An evaluation of the effectiveness of living learning communities on student success, retention, and belonging

This project of practice evaluated the impact of Living Learning Communities (LLCs) on student success, retention, and sense of belonging at a regional public university. The program evaluation includes quantitative data comparing GPA and retention rates of LLC and non-LLC students, a sense of belonging scale, and qualitative data gathered from interviews and surveys with LLC participants and program partners. Findings indicate that LLC participation positively correlates with increased student retention and a stronger sense of community, though academic performance differences were not statistically significant. Thematic analysis of qualitative interviews revealed that intentional faculty-student interaction, tailored academic support, and early community-building efforts contribute to students' overall satisfaction and connection to the university. Based on these results, the project recommends strengthening recruitment processes, clarifying partnership roles, increasing academic integration, and enhancing collaborative programming. These recommendations aim to improve LLCs' structure, consistency, and long-term impact as a strategic initiative for student success and institutional retention efforts. The housing department and campus partners may utilize the data to look at ways to strengthen the program and increase the impact on student success, retention, and belonging.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Harville, Jason D.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Taylor, Jessica N.
• Rausch, David W., Crawford, Elizabeth K.
• College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

• Academic achievement--United States--Evaluation
• Belonging (Social psychology)
• School enrollment--Education (Higher)
• Student housing--Resident satisfaction
• Student learning communities

Licence

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/1029

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-2217