Embedding Belonging in the Curriculum

Welcome to the WIHEA Building belonging Learning Circle's working group focused on embedding belonging into curriculum.

Read on to find out:

why belonging matters in the curriculum
what the guiding frameworks from the literature are
how our working group supports embedding belonging into Warwick curricula (incl. events & resources)

Working Group

This group is co-led by:

Jo Kukuczka

Amira Elasra

Amanda Lang

Would you like to join us?

Email Inca Hide-Wright on Inca.O.Hide-Wright@warwick.ac.uk

Why belonging matters in the curriculum

• A strong sense of belonging is consistently linked to better academic adjustment, persistence, satisfaction, and outcomes for students.

• Pedagogy and curriculum design are instrumental—they can either enable or constrain belonging depending on how they are implemented (Cohen & Viola, 2022).

Guiding frameworks from literature

• Community of Inquiry (CoI) & Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Useful lenses for designing inclusive blended learning that fosters social, teaching, and cognitive presence (Mendoza & Venables, 2023).

• Pedagogy of Belonging (PoB): A human-centeredapproach that places belonging as a core guiding value in curriculum decisions (Lemon, 2023).

• Curriculum Integration & Inquiry-Based Learning: Connecting knowledge across subjects andcenteringinquiry can improve self-efficacy and belonging, particularly in diverse settings (Beane, 1998; Park & Chang, 2024).

To support embedding belonging into Warwick curricula, our working group aims to:

1. raise awareness about theBelonging framework(Hide-Wright, I., Ritchie, T., Alcock, A., & Mencarini, L, (2024). Warwick Building Belonging Framework)

2. develop a prototype Belonging Curriculum Design framework/tool to support disciplinary and interdisciplinary curriculum designers

3. test and refine this curriculum design framework/tool

Aim 1 | Raising awareness through Faculty workshops

Session | Building Belonging in the Curriculum

Intended audience | Staff and Students

About |

Curious about how belonging can be designed into curricula?

Join this interactive, in-person workshop to explore the Warwick Building Belonging Framework and practical ways to embed belonging into curriculum (learning outcomes, assessment, and learning activities).

The workshop runs once per faculty to keep discussions discipline-relevant. Places are going fast — register today to join your faculty’s session.

Faculty of Arts

Wed 11th Mar 2026 1pm-2pm | OC0.05

Missed the workshop? Catch up here

Faculty of Social Sciences

Wed 29th Apr 12pm-1pm | R0.12

Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Medicine

Wed 18th Mar 1pm-2pm | R1.13