The Complex Factors That Drive Students’ Sense of Belonging
An expert in student belonging and engagement in the digital environment explains the nuances of belonging, mattering and inclusion as well as how to foster well-being in higher education.
Universities are going into the 2021-22 academic year with a greater capacity to deliver online and hybrid teaching than 12 months ago. But just as existing digital divides presented complex teaching challenges during the pandemic, faculty’s lack of digital literacy and of pedagogical training could render elements of universities’ digital transformations ineffective.
Lauren Herckis an anthropologist at Carnegie Mellon University, discusses her research into the new digital divide in higher education and how universities can work to fill it.