Introduction
A sense of belonging — the feeling of being accepted, valued, and connected to a group, place, or community — in educational institutions has long been linked to student success and well-being, as it enhances motivation, participation, and overall satisfaction with the educational experience. With the rise in online learning environments, attention has shifted to fostering belonging in these settings. Gathering in person, taking classes together, participating in sports teams, and other hallmarks of campus life are thought to foster a sense of belonging among students. However, these experiences are generally lacking in online institutions. Given the demonstrable connection between belonging and student success, we believe that uncovering how online students look for and find a sense of belonging is critical to supporting positive outcomes for these learners.
Through our years of interviews and research in the belonging space, we have observed that many online learners deeply value a sense of belonging, just like their peers in traditional classrooms. However, the way they experience that sense of connection can be different. Instead of prioritizing peer relationships, many online students have expressed that what matters most is feeling supported and seen by their institution. They want to feel like more than a name on the roster. They tend to look for that validation through support from administrators and staff rather than through interactions with fellow students, where many in-person students derive belonging. While insightful, these initial insights required further inquiry to validate this difference in preferences.
To better understand how students experience belonging in the evolving higher education landscape, the College Innovation Network (CIN) at WGU Labs emailed surveys to more than 30,000 students across six member institutions in April 2024 as part of our EdTech Survey Series. The final sample consisted of 2,365 students, with 53% enrolled at primarily online institutions, 28.7% at a four-year university, and 18% attending community colleges. This survey provided an in-depth look at how students connect with faculty and peers and their overall sense of belonging.
Given that the majority of this year's respondents were online learners, this survey offered a unique chance to explore belonging in online learning settings. Of those who completed the survey, 4.8% self-identified or were non-binary, 8.8% were Asian, 10.6% were multiracial, 10.8% were Black and/or African American, 14.8% were Hispanic and/or Latinx, 29.7% were men, 51.3% were white, and 60.6% were women. This diverse dataset allowed us to dig deeper into how students from different backgrounds and learning environments experience belonging, particularly in online settings.
In this research brief, we examine how online learners experience belonging compared to their peers in in-person, hybrid, or other learning formats. We confirm our hypothesis that online students have different priorities when it comes to feeling a sense of belonging. For the most part, their institutions are rising to the challenge and meeting these unique needs.
Key takeaways include:
- Finding 1: 68% of online learners feel a sense of belonging at their institution.
- Finding 2: Only 22% of online learners believe it’s important to connect with peers at their institution.
- Finding 3: 65% of online learners value institutional support — highlighting the importance of feeling supported by professors, advisors, or administrators.
- Finding 4: Most (91%) of faculty prioritize ensuring all students feel included, with 96% taking steps to make this a reality.
Finding 1: Over 65% of online learners feel a sense of belonging at their institution.
Despite concerns about how students are adjusting to online learning environments, it appears that online learners, as well as their in-person and hybrid peers, are experiencing belonging and support in their institutions:
- 68% of online learners and 73% of their in-person and hybrid peers reported feeling like they belong at their institution.
- 79% of online learners and 80% of their in-person and hybrid peers reported feeling comfortable at their institution.
- 79% of online learners and 74% of their in-person and hybrid peers reported that their institution provided them with the support they need.
Despite reporting that they feel like they belong, many online learners do not place a high value on belonging. Less than half of surveyed online learners (44%) valued belonging at their institution compared to their in-person and hybrid peers (55%). This insight may be attributed to many students already experiencing belonging outside their institutions. Many online students are older, work jobs, and/or have dependents, i.e., they have existing communities that provide them with a sense of belonging. Because their need to belong is already being met — and they therefore do not feel belonging uncertainty — students may not rate the need to belong as a high priority. Students who feel like they belong may be less likely to identify belonging as a need that's not being met.
In previous research, historically underserved students, including BIPOC, first-generation, and women, have reported lower belonging in their institutions compared to their white, male peers. However, our research shows little to no difference between these groups:
- 70% of BIPOC students and 70% of in-person and hybrid peers felt belonging at their institutions.
- 71% of first-generation students felt belonging at their institutions compared to 69% of their continuing-generation peers.
- 70% of women felt belonging at their institutions, compared to 78% of men and 72% of individuals identifying as non-binary or as a third gender.
These findings are encouraging as they indicate a potential shift in the long-documented difference in levels of belonging between historically underserved students and their more well-resourced peers. By staying proactive and responsive to the needs of diverse student populations, we can work toward an educational landscape where every student feels they belong.
Finding 2: Only 22% of online learners believe that it’s important to connect with peers at their institution.
Despite online and in-person learners having similar levels of belonging at their institutions, what belonging looks like for online learners may differ from that of their in-person peers. Belonging in higher education is often defined as the extent to which individuals feel like valued, accepted, and legitimate members in their academic domain. While we typically associate this with students’ relationships with their peers, online learners may not place as much emphasis on peer connections when thinking about their sense of belonging at an institution. Many online learners have jobs, families, and friends — social communities that are already meeting their belonging needs.
