Belong at Brighton

Author

Angelica Blake-Lawson
Student Engagement Partner from the School of Humanities and Social Science

Belong at Brighton is a programme run by the University of Brighton which encompasses Welcome Week and Extended Induction to introduce Level 4 and Level 0 (Foundation Students) into the academic practices of university. These activities build on the extensive Belong at Brighton campaign we use to engage with students before they arrive at the university. In equipping them with the relevant information and support as they begin their university experience, the academic transition part of our Belong at Brighton programme also gives students an opportunity to make new friends and build a community. By the end of the programme, students should feel prepared, confident, engaged, connected, empowered, inspired and filled with a sense of belonging, both within their subject areas and the wider university.

Welcome Week occurs during the week prior to the beginning of term and includes a variety of activities to help settle students and support them in exploring the city and making friends. Extended induction runs for the first four weeks of term and consists of timetabled in-person sessions that are separate from other teaching and focus on actively signposting students to support, resources and information. For example, there is a “Skills for a Successful Start” session led by the Brighton Student Skills Hub, which discusses all the available support to develop skills for confident university study and was developed in direct response to student feedback that they wanted study skills information early on in their studies. Other induction sessions include “Making the most of your time at university”, which covers matters including part-time jobs, finance etc., and course-leader-led sessions which could include getting to know you and ice-breaker activities, such as going for a walk or touring campus facilities. All these sessions are put in place to help students feel equipped and supported as they settle into their course and university life, and this is supported by online areas, which host pre-entry activities and provide key information and signposting to different support available to students. The University of Brighton regularly reviews both attendance and engagement with online areas to help inform their approaches to the programme and they also seek feedback from different groups of staff and students to inform their work.

Although starting university can be overwhelming, extending our induction beyond welcome week encourages students to do activities that support their transition into university life. The face-to-face timetabled sessions help students build their confidence and a sense of belonging that we hope will help them to succeed in their studies. As such, Belong at Brighton is a programme which embeds a ‘sticky’ approach to induction to maximise student experience and engagement by helping students feel prepared for study, supported during transition and encouraged to find belonging within the University of Brighton.

Another ‘sticky’ system put into place at the University of Brighton is the work carried out by Student Engagement Leads and the introduction of Student Engagement Partners. 

Student Engagement (SE) Leads implement Belong at Brighton at school level and support the transition, progression and retention of all students. They lead on the implementation and compliance with attendance and engagement policy, monitor and address data regarding retention and withdrawal of students, and review data to inform key areas of responsibility. They also work in partnership with SE Partners to develop mechanisms to ensure effective engagement with students and develop opportunities to listen to the student voice. SE Partners are students who have been employed to help in the designing and running of events across the academic year, with a key focus on Welcome Week, to foster a sense of belonging throughout.

For example, SE Partners in the School of Humanities and Social Science created an Actionbound Orientation Event to help new and existing students familiarise themselves with the new campus and facilities following the move of the school to Moulsecoomb campus this year. During this activity, new students were made to feel welcome and encouraged to make friends. It was also an opportunity to identify student needs and signpost support, showing how vital running events such as this during Welcome Week can be when helping students ‘stick to and stick with’ their course. By fostering that sense of belonging from the beginning, students were supported to settle into university life and orient themselves before the beginning of term.

Overall, the work delivered by staff and students during Belong at Brighton works to create an inclusive and engaging experience for Level 4 and Level 0 students to enhance student engagement. By responding to typical challenges relating to student engagement, Belong at Brighton helps foster support for students around transition, finding belonging and developing meaningful connections with their course. As such, this blog explores the importance of extended induction and student-staff partnerships to ensure the University of Brighton is delivering engaging content for students to get involved with from the beginning of their student journey. In carrying out an Evaluation Plan, the University of Brighton will continue to monitor student continuation, progression between years of study, completion and attainment in connection with Belong at Brighton activities to adapt and improve the offer in accordance with the data.

With thanks to Joanna Macdonnell (University of Brighton), Dan Chard (University of Brighton) and Catherine McConnell (University of Brighton) for their contributions to this blog.

For more information about the project and the partners visit the project web page.