I’ll Be There for You: Generating Sustained Student Connectedness from the Beginning

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.3527

Keywords:

first-year experience, induction, social engineering, student belonging, student connectedness, student transition

Abstract

This study examines the efficacy of a redesigned induction session to enhance and sustain student connectedness, addressing ongoing concerns relating to student isolation. We socially engineered the group formation process prior to students undertaking a group activity at undergraduate Business induction sessions. The intention of the activity was for students to collaboratively problem-solve components of the university experience, learn where to seek information and develop connections with peers from day one of their university experience. Our analysis confirms that the social engineering of groups based on similar interests enabled students to establish more sustained peer connections compared with random assignment, and students are generally more satisfied with their induction. These findings have practical implications for universities, which are accepting and enrolling a greater variety of students as they aim to widen participation.

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Author Biographies

James Wakefield, University of Technology Sydney

Dr James Wakefield is the MBA Program Director and an Associate Professor at the UTS Business School in the Accounting Department. James' accounting education and education research more generally focus on applying technologies to improve student engagement and learning outcomes. In particular, he investigates the implications of technologies, including synchronised lecture slides with integrated quizzes, social media, student screen casting, online peer-review forums, tablet computing-enabled annotation and sharing technologies, and tailored student messaging. More recently James has examined student experience, including belonging at university. James received various awards for his teaching and learning approaches, including awards and citations from the Australian Business Deans Council, Universities Australia, the Office of Learning and Teaching, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and UTS.

Simone Grabowski, University of Technology Sydney

Dr Simone Faulkner (nee Grabowski) is a Senior Lecturer in the field of mobilities research at the UTS Business School in the Management Department, blending scholarly work and industry expertise. Her research projects span the fields of sustainable tourism, volunteerism, community development, cross-cultural diversity management, and transition and belonging. Simone's commitment extends beyond research, collaborating with professional associations to foster learner belonging and integration within academia and industry. She also supports student transition into and out of their courses in her First and Further Year Experience coordination. As an educator imparting critical thinking and global awareness, she is shaping a new generation of socially conscious and inclusive leaders.

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Published

2024-06-17

How to Cite

Wakefield, J., & Grabowski, S. (2024). I’ll Be There for You: Generating Sustained Student Connectedness from the Beginning. Student Success. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.3527

Issue

Online First

Section

Practice Reports

License

Copyright (c) 2022 James Wakefield, Simone Grabowski

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International Licence (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.