Relational Reflections: How do we nurture belonging in creative Higher Education?

Abstract

In this paper, we reflect on a strand of educational development work that aims to foster belonging and develop compassionate pedagogies within a UK creative arts university in response to COVID-19 and global calls for racial justice. We underpin our paper with our theoretical understanding of belonging as a relational phenomenon and explore how this aligns with antiracist policies and practices. We present our rationale for the design of podcasts as dialogic, affective and asynchronous tools for use in educational development to respond to both practical and epistemic needs. Contributions from academic and support staff on ‘myth-busting belonging’ are explored as we consider the implications for educators in planning and delivering the curriculum. We position the role and responsibility of institutions to design and implement equitable policies and practices, to support staff to foster belonging, as central to this work.