Professional Documents
Culture Documents
LLC Report PDF Final-Compressed
LLC Report PDF Final-Compressed
(HESA) EDHE 650-01 class has and enhance their resident student
undergone research on behalf of experience.
various campus partners from Our focus on this imperative
Western Carolina University to benefit assessment question lasted four
various departments' efforts to months, all of which have been spent
maintain a regular practice of studying the LLCs and assessing
assessment, evaluation, and research. qualitative and quantitative data
The team was comprised of three produced by the Department of
higher education-focused graduate Residential Living ACUHO-I
students at Western Carolina Benchworks Resident Assessment to
University: Morgan Gill, Brennan maximize the final assessment
Haskins, and Ariel Phillips. The proposal for the benefit of Residential
assessment project assigned to our Living. For the purpose of our project
team initially proposed was, "The it is important to note that we focused
assessment team will develop a way on LEAD-LLCs exclusively. The
to assess the resident student purpose of our project was to build on
experience and sense of belonging." the literature and examine the
Along the way, our project developed potential contribution of LLCs to
into addressing whether or not Living undergraduates’ sense of community
Learning Communities (LLC) instill a and belonging on campus.
The CAS Standards for Housing and
Residential Life Programs (HRLP)
details how LLCs are one of the most
Residential Living strives to create impactful practices in higher
living and learning communities education today (Council for the
where students feel valued as Advancement of Standards in Higher
individuals and where diversity and Education, 2015). LLCs are to be used
fellowship with others can be as opportunities for residential
celebrated. Residential Living also communities to create more
encourages and provides intentional learning for students.
opportunities for personal growth and Critical when it comes to increasing
development of character, leadership, retention and growth in student
honesty, respect, and pride. LLCs are engagement, most often in first-year
defined as: “programs in which students, LLCs can be developed
undergraduate students live together around themes, majors, or concepts.
in a discrete portion of a residence hall As an assessment effort, the
(or the entire hall) and participate in Association of College and University
academic and/or extracurricular Housing Officers-International
programming designed especially for (ACUHO-I) annual survey is often used
them” (National Study of Living- to help evaluate services, programs,
Learning Programs, 2007, p. 1-2). staffing, and student learning.
Ensuring that success is at the forefront of that their experience with sense of
LLCs, the development, design, and belonging is less than that of their White
administration should adhere to the counterparts (Strayhorn, 2008). Vaccaro,
guidelines put in place by the CAS Daly-Cano, & Newman (2015) focuses in on,
standards for HRLP (Council for the “Common to the literature is an emphasis
Advancement of Standards in Higher on psychological feelings of fitting in,
Education, 2015). Please see Appendix A for acceptance, and support from a group or
the expectations listed within the CAS community” (p. 671). Long understood, a
Standards. sense of belonging has come from social
acceptance as the foundation. Higher
Living on Campus education studies reaffirmed this
Pascarella and Terenzini (1991) stated that understanding through the significance of
living on campus was “the single most supportive relationships (Vaccaro et al.,
consistent within-college determinant of 2015). Pittman and Richmond (2007) found
the impact of college” (p. 611). Along with in a study that there was an increase in a
Blimling (1993), they hypothesized that sense of belonging over the first-year at
residence halls can lead to a variety of university and associated the results with
different outcomes, including social, an increase in scholastic competence.
cultural, and extracurricular involvement. Freeman, Anderman, & Jensen (2007) found
Astin (1985) reiterated the importance of in their research that the sense of
living near campus resources as well by belonging in the classroom was often
stating that “simply by virtue of eating, associated with an increased engagement
sleeping, and spending their waking hours in class activities, positive perceptions of
in the college campus,” students are going course content, and higher academic self-
to identify with the life that being in college efficacy.
brings (p. 145).
Community
Belonging Again, looking into higher education
Looking into higher education literature, literature, sense of community refers to “a
sense of belonging refers to the feeling that members have of belonging, a
“psychological sense that one is a valued feeling that members matter to one
member of the college community” another and to the group, and a shared
(Hausmann, Schofield, & Woods, 2007, p. faith that members’ needs will be met”
804). Literature regarding belonging in the (McMillan & Chavis, 1986, p. 9). Maslow (1954)
post-secondary institution relies mostly on deemed sense of belonging a universal
Tinto’s (1987) model of student retention. human need and it is central to a sense of
This model suggests that students will not community. With both a sense of belonging
be retained at the university if they fail to and sense of community, research has
become integrated into both social and shown both to further positive outcomes
academic life. Hurtado and Carter (1997) for students. Cheng (2005) links sense of
directly relate students’ sense of belonging community and belonging to living on
with campus involvement. Strayhorn (2012) campus in residence halls, which is the
states, “sense of belonging may be particular interest of this assessment. Sense
particularly significant for students who are of community has been associated with
marginalized in college contexts” (p. 17). The making positive social connections and
emerging literature that has come about feeling valued (Cheng, 2004).
from this statement looks at the sense of
belonging for students of color and shows
The Potential Role of LLCs Pasque and Murphy (2005) have found the
LLCs began to arise in the mid 1980s, in positive effects of LLCs on both students’
order to help instill a sense of community academic achievement and social
and belonging among residential students. development, along with their overall
The forefront of these communities started university experience. These communities
back in the 1920s, however the resurgence are intentionally structured in a way that
and more contemporary LLC arrived later helps students make connections that are
on (Zhao & Kuh, 2004). By connecting consistent with their theoretical orientation
students’ academic and social lives, LLCs (Zhao & Kuh, 2004). Encouraging students
are intended to enhance the university to make connections with different
experience. Spanierman, Soble, Mayfield, disciplines and connect their ideas are key.
