Universities have renewed interest in blended learning in preparation for post-COVID education. However, unsatisfactory social interactions hinder the quality of blended learning, despite its potential for flexible and personalized learning. In this situation, a sense of community would provide essential academic and social benefits. To develop a…

This inquiry examines the benefits of utilizing social-emotional learning in today's classrooms to address students' academic and social-emotional needs. Now, more than ever, as teachers have transitioned from remote instruction to face-to-face or blended learning, particular emphasis must be placed on addressing students' social and emotional…

Nontraditional students represent a large percentage of the population in higher education, yet some institutions may be better suited than others to serve their needs. This research took place at a small, healthcare-focused university that attracts many nontraditional students, so I sought to gather information about the quality of their…

This mixed-methods study used the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) model to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college student sense of belonging. The purpose of this study was to explore how environmental changes related to the disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may have altered students' sense of belonging to…

Universities have increased the number of fully or partially online courses they offer to meet students' family, work-life, and academic needs. As a result of this shift, the HyFlex learning paradigm, which provides hybrid and flexible learning options, has gained traction in academia in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the…

Belonging is important for student motivation, retention and engagement. However, belonging is difficult to foster in the online environment, and the pandemic necessitating a shift to online learning has meant that many senior students may not feel that they belong at university. Drawing on qualitative data obtained via two online questionnaires,…

In March 2020, the COVID-19 global pandemic caused schools to close for an extended period, disrupting learning for about 55 million students (Center for Effective School Practices, 2022). Upon their return to school, educators committed to accelerating student learning to make up for missed learning. However, to support students' academic…

Psychological and social adjustment and academic success in post-secondary institutions are supported by a sense of belonging to a social group and having meaningful relationships with other students, staff, and faculty members. This exploratory study used a qualitative approach to investigate post-secondary students' sense of belonging in the…

Learning environments that support a sense of belonging have been shown to help students fully and meaningfully participate in their learning. Less is known, however, about the social organization of online learning environments that support a sense of belonging, particularly in postsecondary contexts. With an explicit attention to issues of…

Different domiciled groups experience belonging differently within university contexts, with China-domiciled students studying in UK Business Schools often finding it more difficult to integrate into university culture than their European counterparts, partially contributing to the sector awarding gap between these groups studying Business and…

This study aimed to determine the opinions of science teacher candidates about their experiences in the process by examining the effect of using Instagram in online learning environments on the sense of community. The study involved 41 teacher candidates, 21 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group. Convergent parallel design, one of…

This article invites scholars of teaching and learning in higher education to consider the ways in which instructors can use practices of inviting inclusion to create an environment in which students can feel -- and be -- included in online classrooms, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the analogy of a "block…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience of administrators at a Christian higher education institution during the COVID-19 crisis. The theoretical framework used for this study was revolutionary change theory (RCT). Qualitative data was gathered from structured interviews with executive…

Aim/Purpose: This article seeks answers to the following--(1) What describes a 'sense of belonging', inclusiveness, and well-being for students? (2) Which aspects of blended learning, synchronous and asynchronous, promote students' 'sense of belonging'? and (3) What are the state-of-the-art best practices for creating inclusive curriculum design…

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has forced all universities in China to shut campuses and moved to distance learning in response to epidemic prevention and control. This is the first time that college courses have been completely delivered online across the nation. Therefore, this study examines Chinese college students' sense of community and…