Become a Voluntary U-Belong Student Research Assistant
About this role
Across the U-Belong project, we have created a number of specific opportunities for students to engage in our research, from our Fellowship Scheme to our Student Research Team and Student Ambassador Team. As part of a funded research programme, we have limited resources to recruit students in paid roles.
We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm that students have shown for our work. We do not want the funding constraints around our project to act as a barrier to providing students with an opportunity to join and learn from our team.
In response to your enthusiasm, we have developed a voluntary research assistant role. We do not want to turn away students who are keen to learn and develop their skills. However, without additional funding, we are conscious of the inequalities that arise out of offering positions that are not paid. We’ve been thinking hard about how we can structure a voluntary research assistant role to be flexible alongside other commitments. With this role, we are aiming to provide interested students with research experience, alongside training and development opportunities.
The U-Belong Project
Around a quarter of university students report feeling lonely and this contributes to poorer mental health and lower academic achievement. To address this, we are working to better understand the factors that cause and prevent loneliness and promote belonging among university students.
The U-Belong Campaign
Our vision is to launch the U-Belong campaign in September 2024. This will be the biggest student-led campaign to promote belonging this country has ever seen. The campaign will unite the student community in sharing experiences, guidance, and resources to promote a better social experience for all.
We are inviting you to be part of the development and delivery of this campaign. This is a research project and might be conceptualised as a citizen science project.
In September 2024 we will be launching the U-Belong campaign and resource kit. The campaign will be built around the information and insights that our study has developed so far. We will be working with the following messages:
At times of significant change to our social network, like moving to university, feelings of loneliness are almost inevitable.
Feelings of loneliness are data; signals to encourage us to invest time and effort in our social connections.
There are many different ways of investing in social connections; university might be a time to explore what works for you.
In parallel with these messages we will be developing a resource kit that allows students to better understand their own approach to social connection and explore ways of building belonging that work for them. Within the resource, students will be invited to answer questions about themselves and their approach to socialising. We will use this information to provide individually tailored information and signpost towards relevant resources.
What will the role involve?
The role of the U-Belong Student Research Assistant will be to support the development of the U-Belong campaign and resource kit. Specifically, you will be:
Developing a resource to help students in a specific area of the social experience.
Reviewing existing resources provided by universities and charities and evaluate their strengths, to identify what information and support we should be signposting to in the resource.
Conducting a literature review to identify and report effective evidence-based strategies or interventions to improve the social experience.
Collecting, compiling, and thematising stories and top tips from students online.
Producing and piloting the campaign.
Promoting the campaign across the student community.
How will this role work?
You will collaborate with other student research assistants across UK and have opportunity to work independently.
You will be supported by a member of the U-Belong staff team.
The role will be conducted online.
What will I get from the role?
The opportunity to meet and connect with other students with similar interests and experiences.
The opportunity to build a campaign promoting social connection and belonging across the university community.
Access to a programme of online research training delivered by the U-Belong research team.
Experience working with esteemed researchers on a live research programme.
The chance to develop your collaboration, communication, project management, and research skills.
A certificate of participation and testimony of the research skills you have demonstrated.
Recognition of your contribution on our website.
How much time am I expected to commit?
We expect the role of U-Belong student research assistant to run from June to October 2024.
The programme will be divided into five discrete research activities: project management; literature review; data collection; peer review and dissemination. For each activity we will host a 2-hour online briefing and training workshop. The activity will be designed to be completed in 6 hours outside of the briefing.
You are welcome to opt into as few or many activities over the summer as you wish. We hope this provides flexibility to engage in a way that will work for you.
Do I need to apply?
To become a U-Belong student research assistant, let us know here. A member of the U-Belong team will then be in touch with more information after this date. This is not a competitive application.
If you would like to discuss the role before applying, please email Michael Priestley, a member of the U-Belong team, at michael.1.priestley@kcl.ac.uk
[An image of Michael]