Leveraging technology to support social connection in university students
Beginning university can be exciting, but also deeply isolating. Many students arrive on campus without social networks, unsure where to go, what to join, or how to find people like them. To address this gap, the Digital Wellbeing Communities Hub is exploring new ways technology can strengthen belonging and connection for University of Melbourne students.
As part of this work, the project first undertook a scoping review, collaboratively authored across the faculty, to understand the structural, social and informational barriers that shape university belonging. Insights from this review led to the development of Culture Click, a major co-design hackathon held at Science Gallery Melbourne. Students began the day identifying the biggest barriers to belonging: social anxiety, overwhelming information, language challenges, cultural unfamiliarity and the difficulty of navigating multiple disconnected systems. Later, industry experts and university leaders joined the session to refine ideas into viable prototypes. One of the leading concepts that emerged was a one-stop digital platform, nicknamed MyUni Social during the workshop, designed to connect students with likeminded peers, campus events, clubs, cultural spaces and local community activities. Proposed features included personalised recommendations, a simplified “source of truth” for social information, pre-event chat to help students meet buddies before attending, translation tools, sensory-information event descriptions and gamified components that reward real-world engagement.
The project is now focused on developing these ideas into a refined concept for a future digital platform that could enhance transition, inclusivity and equitable access to social opportunities across students’ time at university. Partners from education or industry are now being invited to engage with us on this exciting translational stage.
Support
- University of Melbourne Seed Grant ($5,000).
Team
- Nikki Rickard
- Andrew Napier
- Simone Minett
- Tracey Ryan
- Becky Black
- Jacqui Francis
- Fiona Zhou
- Chelsea Hyde
- Duncan Hunt
- Kelsey Lewis
Contact: Professor Nikki Rickard <nrickard@unimelb.edu.au>
Outputs
- Rickard, N. & Bakker, D. (2025) Rethinking technology’s role in students’ mental health. Talking Teaching, 22/9/24.
- Mossman, L., Gowing, A., Smith, C., Minett, S., & Rickard, N. History of Student Wellbeing. In: S. Mammadov (Ed.) The Cambridge Handbook of Student Well-Being. Cambridge University Press. Accepted.
- Rickard, N.S., Lewis, K., Ryan, T., Black, B., Francis, J., Napier, A., Zhou, F., & Hyde, C. Scoping review exploring online interventions to support the social connection needs of university students. Submitted to: The Internet and Higher Education, 11/07/2025.
- Hunt, D., & Rickard, N. How effective are online interventions in supporting young LGBTQIA+ increase their access to social supports? Submitted to: Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity