This study examines how to investigate traditionally underrepresented students' sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and academic engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) residential learning communities (RLCs). A 28-item survey was developed that included items from three previously validated instruments to measure…

Residential learning communities (RLCs) are a subset of living-learning programs (LLPs) where students live together based on a theme and are simultaneously enrolled together in at least one course related to that theme. Yet little research has focused on differentiating RLCs from those LLPs without a connected course. Using existing data from the…

Lardner and Malnarich (2009) identify learning communities as an educational reform strategy designed for intentional student cohorts that engage students in at least one integrative learning opportunity. Colleges and universities are aware that robust educational programs exist on their campuses, yet institutions must identify strategies to help…

Our research presents a multi-institutional study on the concept of thriving in Residential Learning Communities (RLCs). The study utilizes the Thriving Quotient (Schreiner, 2010c) to research how RLCs at four U.S. institutions contribute to students' academic engagement and performance, interpersonal relationships, and psychological well-being.…

Using the National Survey of Student Engagement and multivariate regression techniques, we examine the impact of a first-year residential learning community (RLC) at a predominately White small liberal arts institution. This program disproportionately attracts students of color, providing structural diversity. We include measures of students'…

Residential learning communities (RLCs) are residence hall environments designed to deliver academic and social benefits. For decades, many have argued RLCs are an effective means for increasing student success. Yet substantial changes in the defining characteristics of campus housing and student diversity have led to new questions about the…

In this article, we discuss the influence of demographic characteristics upon students' deeper life interactions with peers, faculty, and staff within the context of residential learning communities. When examining student demographic characteristics, we found that Students of Color and first-generation students have lower satisfaction with deeper…

Scholarship on students who enter college without a declared major indicates that this population of students faces unique challenges (Anderson, 1985; Beal & Noel, 1980; Lewallen, 1993), but also may be more likely to persist to graduation and earn higher grades than those who enter college with a declared major (Lewallen, 1995). Based on…

This article details the development of Living-Learning Community Certificate Programs (LLC-CPs) at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Based on the Best Practices Model for living-learning programs proposed by Inkelas et al. (2018), LLC-CPs will engage cohorts of students in a four-semester sequence of intentionally integrated courses and…

Gemstone seeks to develop students' research and collaboration skills, foster leadership opportunities, and provide a sense of belonging on a large campus utilizing the Best Practices Model (BPM) and a variety of high impact practices (HIPs), like a Gemstone-specific orientation program called Gems Camp. While studies have demonstrated that LLCs…

Transfer students face an array of difficulties upon entering colleges and universities. As a result, many institutions have begun creating learning communities in order to help transfer students integrate and cope with the changes that come with the transfer process associated with enrolling in college or university. This paper describes the…

As a residential college within Michigan State University that focuses on STEM fields, Lyman Briggs College developed a STEM learning community to support students with low mathematics placement test scores, the Instilling Quantitative and Integrative Reasoning program (INQUIRE). INQUIRE serves some of those students considered historically…

A majority of the research on the impact of learning communities has focused on the positive outcomes for students in their first year of study (Andrade, 2007; Goldman, 2012; Laverick, 2018; Wathington, Pretlow, & Mitchell, 2010). Less is known about the impact of learning community involvement as students complete their enrollment and persist…

Wynn, Mosholder, & Larsen (2014, 2016) studied the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on the development of postformal thinking (PFT) skills among first-year learning community (LC) students and attributed the significant PFT gains, in part, to the metacognitive reflection component of their PBL method, recommending it as a way to…

Analysis of diverse first-year and first-generation learning communities students' reflective narratives shows this population of students at an urban commuter college of technology face significant challenges in the transition into college. Designed to assist in this transition, the "Our Stories" digital writing project incorporates…