DigiCampus Connect: Empowering Student Belonging Across Digital and On-Campus Spaces

Objectives

• Drive a lasting shift in higher education from ad-hoc wellbeing actions to an institutional model of belonging that is measurable, inclusive and replicable.
• Give higher education institutions a shared evidence base of proven campus belonging practices.
• Equip educators and student services with practical resources and training on belonging and inclusion.
• Make belonging part of teaching, student services and campus governance rather than a one-off project activity.

What BACKSLASH does in this project

BACKSLASH is the non-formal education partner of the consortium. It co-leads the development of the Student Empowerment Toolkit with the University of Minho, creating the multimedia and interactive resources that accompany the educational modules, and co-leads the training and validation work package with the coordinator, designing the non-formal learning methodology used in the local test trainings. In Valencia it connects the project with young people facing social exclusion and, through the CONNECT International network, extends dissemination to youth and civil society stakeholders across Europe.

Activities

• Co-creation of a Compendium of proven campus belonging practices across the five partner institutions.
• Development and piloting of an educator Toolkit with short learning modules and facilitation formats.
• Launch of a Dual-Realm Platform hosting resources, peer-led circles and feedback tools for students and staff.
• Campus pilots and cross-border meetups to validate the resources with students and educators.
• A replication package and policy recommendations to support uptake by universities beyond the partnership.

Results and outputs

• Good Practice Compendium on digital-campus belonging.
• Student Empowerment Educational Toolkit with learning components and facilitation formats.
• Dual-Realm Digital Platform supporting engagement, feedback and implementation.
• Training and validation workshops with staff from the partner universities.
• Replication package and policy recommendations for higher education institutions.