What can we all do to create a ‘Sense of Belonging’?

Sense of belonging refers to a student's perceived social support on campus, and their experience of matting or feeling accepted. Students from under-represented groups often report a lower sense of belonging than their over-represented counterparts.  It can have large impact on student's academic performance, mental wellbeing and motivation. During this talk, the barriers and possible solutions to foster this sense of belonging will be examined. Some solutions include a greater emphasis on active learning, building closer links with students and staff and the introduction of Departmental Action Teams. These efforts to improve the sense of belonging in higher-education physics will not only help the students but will bring many benefits to the wider physics community.