University, UK Overview of #IBelong by Dr Marieke Meeuwisse, Associate Professor in Educational Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, NL and #IBelong project leader The Edge Hill experience of #IBelong, Dr Dawn Warren, Assistant Head, Department of Children, Education and Communities, Edge Hill University, UK The importance and approach of #IBelong: Stories of diversity and success |
| 10.40
12.00 |
11.40
13.00 |
Pivoting to online and blended learning
Activities and discussion groups Challenges experienced during the pandemic, facilitated by Professor Liz Thomas, Edge Hill University, UK Engaging in online learning, facilitated by Pravini Baboeram, ECHO, Expertise Center for Diversity Policy, NL Parallel sessions: Adapting to online and blended learning
|
| 12.00
13.00 |
13.00
14.00 |
Lunch |
| 13.00
13.40 |
14.00
14.40 |
Perspectives on lockdown learning
Student panel on belonging during lockdown, facilitated by Dr Sofia Marques da Silva, University of Porto, PT and Miriam Burfeind, Osnabrueck University, DE |
| 13.40
15.25 |
14.40
16.25 |
Developing the capacity of the whole team
Activities, discussions and panel Challenges of belonging in online learning environments, and the importance of the whole team, facilitated by Professor Liz Thomas, Edge Hill University, UK Taking a colour-brave approach, facilitated by Pravini Baboeram Building team and institutional capacity panel, facilitated by Mary Tupan-Wenno, with #IBelong team members Parallel sessions: Addressing challenging scenarios in the classroom |
| 15.25
15.30 |
16.25
16.30 |
Evaluation |
Discussion Break-Out Groups
During the event we will have parallel discussion sessions exploring how people adapted to online and blended delivery, whatever your role. The purpose will be to share your experiences of moving from in-person to online delivery during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and reflect upon what worked well and why, and what was challenging and why. The facilitator will encourage the group to consider what can be learnt from these experiences about online delivery and things that should be continued when online is no longer required.
The discussions will be themed loosely around 6 topics:
Please click here to indicate your interest in discussion groups during Inclusiveness Meetup.
#IBELONG TALKS:
#IBelong Talks
Discussing the importance of institutional commitment to diversity and inclusion, the leadership perspective with Laura Den Dulk (EUR, NL)
#IBelong Talks
What it meant to be first generation student and how to transform challenges into opportunities, with Susanne Menzel, President of Osnabruck University
#IBelong Talks
Reflection discussion on sense of belonging in higher education amid racial inequality protest movements with Pravini Baboeram (ECHO, NL)
