Advisor(s)
Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif
Committee Member(s)
Grover Kitchens
Jenna Lachenaye
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
6-18-2026
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
School
School of Education
Department
Education
Abstract
Enrollment in online courses in higher education has been rising rapidly over the past couple of decades and has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic. This has made higher learning more accessible for students who would otherwise have difficulty earning a degree. Online education poses many barriers to students’ development of a sense of belonging, something research has been found to be of great importance to student success and well-being. Relatively little was known about students’ sense of belonging in online learning environments prior to the pandemic. Since the pandemic, online education has undergone major changes, changing the landscape in a way that has yet to be thoroughly explored or understood. This study used a hermeneutical phenomenological methodology to explore undergraduates’ experiences of sense of belonging in online learning environments. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with 10 participants. Through the analysis of these interviews, several key findings were revealed including a common experience of transactional student-instructor relationships, flexibility and convenience trading off with engagement, the importance of visibility in motivation, connection, and success, and a lack of belonging experiences in online learning environments. Several subthemes emerged from each of these overarching themes. These findings indicate a need for further research relating to online instructors’ attitudes and practices, students’ experiences of competing obligations and time-management, and the role of visibility in promoting a sense of belonging in online learning environments. Recommendations for improved practice include improving online course design and facilitation, transforming rhetoric and advertising surrounding online learning, reevaluating the value being provided in current elective and general education online courses, and increasing advisor guidance on online enrollment.
Keywords
Distance Education;Hermeneutical Phenomenology;Online Education;Sense of Belonging;Visibility
ProQuest ID
Recommended Citation
Kiersznowski, Grace Ellen, "Behind The Screen: Exploring How Undergraduate Students Experience Sense Of Belonging In Online Learning Environments In The United States" (2026). ETDs from 2020-2029. 154.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-2020s/154
