scholarly journals The Culture of Couch Surfing Amongst Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Denzel De Ruysscher

<p>This thesis explores ‘couch surfing’ as it becomes more prevalent within the tertiary student experience. In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the availability of housing in all major cities in New Zealand. Rental accommodations been particularly hard hit with the number of properties available for occupation under increasing demand. Despite this shortage universities have continued to expand, offering an increased number of positions to students. This dichotomy has impacted university students looking for ‘affordable accommodation.’ This has led to a recent surge in students undertaking studies without fixed abodes for either short time periods or in some cases for the duration of the university trimesters or year, commonly referred to as ‘student homelessness.’ The students are faced with a new reality; a reality of relying on short term peer support for accommodation, known as couch-surfing. This research considers the impact of accommodation uncertainty within the tertiary student experience and specifically asks what impact the current global phenomenon of couch surfing is having on either alleviation or amplification of the physical and/or emotional stresses and strains associated with attending university. This study interviews students who have experienced uncertainty around their accommodation arrangements and as a result have engaged in couch surfing practices. The aim of this study is to gain a holistic overview of the impact this experience of uncertainty and temporary accommodation has on a student’s life and uses photography as a tool within human-centred and participatory design approaches to assist in the expression and interpretation of the couch surfing experience during university study.  At the outset, more portrait photography approaches such as model headshots are used to illustrate the student couch surfer and their accommodation experience and surroundings with the purpose of capturing the couch surfers in the moment in mind. Following on from this the study introduces the ethnographic method of Photovoice and asks the couch surfing student to record their own accommodation experience through the taking of more self-focused photos that include their surroundings and expressions of the experience. As a final experience, a workshop was designed and facilitated to synergise the student voice on the experiences of couch surfing. This experience was also documented through photography.  The culmination of these research approaches is a visual output in the form of a photobook that will showcase the overall narrative of the thesis. The main objective of the thesis and visual output is to explore the lifestyle and experiences of student couch surfers and to visually amplify a collective student voice that speaks to the emergent and unique phenomenon of couch surfing, that has had an impact on their university experience.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Denzel De Ruysscher

<p>This thesis explores ‘couch surfing’ as it becomes more prevalent within the tertiary student experience. In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the availability of housing in all major cities in New Zealand. Rental accommodations been particularly hard hit with the number of properties available for occupation under increasing demand. Despite this shortage universities have continued to expand, offering an increased number of positions to students. This dichotomy has impacted university students looking for ‘affordable accommodation.’ This has led to a recent surge in students undertaking studies without fixed abodes for either short time periods or in some cases for the duration of the university trimesters or year, commonly referred to as ‘student homelessness.’ The students are faced with a new reality; a reality of relying on short term peer support for accommodation, known as couch-surfing. This research considers the impact of accommodation uncertainty within the tertiary student experience and specifically asks what impact the current global phenomenon of couch surfing is having on either alleviation or amplification of the physical and/or emotional stresses and strains associated with attending university. This study interviews students who have experienced uncertainty around their accommodation arrangements and as a result have engaged in couch surfing practices. The aim of this study is to gain a holistic overview of the impact this experience of uncertainty and temporary accommodation has on a student’s life and uses photography as a tool within human-centred and participatory design approaches to assist in the expression and interpretation of the couch surfing experience during university study.  At the outset, more portrait photography approaches such as model headshots are used to illustrate the student couch surfer and their accommodation experience and surroundings with the purpose of capturing the couch surfers in the moment in mind. Following on from this the study introduces the ethnographic method of Photovoice and asks the couch surfing student to record their own accommodation experience through the taking of more self-focused photos that include their surroundings and expressions of the experience. As a final experience, a workshop was designed and facilitated to synergise the student voice on the experiences of couch surfing. This experience was also documented through photography.  The culmination of these research approaches is a visual output in the form of a photobook that will showcase the overall narrative of the thesis. The main objective of the thesis and visual output is to explore the lifestyle and experiences of student couch surfers and to visually amplify a collective student voice that speaks to the emergent and unique phenomenon of couch surfing, that has had an impact on their university experience.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Laura E Mullins ◽  
Jennifer Mitchell

Following the World Health Organization’s announcement of the global pandemic because of the Coronavirus Disease 2019, most Canadian universities transitioned to offering their courses exclusively online. One group affected by this transition was students with disabilities. Previous research has shown that the university experience for students with disabilities differs from those of their non-disabled peers. However, their unique needs are often not taken into consideration. As a result, students can become marginalized and alienated from the online classroom. In partnership with Student Accessibility Services, this research revealed the impact of the transition to online learning because of the pandemic for university students with disabilities. Students registered with Student Accessibility Services completed a survey about the effects of online learning during a pandemic on the students’ lives, education, and instructional and accommodation. It was clear from the results that online education during COVID-19 affected all aspects of the students’ lives, particularly to their mental health. This research provided a much-needed opportunity for students with disabilities to share the factors influencing their educational experience and identified recommendations instructors should consider when developing online courses to increase accessibility and improve engagement. 


