Meeting the support needs of commuter students through the Political Studies curriculum
Journal article
Kenyon, S. 2026. Meeting the support needs of commuter students through the Political Studies curriculum . Politics.
| Authors | Kenyon, S. |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Commuter students, who number almost half of all students in Higher Education in the UK today, can have a poorer student experience and outcomes than their residential counterparts. One reason for this is that curricula are designed for the traditional, residential student, who lives on campus or close to their learning and for whom Higher Education is an immersive experience. These curricula do not meet the needs of commuters, who must travel to access learning and for whom studying is just a part of their busy lives. This article presents the case for including commuter students in discussions about the inclusive curriculum discourse, presenting practical examples of changes that Political Studies educators can make to embed support for commuters in the curriculum, to reduce the commuter student awarding and experience gap. The article addresses the Political Studies curriculum specifically but recommended actions are transferable to multiple disciplines across the Higher Education sector, in the UK and beyond. |
| Keywords | Commuter student ; Inclusive curriculum; Pedagogy; Active learning; Learning community; Belonging |
| Year | 2026 |
| Journal | Politics |
| Publisher | SAGE |
| ISSN | 0263-3957 |
| 1467-9256 | |
| Publication process dates | |
| Deposited | 24 Sep 2025 |
| Output status | In press |
Permalink -
https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/9w0w6/meeting-the-support-needs-of-commuter-students-through-the-political-studies-curriculum
153
total views0
total downloads9
views this month0
downloads this month
Export as
Related outputs
Understanding travel behaviour change: Insights paper
Kenyon, S. 2025. Understanding travel behaviour change: Insights paper.Recognising, understanding and addressing the environmental, network and social impacts of the student commute to university in the UK
Kenyon, S. 2025. Recognising, understanding and addressing the environmental, network and social impacts of the student commute to university in the UK.
Using active, problem-based learning to build attainment, belonging, and community – and win prizes!
Kenyon, S. 2025. Using active, problem-based learning to build attainment, belonging, and community – and win prizes!Catching up with commuter students: What do we know and what should we do to support them?
Kenyon, S. 2025. Catching up with commuter students: What do we know and what should we do to support them?Meaningful interaction with student evaluation
Kenyon, S. 2025. Meaningful interaction with student evaluation. in: Mallinson, D. J., Marin Hellwege, J. and Roberts, J. W. (ed.) Elgar Encyclopedia of Teaching and Pegagogy in Political Science Edward Elgar.Keynote: Developing a sense of belonging and mattering for commuter students
Kenyon, S. 2025. Keynote: Developing a sense of belonging and mattering for commuter students .Ensuring equality and inclusion for our commuter students
Kenyon, S. 2025. Ensuring equality and inclusion for our commuter students.Student financial support: How understanding spend trends can support retention, with a focus on commuter students.
Kenyon, S. and Moralee, H. 2025. Student financial support: How understanding spend trends can support retention, with a focus on commuter students.Commuter students: What do you need to make a student city work?
Kenyon, S. 2025. Commuter students: What do you need to make a student city work?Using assessment to improve political science pedagogy and curriculum
Kenyon, S. 2025. Using assessment to improve political science pedagogy and curriculum . in: Mallinson, D. J., Marin-Hellwege, J. and Roberts, J. W. (ed.) Elgar Encyclopedia of Teaching and Pegagogy in Political Science Edward Elgar.Developing a positive transport marketing campaign for Canterbury: Workshop report
Kenyon, S. 2025. Developing a positive transport marketing campaign for Canterbury: Workshop report .Reshaping HE provision for the commuter student market: Increasing financial stability and meeting our educational and environmental obligations
Kenyon, S. 2024. Reshaping HE provision for the commuter student market: Increasing financial stability and meeting our educational and environmental obligations.Civic education and active learning: Applying the CDIO and Debate models
Kenyon, S. and McMonagle, Robert 2024. Civic education and active learning: Applying the CDIO and Debate models .Commuter students: does reducing the need to travel enable more inclusive, equitable participation?
Kenyon, Susan 2024. Commuter students: does reducing the need to travel enable more inclusive, equitable participation? Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning. 26 (3), pp. 115-142. https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.26.3.115Commuter students: Understanding their travel behaviour and reducing their environmental impact
Kenyon, S. 2024. Commuter students: Understanding their travel behaviour and reducing their environmental impact. in: Filho, W. L., Sima, M., Salvia, A. L., Kovaleva, M. and Manolos, E. (ed.) University Initiatives on Climate Change Education and Research London Springer.Inclusive transport, sustainability and travel behaviour change
Kenyon, S. 2024. Inclusive transport, sustainability and travel behaviour change.Understanding barriers to sustainable travel: Exploring the persistence of the car culture amongst young people in the UK
Kenyon, S. 2024. Understanding barriers to sustainable travel: Exploring the persistence of the car culture amongst young people in the UK.Reducing scope 3 emissions: commuter students.
Kenyon, S. 2024. Reducing scope 3 emissions: commuter students.Meeting the needs of our forgotten 40%: The rise of the commuter student
Kenyon, S. 2024. Meeting the needs of our forgotten 40%: The rise of the commuter student.Embedding the social sciences in engineering education: collaboration with a Politics degree
Kenyon, S. 2023. Embedding the social sciences in engineering education: collaboration with a Politics degree. in: Lyng, R., Bennedsen, J., Bettaieb, L., Bodsberg, N. R., Edstrom, K., Guojonsdottir, M. S., Roslof, J., Solbjorg, O. K. and Oien, G. (ed.) Proceedings of the 19th International CDIO Conference, Trondheim, Norway, 26-29 June 2023 Trondheim NTNU SEED.Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate: pedagogical innovation to enhance attainment, engagement, satisfaction and employability in political science
Kenyon, S. 2023. Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate: pedagogical innovation to enhance attainment, engagement, satisfaction and employability in political science . Journal of Political Science Education. 20 (2), pp. 240-252. https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2023.2284170The importance of commuter students in our future-focused transport strategy.
Kenyon, S. 2023. The importance of commuter students in our future-focused transport strategy.Increasing the employability of politics and international relations students: Adapting teaching methods to develop ‘industry-ready social scientists’
Kenyon, S. 2023. Increasing the employability of politics and international relations students: Adapting teaching methods to develop ‘industry-ready social scientists’.Enhancing the student experience while addressing the climate emergency
Kenyon, S. 2023. Enhancing the student experience while addressing the climate emergency.From widening participation to facilitating access to learning: reconceptualising the right to HE in response to the rise of the commuter student
Kenyon, S. 2023. From widening participation to facilitating access to learning: reconceptualising the right to HE in response to the rise of the commuter student.Embedding the social sciences in engineering education: collaboration with a Politics degree.
Kenyon, S. 2023. Embedding the social sciences in engineering education: collaboration with a Politics degree. Proceedings of the International CDIO Conference. 2023.From widening participation to facilitating access to learning: responding to the rise of the ‘commuter student’
Kenyon, S. 2023. From widening participation to facilitating access to learning: responding to the rise of the ‘commuter student’.Online learning and teaching during the pandemic: the experience of commuter students
Kenyon, S. 2022. Online learning and teaching during the pandemic: the experience of commuter students.