2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Research indicates that an impactful first-year experience is critical in the college experience and has been linked to increased persistence. A women in STEM program at a university prioritizes high impact practices (HIP) and high impact experiential learning (HIEL) in various forms, including living-learning communities for first year women in STEM. The women in STEM program currently has four living-learning communities in the areas of engineering, computer science, sciences, and pharmacy/nursing, serving 160 first year students annually. As the name suggests, each encompasses three components: Living, Learning, and Community. Together, these components foster the development of students' STEM identity, provide a holistic network of support, and contribute to retention in STEM.

The administration of a living-learning community is a collaborative effort across curricular and co-curricular units that is supported by university leadership. The students live together in a residence hall in cooperation with Residence Life, share a discipline-based course led by an academic unit, and engage in a STEM community led by [a co-curricular unit]. The STEM community programming includes live-in STEM near-peer mentors, engaging in STEM focused events and activities, connection to university and STEM resources.

This practice paper reviews the history and evolution of STEM LLCs at this university and catalogs LLC practices, with a particular focus on community engagement. A longitudinal graduation review of living-learning community participants is also provided, showing that an average of 80% of LLC students graduate in STEM.