10.28945/3693 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 035-048
Author(s):  
Joy Penman ◽  
Jyothi Thalluri

Aim/Purpose: The uptake of university by regional students has been problematic for various reasons. This paper discusses a program, initiated by a South Australian regional university campus, aimed at attracting regional students into higher education. Background: A qualitative descriptive approach to study was used to determine the value of the program on participating students and school staff. Year 10 students from Roxby Downs, Port Augusta and Port Lincoln high schools were invited to participate in a two-day regionally-focussed school-university engagement program that linked students with the university campus and local employers. Methodology: A survey was administered to determine the impact of the program. Perceptions about the program by school staff were gathered using a modified One-Minute Harvard questionnaire. While 38 Year 10 students and 5 school staff members participated, 37 students and 3 staff evaluated the program. Findings: The findings revealed that the majority of the students would like to attend university, but financial and social issues were important barriers. The students learned about the regional university, what it can offer in terms of programs and support, and the employment prospect following university. The school staff benefited by developing a closer relationship with students and becoming better informed about the regional university. Recommendation for Practitioners: One way by which university uptake may be increased is to provide similar immersion programs featuring engagement with employers, our recommendation to other regional universities. In increasing the levels of education, individuals, communities and the society in general are benefited.


Author(s):  
Luke Millard

This paper considers research that engaged with a university wide population of students who were employed on campus to better understand why they chose to work alongside their studies; how this impacted upon their attitudes to study and the university, and the benefits for those students.  This paper reveals that the primary motivation to work on campus is the development of skills; considers the nature of those skills and behaviours; discovers the changing relationship between student workers and university staff; and discusses how engagement leads to an enhanced sense of student confidence and belonging.  The paper concludes by considering the implications for the university and sector and how the outcomes might be best deployed for impact on those students who would most benefit. 


Author(s):  
Luke Millard

This paper considers research that engaged with a university wide population of students who were employed on campus to better understand why they chose to work alongside their studies; how this impacted upon their attitudes to study and the university, and the benefits for those students.  This paper reveals that the primary motivation to work on campus is the development of skills; considers the nature of those skills and behaviours; discovers the changing relationship between student workers and university staff; and discusses how engagement leads to an enhanced sense of student confidence and belonging.  The paper concludes by considering the implications for the university and sector and how the outcomes might be best deployed for impact on those students who would most benefit.


2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cliff Davidson

This paper explores university corporatization and its impact on university literature, examining the frequency and placement of content in the admissions handbooks (viewbooks) of six Ontario universities from 1980 to 2010, at five-year intervals. Government budget cuts implemented in the mid-1990s served as a point of interest in the timing of corporatization. Content analysis showed a decreased emphasis on academics and an increased emphasis on the university experience; academics moved toward the back of the viewbooks, and student experience and university-specific advantages moved toward the front. The timing of these changes, however, did not correlate, as expected, with government budget cuts of the mid-1990s.  


2019 ◽  
pp. 607-614

Forest certification plays an important role in supporting and ensuring sustainable forest management. By November 2017, the FM FSC certified state hunting and forestry enterprises are 72 in number, part of which are included in group certificates of the respective state-owned enterprises in whose territory they are located. Certified forest area in Bulgaria in November 2017 is 1 315 594 ha. These numbers are growing very fast at the moment. The main objective of the study is to analyze and evaluate the profitability of introducing the FSC certificate for sustainable forest management. In this respect a case study analysis is carried out at Yundola and Petrohan, which are Training forest enterprises at the University of Forestry - Sofia. These two forest enterprises and adjacent state forest and hunting forest enterprises are considered in this case as model forest areas, including certified and subject to certification forest enterprises and typical forest areas with coniferous and deciduous forests. The following research objectives were fulfilled in order to achieve the stated goal: 1.Analysis and estimation of the profitability of the implementation of the FSC certificate for sustainable forest management in Yundola Training forests. 2.Analysis and estimation of the profitability of the implementation of the FSC certificate for sustainable forest management in the Petrohan Training forests. Based on the study and the results obtained, conclusions and recommendations were made on the impact of FSC certification on the activities of certified FSC forest enterprises. On the basis of a developed model analysis of the profitability of State hunting enterprise Vitinya, a methodology for analysis and assessment of the profitability of forestry and hunting forest enterprises, certified and subject to FSC certification was developed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frauke Katharina Eckl ◽  
Rirhandu Mageza-Barthel ◽  
Sophia Thubauville

Africa–Asia relations are a controversial subject at the moment and many authors have attempted to shed light on what the renewed relations between Africa and Asia entail. Some have denounced what they see as a ‘New Scramble for Africa’, while others have identified the possibilities offered by these new South–South relations and have drawn attention to the impact of African agency in this new constellation. This article follows on from these discussions by reading the growing global dynamic as a collage of African and Asian entanglements. It is based on research conducted within the University of Frankfurt’s Inter-Centre programme on Africa’s Asian Options (AFRASO). In line with the programme’s empirical, comparative and trans-regional objectives, the three authors conduct research on the interactions between Africa and Asia.1


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi A. Smith ◽  
Teresa Segbers

Background: Higher education outdoor studies programs retain a critical interest in student experiences as they seek to prepare citizens in a globalized, yet simultaneously neo-nationalist, world. Purpose: This research explored the impact of transculturality on the student experience of outdoor studies in the Transcultural European Outdoor Studies (TEOS) Masters, a course hosted by three universities in three countries. Methodology/Approach: A longitudinal study of the student experience, using a conceptual framework of self, place, transculturality, and outdoor learning theory underpins the research. Semistructured online interviews and one face-to-face retrospective interview were conducted with four participants throughout the course (Semesters 1, 2, 3), plus an additional five participants prior to the end of Semester 3. Findings/Conclusions: The findings elucidate students’ transcultural self-growth and transcultural capabilities, including resilience, intelligence, and fatigue. Implications: Although challenges exist for course design, considerations of transcultural pedagogy and curricula, reflective practices, support for students and teaching staff, cultural learning experiences (including language acquisition), and a willingness to move beyond traditional models of curricula at the university level are recommended.


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