Valuing community: The impact of COVID-19 on HE learning communities

The COVID-19 pandemic has limited students’ skills-development and access to support across the Higher Education (HE) sector with the enforced digitalisation of education and facility services. However, while the ill effects on wellbeing and the additional strain of mental health on students are largely documented, the impact this and the wider implications of national lockdowns, on the ability of students entering university to develop effective and stable learning communities is not well understood. Learning communities are important for students in both their transition to, and journey throughout, HE providing both a support and academic network to optimise their educational experiences. Here we survey almost 150 undergraduate Life Sciences students across three levels regarding their Learning and support communities, capturing information from students who started their University careers both during and post the national lockdowns. Some of these students were followed up with focus groups giving more in-depth insights into the development, composition and stability of their learning communities, and the impact these have had on their academic opportunities and achievements. The information presented here provides insights into the often hidden side of how the pandemic has shaped and challenged students’ more intimate experience with education and highlights insights to how universities can support students in developing learning communities both remotely and on-campus to enrichen their educational experiences.