The University of Bath holds a Bronze Race Equality Charter award. A case study on how the institution addresses harassment, bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct on and off campus is available in the Good Practice Initiative database.
What does it take to build a university community where respect, inclusion and shared responsibility are more than just values on a webpage? At the University of Bath, the answer has been to put these principles front and centre of the student experience from day one.
As part of induction, all first‑year students at Bath are required to complete two e‑modules: Active Respect, developed in‑house, and a specialist sexual consent module. Together, they form a core strand of the University’s #NeverOK campaign, which aims to tackle harassment, bullying, sexual misconduct and discrimination. The full case study explains how Active Respect was designed, delivered and evaluated – and why it has become a vital foundation for a safe, inclusive and equitable student experience.
Setting expectations from the start
The University of Bath is a research‑intensive, top 10 UK university with a diverse student body of over 21,000 students. More than a quarter of students come from outside the UK, representing 152 nationalities, and the University continues to reflect critically on issues of equity and belonging both on campus and within the wider city of Bath.
In this context, Active Respect was created with a clear purpose: to ensure that every new student understands what behaviour is – and is not – acceptable in the University community, knows how to seek support and report concerns, and feels empowered to act as an active bystander. This learning is positioned not as an optional add‑on, but as a shared responsibility and a core part of becoming a member of the Bath community.
Designed in-house, shaped by students
Active Respect was written and built entirely in‑house using an e‑learning authoring platform and hosted on the University’s virtual learning environment. This has enabled the University to keep content grounded in local values, policies and lived realities, while remaining responsive to student feedback and sector change.
The module has three components. Respect in our community sets out behavioural expectations and explores belonging, bias, microaffirmations and inclusion, clearly defining harassment, bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct through examples drawn from student life, including racial harassment. Accessing support explains reporting routes and services such as Support and Report, helping to remove barriers and build trust. Being an active bystander equips students with practical tools and interactive scenarios to support safe intervention.
Tailored versions are available for taught students, postgraduate researchers and staff, reflecting different roles and experiences within the University.
Evidence of impact
Active Respect is shared with students ahead of arrival, with completion monitored throughout the first semester. Completion rates have increased steadily since launch in 2022. For the 2024 intake, 67.5% of taught students and 75% of postgraduate researchers completed the module, with figures expected to rise again for 2025.
Evaluation data suggests meaningful changes in confidence and intent. Post‑module surveys show increased trust that the University would take reports of harassment seriously, and higher likelihood of carrying out bystander actions, including challenging offensive racial stereotypes among peers.
What makes it work – and what comes next
Key facilitators include strong senior sponsorship, dedicated resource for monitoring completion and aligned staff learning. Student feedback consistently highlights the value of content that feels specific to Bath and recognises local context – something harder to achieve with external modules alone.
However, developing and sustaining in‑house learning requires significant resource, and induction can be overwhelming. To address this, the University is exploring optional “micro‑learns” and further tailoring for specific groups, including remote and overseas students.
