Student experience and belonging is a primary driver of postsecondary learning, persistence, and completion. This paper provides strategies that can help policymakers and leaders at all levels to cultivate positive student experiences and foster students' sense of belonging, leading to strong academic performance, retention, and good mental…

This article discusses transfer pathways to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) degrees and highlights ways in which existing literature on equity in STEM fails to represent transfer student experiences, limiting opportunities to support transfer students and diversify STEM programs. More specifically, we synthesize findings…

bell hooks described homeplace as a space for love, belonging and connection that actively resists the dominant narratives within white supremacy. This article highlights how hip hop culture and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) led by school counselors can be used as a homeplace in schools, a space where students can speak on their…

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are federally designated universities whose undergraduate enrollment is 25% Chicanx/Latinx -identifying students ("Excelencia in Education," 2019). The University of California has emerged as a Hispanic-Serving System (HSI-System), having recently enrolled its most diverse freshman class. In this…

This paper describes the benefits of student-run publications from the perspective of two undergraduate students. Based on their experiences, the commentary elaborates how reviewing for a student journal has contributed to their growth as writers and developed a sense of community.

The role and significance of adjunct faculty in the success of higher education programs cannot be overstated. Institutions should consider ways to foster self-efficacy and a sense of belonging among this contingent population of faculty, one reason being the profound impact adjunct faculty members can have on the student experience. This article…

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in changes to higher education, including how campus spaces are used and defined. Institutional pivots to meet health and safety protections impacted the way we think about public and private spaces in lasting ways. The end of the acute emergency presents an opportunity for colleges and universities to reflect about…

This reflective essay discusses a course redesigned to enhance student belonging and the important role intentional use of technology plays in creating a belonging context. Before the redesign, some course elements aimed to create a belonging context by centering and valuing student choice, and through choice, respect of identity. However, there…

This essay shares experiences related to graduate student well-being in the transition from face-to-face to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid global social unrest. The unexpected and rapid changes due to the preventive measures taken created challenges for both educators and students in the middle of the Spring 2020 semester.…

We describe strategies, designs, tools, and technologies that were part of a 9-week experimental virtual summer internship program conducted during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The goals for the program were to (1) recreate the in-person summer internship experience, (2) explore ways of getting people to help each other, and (3)…

Visuals and images are ubiquitous on college campuses and with the lives of students, faculty, and staff. Increasingly students, administrators, and faculty have access to the means of creation, production, and distribution of images. While particular images are crafted by institutions to communicate particular messages, the use of visuals and…

The purpose of this paper is to consider new possibilities for higher education, where the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provide a framework for creating digital and physical environments that honor every learner's unique lived experiences and support the expectations of learners for their individual life goals. Each learner…

The graduate school experience is a relevant part of professional development and can be instrumental in framing future careers. There is, however, a lack of resources and understanding concerning how institutions can best develop a positive culture during graduate school. In this paper, six professionals outline their graduate program experiences…

Space is the product of spatial and social relations (Massey 2005). Educators are constantly moving in and out of physical or virtual spaces in classrooms. In geography education particularly, space is integral to teaching and learning. For example, students situate spatial knowledge within social contexts to make sense of geographical concepts…

Many students experience that the prepackaged secondary English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum used in many classrooms does not effectively engage them or further their English acquisition. This article shares the story of creating a curriculum the authors believe other teachers can emulate to successfully teach adolescents who are new to…