Manchester hybrid community case reports engagement and participation gaps

Updated Sep 07, 2026

Updated, 7 September 2026: We checked the complete paper, corrected the analytics period and removed the claim that the hybrid approach was proven better than a digital-only alternative.

What the project involved

Aurelie Le Normand and Barbara Waters describe a Fashion Business and Technology community at Manchester serving around 500 undergraduates. A Teams space launched in September 2023 alongside four timetabled social events each year, with students helping to design and run activities.

The authors report 122 active Teams users across 11 channels during the 90 days ending 10 February 2025. This was not the first 90 days after launch. An earlier poll received only 13 responses. Positive comments and anecdotal feedback described connection, enjoyable activities and opportunities to meet students and staff.

Participation was uneven, especially among later-year students. Public Teams posts were infrequent; some students did not find the platform useful or intuitive. Reliance on a small group of organisers risked volunteer overload and restricted perspectives. Planned focus groups and wider evaluation were future work at publication.

These observations do not establish a causal improvement in wellbeing, belonging, retention or employability. There was no digital-only comparison, and the small poll cannot describe the whole cohort.

Questions for a community pilot

Our suggestion is to distinguish membership, activity and experience. A student can have platform access without feeling connected; an enthusiastic event organiser may have a different experience from someone who never attends.

Ask which students find the timing, format and platform workable. Record staff coordination and volunteer effort alongside participation so that expansion has a realistic resource plan. Define how you will assess the intended outcome before choosing a measure.

The NSS methodology explains how we report comment coverage and limits. It does not validate a belonging measure or establish an intervention effect.

Reference

Le Normand, A. and Waters, B. (2025). Amplifying Student Voice in the Creation of a Hybrid Community Space. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal, 7(1), 173–184. Open paper.