The academic lives of commuter students: examining the use of the physical and digital spaces within the contemporary university

It is estimated that 40 per cent of UK undergraduates commute to study, travelling varying distances, and often daily. Although commuting can be challenging, many learners see it as a way to access university while maintaining existing commitments and support networks and offsetting growing costs of higher education. This study employed a novel participatory mapping technique to stimulate focus groups of second- and third-year undergraduates who commute. We explored participants’ engagement with their institution’s campus and online/digital spaces. Our findings show that commuters have nuanced and intentional interactions with the university’s physical and digital landscape. We consider how these interactions may be mediated by distances commuters travel, their motivations for commuting and the extent to which they seek wider university experiences. Participants reported shortcomings in provision of essential information at key moments (for example, induction), which impacted their sense of belonging to the campus. They also queried the relevance of some services commonly perceived as important to the university experience (for example, student unions). Our findings indicate limited visibility of the sizeable commuter population within institutional practices and illustrate the heterogeneity of their university spatial experiences. We discuss implications for the widening access agenda and democratic functioning of universities. Finally, we consider how to optimise spatial engagement of commuters to enhance their sense of belonging, engagement and retention.