Will COVID-19 be a driver for making real and positive changes for commuting students?

Widening participation has encouraged students from a diverse range of backgrounds into university with many students now living at home and commuting. This has placed challenges on universities in developing their inclusive learning communities, whereby student activities/ resources/staff can be appropriately scheduled and made accessible. Furthermore, distinctive commuter patterns are apparent between White and BME students, where BME students tend to live considerably further away from university than White students, presenting additional challenges in securing equitable outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to be a positive disruptor permitting serious rethinking and rebalancing of teaching delivery/resources with new definitions of what a quality on-campus experience means. This poster will review some of approaches we are putting in place in curriculum design and delivery due to COVID-19; and as we pull back from the brink how these could lead to fundamental long-term changes in re-balancing support for both commuting and on-campus students.