Neville, Aber, Khuri, De La Rosa (2013) state The second connection is through linking
“Through support networks for common students with ongoing social interactions
interests, academic courses that focus on with the same students over a longer
particular learning outcomes, and co- period of time. The end result shows
curricular activities, these living students becoming members of a distinct
arrangements have the potential to foster community that is focused on academic
students’ sense of community and content and instill a sense of belonging
belonging” (p. 310). (Zhao & Kuh, 2004).
This assessment used a mixed methods After confirmation, our group worked on a
approach. Data was analyzed from the 2015- script, consent forms (Appendix D), and
2016 and 2017-2018 ACUHO-I Benchworks included the questions provided to us by
Resident Assessment, two focus groups the Department of Residential Living. Once
were held, as well as a faculty survey that the focus groups were completed, we
was administered. It is important to note compiled all of the data in order to begin
that an interview (Appendix E) was also our analysis.
conducted with Leslie Cavin, the Assistant
Director for Leadership at WCU. Leslie Cavin Faculty Survey
works heavily with the LLC’s on WCU’s Using the Qualtrics Survey Software, our
campus, instructs an LLC class as well as group created a 6 question survey based off
teaches other first-year courses. After of trends we had found in the ACUHO-I
careful consideration, our group decided data. These questions also related to the
the results of this interview were outside respondents experience as a faculty
the scope of our project. member for an LLC. The survey was
administered to all eight LEAD LLC faculty
ACUHO-I Data members for the 2018 Fall Semester and 7
Initially, our group was seeking to identify completed it.
the culture of LLCs on WCU’s campus, and
with the information provided from the
2015-2016 and 2017-2018 ACUHO-I data, we
were able to do this. This information
allowed us to tailor the rest of our project to
the needs of the institution and also create
a smaller scope.
Focus Groups
In total, 33 students participated in the
focus groups that were conducted. The first
focus group consisted of 8 individuals who
were enrolled in the Cultural Competency
and Social Justice LLC course. The second
focus group had 25 participants and were
also enrolled in a different lead LLC course,
Band of Brothers. The 6 questions
(Appendix C) were given to the group by
the Associate Director of Residence life for
Academic Partnerships, Annaleise
Camacho. These were questions the
department of residential living wanted
answered directly by students. Our group
contacted two specific faculty members
and asked if they would allow us to hold
focus groups during one of their class
sessions in the coming weeks.
Findings will be presented in four sections
according to the following groups of study:
Living-Learning Community, Non-Living
Learning Community compared to Living-
Learning Community, Focus Group
Participants and Faculty.
Figure 1.
The ACUHO-I survey uses a 7-point Likert Results for the questions in Figure 2 have
scale where a selection of 5 indicates that been consistent between the survey
the respondent ‘mildly agrees’ with the administrations, with sense of belonging
survey statement. At WCU, the survey reporting the highest scores at 5.58 in 2015
response goal is 5.5. Figure 1 shows, overall and 5.6 in 2017. This outcome has met
reports from this student population ACUHO-I and WCU standards for both
remain mainly consistent from 2015 to 2017, administrations of the survey. Though the
with most respondents indicating they numbers are low across administration
‘mildly agree’ with the survey statement. years, there are two interesting findings
Specific outcomes are not meeting the worth noting. A slight increase in the overall
ACUHO-I 5.5 score standard. This includes res hall experience was reported, 4.85 in
students’ perceived ability to connect with 2015 to 4.87 in 2017 conversely, a decline in
other students (declined, from 5.51 in 2015 to ‘meeting others’ was reported between
5.27 in 2017), and student learning (5.1 in years (5.72 in 2015, to 5.43 in 2017).
2015, to 5.07 in 2017). While declining
reports can be seen between
administrations of the ACUHO-I survey,
there have also been slight increases which
can be seen among effective study group
formation (4.35 in 2015, to 4.45 in 2017) and
connection to faculty (5.12 in 2015, to 5.15 in
2017).
Findings
On the basis of the findings, several Mixed results from faculty survey
conclusions concerning Living-Learning respondents show a disconnect between
Communities at Western Carolina faculty belief that they are providing LLC
University can be drawn. The findings of this students the opportunities to connect and
study, through the examination of ACUHO-I learn the stated outcomes and student
data, focus groups, and a faculty survey belief they are learning the stated
indicate that living-learning communities outcomes. A possible explanation for this
do contribute to sense of belonging. This may be that faculty do not know for
was indicated to be the most beneficial example, that learning to form effective
component of an LLC among focus group study groups is an intended outcome for an
participants. Furthermore, focus group LLC. Also seen through this study, is that
participants reported their participation in students are unclear about what an LLC is
the LLC was one of the reasons they and its intended outcomes, which may also
remained at WCU. Though this is a positive be contributed to through campus
impact on the student experience, it is not community perceptions and knowledge
the only concern for LLC performance and about LLC’s.
effectiveness.
Upon the analysis of the ACUHO-I Benchworks Resident Assessment, focus
groups, and faculty survey, the team has compiled a list of realistic,
manageable recommendations. The work our team has done regarding
researching sense of belonging and community within LLCs lays the
groundwork for further research and comparison.