Student success at college is not just achieving high grades The National Forum for Teaching and Learning defines student success as the process by which students fulfil their potential and flourish at college and in society. This is a broader activity than simply achieving high grades. Psychosocial competencies are core to the definition of student success: these are the ‘soft skills’ or ‘non-cognitive skills’ that enable students to cope well with learning challenges, engage deeply in learning, and develop their identities as learners and as active citizens. Transitions are a key issue within this priority area, with transitions such as the move from school to college presenting both challenges and opportunities for students.
Initiative
Designing for Student Belonging at UCD: Scalable Peer Support and Faculty Engagement Tools
About this initiative
This project aims to scale and strengthen peer-support mechanisms in UCD beyond current pilot areas, and to build capacity among staff to implement local initiatives.
D1.1, oD1.2, & D1.3: Student Wellbeing & Skills Workshops
Deliverables: D1.1: Weekly FocusHub sessions (rotating across Colleges)
D1.2: Monthly “Mind Your Mate” workshops (all Colleges)
D1.3: Trimesterly “Campus Collective” workshops in UDL, Design Thinking, and Project Management (UCD-wide)
Expected Outcomes for Students:
- Improves study skills and increases neuroinclusive study spaces.
- Enables personal growth, empathy, and the ability to initiate wellbeing conversations.
- Enhances belonging and confidence while professionally preparing students.
Timeline: 01 September 2026 – 30 November 2027
D2.1: Faculty Engagement Reporting Workshops
Deliverable: Trimesterly engagement reporting faculty workshops (all Colleges)
Expected Outcomes for Students: Creation of a LEAP-equivalent reporting system, enabling proactive interventions by faculty similar to existing support services.
Timeline: 01 September 2026 – 30 November 2027
D2.2: Online Registration Pathways
Deliverable: Co-development of online registration pathways for peer support/wellbeing initiatives.
Expected Outcomes for Students: A whole-campus approach creating avenues for students to identify wellbeing needs, combining:
Student Success Project outputs for UCD-wide signposting for 2026/27 Orientation.
Faculty partners to develop integration of peer mentoring tools into learning spaces.
Timeline: 01 July 2026 – 31 December 2027
D3.1: Workshop Surveys Creation
Deliverable: Workshop surveys creation.
Expected Outcomes for Students: Enables students to identify their wellbeing needs and allows staff to analyze and mitigate gaps.
Timeline: 01 July 2026 – 31 August 2026
D3.2: Survey Analysis
Deliverable: Trimesterly workshop participation survey analysis.
Expected Outcomes for Students: Enables students to identify their wellbeing needs and allows staff to analyze and mitigate gaps (carried forward from D3.1).
Timeline: 01 December 2026 – 31 December 2027
D3.3: Qualitative Feedback Loop
Deliverable: Qualitative feedback loop creation with the Student Partnership Forum.
Expected Outcomes for Students: A “You-said-we-did” feedback loop. The D2.2 signposting will be developed with Student Partnership Forum input, agreeing on Success domains aligned with the HEA student belonging report.
Timeline: 01 July 2026 – 31 December 2027
D3.4: Institutional Data Analysis & Reporting
Deliverable: Institutional data analysis of LEAP & GPA/progression for participants, compiling findings into a final report.
Expected Outcomes for Students: Staff data analysis expertise will identify long-term trends and project impact, enabling the operationalisation of learnings.
Timeline: 31 May 2027 – 31 August 2027
D3.5: Project Showcase
Deliverable: Project showcase event.
Expected Outcomes for Students: Demonstrates the positive wellbeing impact of peer-support initiatives and partnership.
Timeline: November 2027 – November 2027
| Project Leads | Associate Professor Patrick Orr & Dr Niamh Nestor |
|---|---|
| College | UCD College of Science |
| School | UCD School of Earth Sciences |
| Partner Colleges | UCD College of Arts and Humanities
UCD College of Business UCD College of Engineering and Architecture UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences UCD College of Social Sciences and Law |
Lead organisations
Affiliated organisations
Linked open educational resources
Contributors
Related initiatives
Improving Access to Practical Elements of Environmental Engineering
In an applied subject – such as engineering – practical, hands-on learning opportunities are invaluable. Student and external examiner feedback has emphasised the value that students place on laboratory and practical classes, and the desire to incorporate more of these activities into the modules offered. This project focuses on two modules which are delivered simultaneously to two cohorts of students; in-person and online.
Using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy to Reduce Academic Procrastination
Although academic procrastination is a common feature of university life (affecting 50-95% of students), research suggests it is highly problematic (Scent & Boes, 2014). Academic procrastination is associated with diminished well-being, poor quality of life, high stress, poor university performance, and university dropout (Glick & Orsillo, 2015).