Harnessing innovation approaches to support community and belonging in Higher Education

The COVID-19 Pandemic has ushered in significant challenges for supporting community and belonging in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). This paper seeks to provide key recommendations to strengthen such activity, through a critical evaluation of a set of innovative community and belonging enhancement projects undertaken in a modern Scottish University. In doing so, the paper adds deeper understanding of how community and belonging are conceptualised and facilitated within HEIs. The evaluation was qualitative in nature and involved interviews with 13 staff members and students who were leading enhancement initiatives in the institution. Through an exploration of what shaped staff and students’ understandings and experiences in relation to community and belonging, several important themes emerged that are of value across the sector. These findings include a new framework of ‘authentic belonging’, the effectiveness of student ownership, and the current context of restricted opportunities for belonging enhancement.