Exploring mature and part-time undergraduates’ experiences of using an online peer support community . Nadine Cavigioli

This presentation will focus on the transition of becoming an undergraduate from the mature and part-time student experience, during which a sense of psychological isolation can be perceived. This can be further impacted when attending a research-intensive university and positioned as not being a ‘traditional student’. The findings from this practitioner research phenomenological study will be presented, in which connecting with peers via social media in an online peer support community was found to generate a sense of connectedness, being an informal space to share this first year journey with similar others. It helped to reduce feelings of self-doubt and anxiety which the students found to be both reassuring and motivating. Recorded at the Centre for Research in Digital Education research symposium (May 2019). For more information, see: https://crde.leeds.ac.uk/

Nadine Cavigioli

5/16/2019 12:22:56 PM