Going the distance: Taking a tailored approach to connecting and belonging at university

At University College (UC) we offer a range of innovative and flexible courses for students looking for a shorter, job-focused qualification or a pathway into a University of Tasmania bachelor program. Our students come from diverse backgrounds, many of which are considered non-traditional and ‘at-risk’ of withdrawal, such as NESB and First-in-Family (Stone & O’Shea, 2019) and mostly 
study via distance. Our cohorts have shown us that adopting a one-size-fits-all method to student engagement and retention does not work for them, which is why
we explored taking an approach that is more tailored to their needs. Our approach aims to ensure our students are feeling connected, building a sense of belonging 
and feeling like a part of their courses. It builds on the Negotiated Engagement Interview model by Wilson (2014) and aligns with our UC retention framework based on Lizzio’s Five-Senses of Student Success (2006) and our long-term goal of improving retention.