Our data revealed a significant gap in how much students value peer connections:
- Only 22% of online learners said it was important to connect with peers.
- Comparatively, 47% of students in in-person, hybrid, or no primary modality programs said it was important to connect with their peers.
The 25-percentage-point difference highlights the unique way online learners approach their sense of belonging. Online students may have a more transactional view of their relationships with their institution, given their existing work, family, and friend networks. Building connections with peers may, therefore, be less of a priority for them than their hybrid or in-person counterparts. Instead, they may be more focused on feeling supported by the institution itself, though even this concern isn’t as high as it is for their peers in other learning environments.
Finding 3: 65% of online learners value institutional belonging, highlighting the importance of feeling supported by professors, advisors, or administrators.
Peer connection may not be a priority for many online learners, but 65% still value the importance of institutional support. Both online learners (65%) and their in-person peers (71%) agree that it’s crucial to feel like someone — whether a professor, advisor, or administrator — is looking out for them. Having that sense of support can make a big difference in how connected and confident students feel as they navigate their academic journey.
We found strong correlations between items measuring these constructs, further indicating that institutional support is closely tied to belonging across all learner modalities.
Learners across all modalities indicated a strong relationship between their perceptions of institutional support and belonging.
These findings highlight that while online learners may not focus as much on building peer relationships, they deeply value knowing their institution is supportive of them. For them, belonging isn’t about hanging out with classmates; it’s about feeling like they’re part of a learning environment where their success matters. This kind of support helps them feel grounded and secure, even in a virtual environment.
Our findings align with previous research and reinforce our hypothesis about the critical role of belonging for online learners. What stands out is that online students prioritize institutional support as a key component of their educational experience. This connection between institutional support and belonging isn't just true for online learners — it holds across all learning modalities.
Finding 4: Most (91%) of faculty prioritize ensuring all students feel included, with 96% taking steps to make this a reality.
When students feel supported by their professors, they also tend to report a greater sense of belonging within the institution. Building on our previous research about how faculty approach belonging in the classroom, we found a strong connection between how faculty say they foster belonging and how students actually experience it.
First, students reported high levels of belonging and institutional support, which echoes what we found about the faculty’s high interest in promoting student belonging in the classroom:
- 91% of faculty said ensuring that all students feel included in the learning environment is very or extremely important to being an effective instructor.
- 96% of faculty reported taking steps to ensure that all students feel included in the learning environment.
- 75% of faculty received training on implementing inclusive practices in the classroom.
Despite 96% of faculty indicating that they actively take steps to foster an inclusive environment, there remains a gap in student perceptions of belonging: only 68% of online learners and 73% of their in-person and hybrid peers reported feeling a genuine sense of belonging at their institution. This contrast highlights the continued need for alignment between faculty efforts and students' experiences of inclusivity and support.
We also found strong alignment between the types of support students say they need to feel like they belong in the classroom and the support faculty are actually providing. When asked to rank what factors help them feel a sense of belonging, 62.8% of students said personalized support from faculty was important. In line with this, 88.9% of faculty reported that they focus on providing personalized support to their students. Additionally, 54.5% of students highlighted that having faculty who practice a growth mindset is key to helping them feel like they belong. Similarly, 77.2% of faculty reported that they actively implement a growth mindset in their teaching.
These findings suggest that faculty are prioritizing the very things students need to feel supported, leading to a greater sense of belonging and institutional support across all learning environments.
Conclusion
Belonging is crucial in every learning environment, but our findings make it clear that institutional support is the strongest driver of belonging — especially for online learners — rather than peer interaction. This needs to be a focal point when institutions plan strategies to meet students' needs and support their success. Practical ways colleges can nurture a sense of belonging include:
- Leveraging institutional data to enable staff and faculty to personalize their interactions with students, ensuring that their communications speak to the student's individual experience and needs
- Encouraging a growth mindset by helping students build resilience and persistence
- Creating a campus culture where every student feels seen, valued, and connected to something bigger than themselves.
- Establishing systems that make it easier for students to be recognized for their achievements by individual staff and faculty
- Increasing messaging that the institution is there to support students in moments of challenge and turbulence
- Creating the right internal systems to empower and educate staff and faculty on what resources or supports are available for students, so that they are as responsive as possible to student needs
When institutions prioritize these efforts, they can make a real difference in students' lives, helping them feel more at home and supported in their academic journeys. Fortunately, our data shows that faculty are already doing a great job of aligning their efforts with what students find important. To build on this, institutions can play a crucial role by providing faculty with the right resources and training, empowering them to engage more deeply with students, nurturing a sense of belonging, and meeting the diverse needs of every learner.
