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When faculty behaviors foster students’ sense of belonging in class, students report better learning experiences and are more likely to remain in the major. Sense of belonging is the feeling of being a valued and legitimate member of a community. Understanding teacher immediacy behaviors that cultivate belonging in postsecondary synchronous remote classrooms is important for retaining students in computing, where remote coursework is increasingly used to address increases in enrollment. This paper reports on an exploratory, survey-based study on the relationship between instructor immediacy behaviors and use of conferencing software features (e.g., chat, breakout rooms) with student sense of belonging in synchronous remote learning environments. Responses from 125 computing students from approximately 53 courses across the US show that students feel a moderate sense of belonging in their courses, with no differences found across demographic groups. Belonging was found to have a strong relationship with students' overall opinions of their courses and their likelihood of completing the major. Students’ camera preferences and instructor camera requirements had no effect on belonging. A regression analysis showed that no tool use variables predicted student sense of belonging. However, two teacher immediacy behaviors, setting aside class time to talk about upcoming course content and use of humor, were significantly associated with an increase in sense of belonging.
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This content will become publicly available on February 9, 2026
Fostering an Inclusive Community Among Electrical Engineering Students with Mixed-Reality Technologies at a Hispanic-Serving Institution
Educators have consistently sought resources to enhance social learning experiences that support diverse student populations. Research shows that a sense of belonging significantly impacts students’ learning outcomes, particularly after the shift to hybrid learning models following COVID-19. While the hybrid model has allowed students to continue their education remotely, it has introduced challenges in fostering a sense of belonging within the learning community. We employ a qualitative approach, including interviews and participatory design methods, to examine the experiences of students in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at a Hispanic Serving Institution. We focused on existing learning community issues within the hybrid learning environment. We employ a sense of belonging framework to analyze students’ learning experience, challenges, and needs in their academic pathways. Our findings reveal the need to foster student belonging to strengthen the ECE learning community. We propose employing mixed reality technologies, known for enabling collaboration across different environments, to address students’ lacking sense of belonging.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2106380
- PAR ID:
- 10620946
- Publisher / Repository:
- ASEE PEER
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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