Belonging is not a single number

This week, Dr Stuart Grey discusses belonging and retention: why one belonging score is rarely enough to explain who feels connected, who is drifting and what universities should do next. The episode covers a review of 66 studies on belonging, mature student induction, DMU's block teaching evaluation and Jisc's decision to retire Digital Experience Insights. In This Episode - Why belonging is not one thing and should not be treated as a single diagnostic score. - How belonging evidence changes when the job is descriptive, evaluative or predictive. - Why mature student induction needs to be designed beyond the default student. - What DMU's block teaching evaluation shows about faster feedback and survey evidence. - What the retirement of Jisc Digital Experience Insights means for benchmarking. - Why data security questions matter when universities process student comments with AI. Student Voice Practice Stuart reflects on the Future Facing Learning and AI in Higher Education conference at Teesside University and the question of who controls the AI infrastructure of higher education. Research Spotlight Retention work needs belonging evidence, not just a single score: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/retention-work-needs-belonging-evidence/ Induction can build mature students' belonging, but only if universities design beyond the default student: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/induction-can-build-mature-students-belonging/ Sector Watch DMU's block teaching evaluation links faster feedback with stronger survey evidence: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/dmu-block-teaching-evaluation-student-survey-evidence/ Jisc will retire Digital Experience Insights on 31 July 2026: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/jisc-digital-experience-insights-retirement-student-feedback-benchmarking/ From the Archive Gamification in statistics teaching: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/gamification-in-statistics-teaching/ Do accounting students value a balanced mix of assessment methods?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/student-views-on-assessment-methods-in-accounting-education/ Do extracurricular activities genuinely benefit law students?: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/law-students-views-on-extracurricular-activities/ Practical Takeaway When looking at belonging data, decide first whether you are describing experience, evaluating an intervention or predicting risk. Each job needs different evidence. Full episode page: https://www.studentvoice.ai/podcast/episodes/008-belonging-is-not-a-single-number/ Subscribe to Student Voice Weekly: https://www.studentvoice.ai/blog/newsletter/