We discuss the need for a new mindset in HE which focuses on social and emotional aspects of the learning experiences universities offer to their students in order to reach academic success, as concluded by several research studies conducted in seven European universities, partners in an Erasmus+ project, carried on between 2021 and 2023, called eBelong: Sense of belonging in online learning environments.

Before looking at the excellence each study programme strives to offer in terms of academic teaching and learning, we believe that we need to consider the learning experiences of the students (their development as an individual, not only as a professional) as part of a community that fosters a sense of belonging (identification of common values, needs, purposes, visions for career/life) (Hoffman, 2003, Peacock & Cowan, 2019)., without forgeting about the academics who contribute to the creation and the mentainance of these communities of learning as facilitators.

We conducted several studies with the purpose of identifying best practices that could improve teaching and learning when using distance or hybrid training, creating the conditions for a social and emotional engagement of students in e-learning  environments and creating the tools to develop students' sense of belonging in the context of virtual learning communities (Strayhorn, 2018; Peacock & Cowan, 2019; Zaheer, 2019). A community of practice (CoP) is a set of relationships and ongoing interactions among a group of individuals with common interests. In other words, it is a group of people who meet to discuss a topic of common interest, they learn together and from each other. The focus of this group is shared learning. Additional resources such as research and online tools may enhance that learning and sharing. In connection with the dynamics of the group, there is a solution as effective facilitators/teachers to strengthen the ties between the members of the community and to keep everyone focused on the common goals of the group. They can also promote the mutual trust, respect and support needed to support a CoP. Probst and Borzillo (2008) suggests that weak links between group members may condition the success of a CoP. Although communication will occur electronically in an online CoP, the steps needed to establish goals and activities for the group remain the same. CoP uses various modes of communication: listservs, emails, forums, social groups, conference calls, in-person meetings, and cross-collaboration among the interest areas. 

A needs mapping was ensured under the form of two surveys, one about modalities to sustain students’ wellbeing (Luhmann, 2012) and related innovative pedagogical practices, starting from OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Wellbeing (2013) adapted to COVID19 time and completed with questions about time of isolation, educational attendance and loss of reference persons (Brooks et al., 2020; Hares & Mundy, 2020), and another one survey about dimensions of social risk linked to the interaction with digital environments (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). These include: social exclusion, hyperconnection and loss of social relationships. In addition to the risk dimensions, the research allowed to reflect on the opportunities related to the experience of distance/blended learning, focusing on practices and paths of change able to respond to the social needs and requirements emerged during the pandemic, using rubrics as an evaluation tool (Allen & Tanner, 2006; Andrade, 2007; Panadero & Jonsson, 2013). Evaluation rubrics are to be understood as a specific methodology for competence evaluation (Davidson, 2004). (Mc Tighe & Ferrara, 2021) The rubric consists of a scale of set scores and a list of criteria describing the characteristics of each score on the scale (Mc Tighe & Ferrara, 2021). These were complemented with a recent literature review on online education and evaluations of existing support services. They formed the basis for course curriculum design, digital tools design and training activities proposed and piloted in the other studies run by the partners. We also explored by means of literature review and surveys the way communities of practice contribute and support the sense of belonging. We focused on the sense of belonging as the main feature of a collaborative online community involved in a practical learning and teaching approach in a stressful situation. The social, emotional and affective side of the learning is adding value when addressed with concrete shared solutions. The results of ours studies add to the weight of evidence showing that academics play a critical role in students’ success and academic support experiences.

Our proposed framework redefines teaching practices in the context of online education and the development of new skills, in an effort to generate inclusion. Our approach is to offer recommendations in terms of strategy design and actions that universities need to adopt in order to promote, develop and foster: • Belonging to a community of practice • Engaging online experiences fostering the sense of belonging • Inclusion and support for all members of the community (students and academics alike) We believe that this approach will manage to facilitate digital readiness, as it draws its roots from various HE contexts in Europe in which new approaches are being implemented, and to influence decision factors to act towards adapting strategies for inclusion and support offered to students and academics alike. It has a high transferability potential as it focuses not on differences among the partner universities with their cultural specifics, but on common needs of target groups (students and academics) facing the challenges of online education.

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