As of Spring 2025, Living-Learning Communities (LLCs) at GGC continues to be an emerging effort as part of the College’s overall Learning Communities strategy. The LLC project at GGC continues to be driven primarily by the grant-funded STEM Living Learning Communities (LLCs) for the Information Technology (IT) and Health Science (HS) programs. The STEM LLC project has laid a foundation on which LLC expansion will be built in the coming academic year, as outlined below.
Our Objectives and KPIs for the Living-Learning Communities assessment, as established in the LLC grant:
1) Increase access for college residential living for enrolled IT and HS majors.
2) Increase retention and graduation of LLC scholars in IT or HS, as appropriate.
3) Prepare LLC Scholars for post-graduation placement into relevant STEM careers or graduate programs.
Obj. 1), Activity 1 - Award 2 pilot cohorts of 16 each, a maximum housing award of
$17,418 in year 1 per LLC Scholar; Activity 2 - Award 2 pilot cohorts of 16 each, a maximum housing award of $14,490 in year 2 per LLC Scholar.
Obj. 1), Measure 1 - 64 LLC Scholars will be supported with financial awards to cover housing and meals.
Obj. 2), Activity 1 - Conduct a 3-day residential enrichment program for LLC Scholars to jumpstart their college career and build an academic community of peers, mentors, and professional advisors; Activity 2 - Establish a cluster of academic enrichment and support services to promote student success in degree completion; and Activity 3 - Establish an academic community to enhance student learning and outcomes.
Obj. 2), Measure 1 - Retain at least 75% of LLC Scholars as declared IT or HS major between 2nd and 3rd year; Measure 2 - Graduate at least 75% of LLC Scholars in IT or HS major within six years.
Obj. 3), Activity 1 - Provide opportunities for undergraduate research, summer internships or similar experiential learning opportunities; and Activity 2 – Build a professional network beyond Georgia Gwinnett College.
Obj. 3), Measure 1 - At least 62.5% of LLC Scholars will participate in undergraduate research or a similar high-impact practice during the academic year; Measure 2 - At least 62.5% of LLC Scholars will pursue a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates or STEM internship or a similar experiential learning experience; Measure 3 - At least 75% of graduated LLC Scholars will enroll in a STEM graduate degree program or secure employment in a STEM position.
Our objectives are assessed at the conclusion of each academic year and are in progress for the current (second) cohort of LLC students
In AY25 The STEM LLC enrolled 15 second-year students including 8 Information Technology (ITEC) majors and 7 Health Sciences (HS) majors. The ITEC students took ITEC 2140 (Programming Fundamentals), and the HS students took BIOL 2451K (Anatomy and Physiology 1). In addition to faculty, students received support from assigned tutors in the Academic Enhancement Center (AEC), GGC’s centralized tutoring center. Housing and other Student Affairs staff provided programming to enhance belonging and experiential learning. To foster cohesion of the group and facilitate experiential learning, the cohort completed a successful five-day academic trip to Washington, D.C. This experience was a valuable learning and social belonging opportunity for the students that we will aim to continue in the coming AY.
Despite diligent recruitment efforts, we fell short of our recruiting goals for the STEM LLC this past year, successfully enrolling 15 of the target 32 participants. Identifying students who met both the eligibility requirements and the academic requirements was difficult.
Most of the students in the cohort passed the associated Fall semester class, except for three students who received a D in the course and will be repeating it the following semester. Only one student was not able to continue in the cohort by missing the satisfactory academic progress (SAP) criteria for receiving federal aid. We will work to continue supporting the LLC students both in their academic progress and their sense of belonging. In summary, among the 15 students in the STEM LLC Fall 2024 cohort, 14 continued in the cohort to Spring 2025 (93.3% return rate in the LLC cohort). This success is attributable to the faculty director’s leadership and the support of the Housing team, tutors, and other campus partners.
As noted, an area for improvement for next year is in the recruitment, including the need to set realistic and manageable expectations for qualification into the LLC cohort. We also need to offer a broader range of career-focused and thematic LLCs in the coming academic years, which is part of the campus plan. In addition to continued engagement from a range of offices (e.g., Student Affairs, Student Housing, the Academic Enhancement Center, Career Services, and others), increased close collaboration with the Registrar team will also be needed to scale the LLCs effectively.
Learning from fellow USG institutions’ experience working with LLCs will be valuable. We look forward to exploring ideas together in the coming semesters.
