The challenge of belonging
Belonging is one of the 4 domains of the Student Experience Framework at UTS, and it has critical impacts on engagement, retention and overall success. The challenge of nurturing a sense of belonging at the classroom level is significant, given the size and diversity of classes, particularly in first-year core subjects. Personalised feedback can address this challenge, serving as a form of ‘relational pedagogy’ that builds self-efficacy and fosters greater engagement and thriving at university.
A tool up to the task
To tackle the challenge of belonging, a multidisciplinary team leveraged OnTask. This tool is designed to support students through personalised communication and feedback across multiple disciplines. It uses learning analytics to provide tailored messages that help students stay on track with their studies, understand their progress and feel supported throughout their academic journey.
The fact that they get an email that’s specifically addressed to them that’s based on their situation, that’s based on what they’ve done, I think is very important.
A/Prof James Wakefield
Since 2017, the Connected Intelligence Centre (CIC) has been supporting academics to embed OnTask messaging in learning design, offering workshops and consultations. When Dr Lisa-Angelique Lim joined CIC in 2021, she took this work to a new level, leading a learning community to implement OnTask across a wider range of subjects, thereby enabling personalised feedback and support for students in multiple faculties. For instance, in the Autumn 2024 teaching session, 8 academics used OnTask in their subjects, with a total of 15,892 students receiving 16,026 personalised messages.
Case studies
- A/Prof James Wakefield and Dr Simone Faulkner from the Business School used OnTask to personalize orientation communications for both undergraduate and postgraduate commencing students, leading to a significant increase in orientation registrations.
- A/Prof Amanda White used OnTask in an Accounting subject to tailor emails based on students’ progress, encouraging higher engagement and leading to improved exam grades.
- Dr Keith Heggart created personalised video messages tailored to students’ confidence levels in the fully online Graduate Certificate in Learning Design, significantly enhancing student engagement and perceptions of support; read more about Keith’s use of OnTask in this Video Meet-Up wrap-up.
- Dr Amara Atif (FEIT) used OnTask in two postgraduate IT subjects to deliver personalised, timely feedback at key points in the semester. This approach improved students’ sense of connection, motivation, and confidence, reduced late submissions and the need for reminders, and led to better assessment quality and Canvas participation. The initiative aimed to enhance teacher presence and belonging at scale and was published in peer-reviewed outputs: In Search of Alignment between Learning Analytics and Learning Design: A Multiple Case Study in a Higher Education Institution; ‘Made good connections’: Amplifying teacher presence and belonging at scale through learning design and personalised feedback.
- In the large first-year subject, 22208 Accounting, Business and Society (ABS), led by Dr Rina Dhillon and A/Prof Nicole Sutton, personalised messages based on weekly quiz results led to improved pass rates and enhanced feelings of being valued among at-risk students.
- Similarly, personalised feedback messages sent by Chris Croese to his students in large Law subjects kept students on track and motivated, correlating with better final grades.
Recognition and looking ahead to new partnerships
At the 2025 Learning and Teaching Awards Ceremony at UTS, CIC and UTS academics from multiple faculties were awarded a Student Experience (Highly Commended) award for fostering students’ belonging in multiple disciplines through personalised feedback. The team is made up of:
- Dr Lisa-Angelique Lim (CIC)
- Associate Professor Amanda White (Business)
- Dr Amara Atif (FEIT)
- Chris Croese (Law)
- Associate Professor James Wakefield (Business)
- Dr Keith Heggart (FASS)
- Associate Professor Nicole Sutton (Business)
- Ram Ramanathan (CIC PhD student)
- Dr Rina Dhillon (Business)
- Dr Simone Faulkner (Business)
- Professor Simon Buckingham Shum (CIC, Director)
With this award, we celebrate the collaborative efforts and innovative approaches taken by our team to foster a sense of belonging among students through personalised feedback. Our journey over these past three years demonstrates the sustainability of this practice and its potential to influence and enhance teaching and learning widely. We are honoured to receive this recognition, and look forward to continuing strong partnerships, to make a positive impact on the student experience at UTS.