Helping IMD Q1 M&S students feel that they belong at the OU

Project leader(s): Marianna Volpi
Theme: Access, Participation and Success
Faculty: STEM
Status: Current
Dates: May 2025 to September 2025

Members of communities whose aspirations have not traditionally included attending university may experience feelings of imposter syndrome, or a sense of being ‘out of place’ and not belonging to university when they commence their university career and indeed at points throughout their studies. Moreover, data indicates that students residing in Quartile 1 areas of the Index of Multiple Deprivation face greater challenges in achieving strong grades and in seeing their studies through to completion. This study will work with first generation or low income (FLI) Open University Mathematics & Statistics students to co-create resources and interventions to lessen the sense of imposter syndrome, foster a sense of belonging and wellbeing at university and offer practical support to raising grades and supporting students to finish.

Specifically, the project will seek to generate the following outputs, led by First generation and Low Income (FLI) students:

Short videos talking about different aspects of becoming a student at the OU, aimed at both university staff and FLI students;
An ongoing calendar of events that FLI students could attend in future academic years (for example on career events, work shadowing, writing a CV, soft skills, and passing interview boards);
A self-sustaining FLI-led mentoring system for FLI students;
a final short report of recommendations for M&S leaders.

Up to 3 students may be offered 12 hours’ work each at the Living Wage. Emotional recognition, the opportunity to build and be part of a supportive network of peers, and the chance to influence current and future generations of OU students will be the reward for other student participants.

The impact would include:

Demonstrating publicly a commitment to assisting and supporting FLI students;
Outputs targeted at the FLI community, helping them foster a sense of belonging and OU identity
Practical assistance for the FLI community
Greater retention of FLI students
Better outcomes for FLI students, both in terms of grades and possibly career destinations

Evaluating the sessions through feedback from participants will follow. The evaluation stage will take the form of qualitative interviews with direct participants and with those who consume the new outputs. Students will be encouraged to create a longitudinal study comprising future participants to follow over and check whether outcomes differ from a suitable non-intervention group. I have direct experience of these kinds of evaluations.