'Let‘s work together': exploring students' perception of their roles as Student Ambassadors and/or Course Representatives, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

As a widening parcipaon HEI, with over 50% of our students idenfying as BAME, Kingston University places the voices, experiences and opinions of our students at the heart of the design and delivery of our course and outreach programmes. Student ambassadors and course representaves are central to this work. They also provide staff (academic, professional and support) with a conduit between current and new students and the university. Becoming involved acvely within the university through taking on volunteer and paid roles such as course representaves or student ambassadors, also enhances students‘ sense of belonging. As research underscores, a sense of belonging within higher educaon impacts upon student integraon and parcipaon (Thomas, 2012), improving engagement and retenon (Strayhorn, 2012; Hausman, 2009; Freeman et al, 2007). This paper explores how the percepon, experiences, expectaons and sense of belonging of student ambassadors and course representaves has changed as a result of Covid-19. Much of the focus to date by HEIs has been on the impact of the pandemic on the teaching and learning experience of students and staff. What has been missed, however, is the impact Covid-19 has had on students‘ volunteer and paid extracurricular roles, both in terms of their day to day operaon and on the students‘ percepon as they begin working online and face to face. To ensure that HEIs connue to work together with their students, this paper draws upon quantave and qualitave data collected using quesonnaires and interviews from 97 Kingston University students (68 course representaves and 29 student ambassadors) to explore their changing roles in the wake of Covid-19. The global pandemic has impacted on all our lives in many different ways. In recognion of the central role students play the success of HEIs , our paper considers the impact it will have on our concept of student engagement and belonging at HEIs now and in the future. References: Freeman T, Anderman L, & Jensen J (2007) 'Sense of Belonging in College Freshmen at the Classroom and Campus Levels‘. The Journal of Experimental Educaon, 75, pp203-220. Hausmann LR, Ye F, Schofield JW, Woods RL. (2009) 'Sense of belonging and persistence in white and African American first-year students‘. Research in Higher Educaon, 50, pp.649-669. Freeman T, Anderman L, & Jensen J (2007) 'Sense of Belonging in College Freshmen at the Classroom and Campus Levels‘. The Journal of Experimental Educaon, 75, pp203-220.