Biography

David started his career at the University of Southampton where he was a Students' Union sabbatical officer, before establishing their Student Communications function. He now works at Middlesex University as their Head of Student Engagement and Advocacy leading on their efforts to engage both current students and alumni.

He is a passionate advocate of the student voice and in 2012 he founded the Student Publication Association, which supports student journalists across the UK and Ireland. He believes strongly in universities working together to support student engagement efforts, and so co-chairs the CASE Student Communications conference, leads the AUA’s Student Experience and Engagement Network and represents Pearson as their Academic Lead for Student Experience.

• BA in Philosophy and Mathematics at University of Southampton from 2009 – 2012
• MBA in Higher Education Management at UCL’s Institute of Education University from 2017 - 2019

Research

Individualised connectedness: how can universities enhance student retention by helping students to better understand their own belonging needs?

Existing research and practice around the topic of belonging has consistently found a promising correlation between interventions that seem to build student belonging then resulting in positive student outcomes in the form of continuation rates. These interventions, so far, have focused almost entirely on better provision of opportunities for students to build belonging. Whilst the provision of opportunities for belonging is important, I propose that there is also a missing element: helping students to understand their own belonging needs and subsequently act.

My research is utilising a mixed-methods and quasi-experimental approach to pilot interventions focused around enhancing understanding of individual and unique belonging needs in two English universities. My longitudinal approach to data collection includes pre-and-port-test measures of student belonging, evaluation of progression data, as well as an online diaries approach.  

Supervisor(s)

Liz Thomas and Daniel McArthur

Publications

Gilani, D., Parke, R., & Wilson, N. (2022). Peer-to-Peer Phone Calls as a Method of Providing Proactive and Personalised Support to Enhance Student Engagement. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal, 4(2), 82–104. Retrieved from https://sehej.raise-network.com/raise/article/view/1068

Gilani, D. (2020) Creating connections: the role of universities in enhancing graduates’ social capital and challenging nepotism, Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 24(1), 14-18, DOI: 10.1080/13603108.2019.1678528

Gilani, D. (2019) Setting realistic student expectations in clearing. Wonkhe blog. Available at: https://wonkhe.com/blogs/setting-realistic-student-expectations-in-clearing/

Presentation/speaker experience

Mar 2023 – Tribal and Student Minds Panel Discussion – ‘The Rise of Student Loneliness’

Jan 2023 – Advance HE Building Belonging workshop – ‘Evaluating our work on student belonging’

Dec 2022 – Pearson HE Innovate awards evening – presenter and judge for Outstanding Support for Students category

Dec 2022 – Pearson HE Innovate webinar – host: ‘Building belonging through pre-arrival and induction’

Nov 2022 – Action on B3 Indicators: Continuation, Completion and Progression – Conference by Inside Government – ‘Workshop: How can we Build Learning Communities that Encourage Authentic Belonging amongst our Students?’

Nov 2022 – Student Success Conference – Leeds University – ‘Panel discussion: What it means to belong in HE’ with Professor Liz Thomas and Professor Bridgette Bewick

Sep 2022 – Learning and Teaching Conference – Middlesex University - ‘How can We Build Learning Communities that Encourage Authentic Belonging amongst our Students?’

June 2022 - Oxford Brookes EdD Colloquium – ‘How can we overcome the problematic aspects of randomised control trials in education research?’

June 2022 – CASE Student Communications Conference 2022 – Co-Chair and presenter of session: ‘Student attitudes and preferences towards communications from their university’

April 2022 – Pearson HE Innovate panel discussion: ‘Let’s talk about Value for Money in Higher Education’

July 2021 – ExLibris CampusM mobile app bootcamp panel discussion

June 2021 – CASE Student Communications Conference 2021 – Co-Chair

Mar 2021 – Association of University Administrators (AUA) Annual Conference – Workshop: ‘How to give students ownership of their student communications’

June 2020 – CASE Student Communications Conference 2020 - Chair

Nov 2019 – Student Experience Conference – Derby University – Workshop: ‘Bringing students into your student communications’

Oct 2019 – The Engaging Youth Conference – Global Insights – Roundtable discussion: ‘Creating Content with Students’

June 2019 – CASE Student Communications Conference 2019 – Workshop: ‘Working with Faculties’

June 2018 - CASE Student Communications Conference 2018 – Workshop: ‘Bringing students into Student Communications’