Background
Housing plays a huge role in the college experience of first-year students nationwide. Freshman residence halls can often shape students' social spheres and perceptions of their respective universities. With this in mind, university administrators have focused on restructuring traditional residence halls, commonly referred to as dorms, to create living spaces that foster community. In “Belonging,” Chambliss and Takacs argue that building community is a worthwhile goal of a college: “belonging, we think, is central to how colleges operate as effective educational institutions” (79). These efforts have culminated in the rise of a new residential structure over the last few decades: the residential learning community (RLC).
As more research has linked student success with the integration of academics and housing, these RLCs have begun to replace traditional dorms at universities across the nation. A research study by the National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment on different learning communities nationwide found that, compared to dorms, learning communities made students “more socially and academically involved in college life” (Tinto, Goodsell-Love and Russo 17). The students in the study perceived an “improved quality of learning” and “greater intellectual gains” from college that resulted in greater student persistence (Tinto, Goodsell-Love and Russo 17). This study reflects the potential for learning communities to be influential for college students and preferable to traditional dorms.
For our project, we decided to focus on the Residential Learning Community (RLC) system at Santa Clara University. An RLC is a community with a theme and associated values that is attached to a university residence hall. At Santa Clara University, each RLC aims to bond students with one another, establish social circles, and introduce an academic aspect to each dorm. This academic aspect is influenced by each RLCs specific theme ranging from "Sustainability and the Arts" (CyPhi) to "Social Justice" (Loyola). The ideal RLC connects students socially through RLC-organized events and activities, and connects students academically through the theme and RLC-linked classes.
Our interest in this subject sprang from our curiosity as to why SCU students, including ourselves, knew very little about the system and hardly acknowledged it. For example, by the second quarter of our freshman years, despite enduring efforts by the administrators and student leaders to maintain the image of “RLCs,” we realized that students treated these communities no differently than ordinary dorms. As first-year college students who experienced the benefits and downfalls of the program firsthand, we thought it would be interesting to further investigate how other members of the Bronco community understand and view the RLC program, its presence and visibility on campus, and the program's overall effectiveness. With this in mind, we drafted our research question below.
As more research has linked student success with the integration of academics and housing, these RLCs have begun to replace traditional dorms at universities across the nation. A research study by the National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment on different learning communities nationwide found that, compared to dorms, learning communities made students “more socially and academically involved in college life” (Tinto, Goodsell-Love and Russo 17). The students in the study perceived an “improved quality of learning” and “greater intellectual gains” from college that resulted in greater student persistence (Tinto, Goodsell-Love and Russo 17). This study reflects the potential for learning communities to be influential for college students and preferable to traditional dorms.
For our project, we decided to focus on the Residential Learning Community (RLC) system at Santa Clara University. An RLC is a community with a theme and associated values that is attached to a university residence hall. At Santa Clara University, each RLC aims to bond students with one another, establish social circles, and introduce an academic aspect to each dorm. This academic aspect is influenced by each RLCs specific theme ranging from "Sustainability and the Arts" (CyPhi) to "Social Justice" (Loyola). The ideal RLC connects students socially through RLC-organized events and activities, and connects students academically through the theme and RLC-linked classes.
Our interest in this subject sprang from our curiosity as to why SCU students, including ourselves, knew very little about the system and hardly acknowledged it. For example, by the second quarter of our freshman years, despite enduring efforts by the administrators and student leaders to maintain the image of “RLCs,” we realized that students treated these communities no differently than ordinary dorms. As first-year college students who experienced the benefits and downfalls of the program firsthand, we thought it would be interesting to further investigate how other members of the Bronco community understand and view the RLC program, its presence and visibility on campus, and the program's overall effectiveness. With this in mind, we drafted our research question below.
How present and effective are RLCs at SCU in first-years' college experiences?
Presence"Presence" in this context, is defined as the extent to which RLCs play a role in and influence students' college experiences at a basic level. In order for an RLC to achieve its purpose successfully, students should be aware of its existence, philosophy, and programming.
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EfficacyWhereas presence is a basic understanding and awareness of RLCs, "efficacy" is the extent to which the RLC program actually enriches students' college experiences.
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Audience
The primary groups that will be interested in our findings are students and administrators at SCU and at other colleges. As residents, students have a vested interest in the success of housing and RLCs; students at colleges with RLC systems desire to be a part of a successful implementation of an RLC that fosters an intellectual community. College administrators would be interested in knowing how their RLC system compares to the ideal. In light of our findings, administrators of colleges with RLC systems already in place may want to revise their RLC systems in order to directly improve students’ residential experiences. Administrators of colleges without RLC systems in place might also be interested in our research, since our findings could lead them to properly implement RLCs. These stakeholders want to know what makes RLC systems effective in colleges because they want to create or be a part of an ideal RLC implementation.
Additionally, at the conclusion of our project, we will be presenting our findings to the Director of RLCs at Santa Clara University, Dr. Phil Kesten. We hope that our findings can have future implications on how traditional college dorms should be refocused and reorganized to create learning communities as opposed to simple living spaces. Furthermore, if we find that RLCs are largely ineffective, then our research might suggest that the system should either be changed drastically or abandoned in favor of new, innovative approaches to residential life.
Additionally, at the conclusion of our project, we will be presenting our findings to the Director of RLCs at Santa Clara University, Dr. Phil Kesten. We hope that our findings can have future implications on how traditional college dorms should be refocused and reorganized to create learning communities as opposed to simple living spaces. Furthermore, if we find that RLCs are largely ineffective, then our research might suggest that the system should either be changed drastically or abandoned in favor of new, innovative approaches to residential life.
Existing Research
Since RLCs are the object of a great amount of university funding, many researchers have been testing the efficacy of these programs to justify funding. In our study, we found that RLCs at SCU have significant social benefits for first-years in relation to establishing community, but inconsistency in execution and implementation of academic aspects of the program has hindered the goal of integrating academics and housing.
Similar to our project, the body of research on learning communities is primarily focused on single RLC programs at specific universities. At the University of Southern Maine, a study conducted on the Russell Scholars Program, their prestigious RLC system, found that participation in a residential learning community can improve undergraduate academic achievement and satisfaction. Research in this area has consistently found that RLCs have significant social and academic benefits (Romanoff, Zhao and Kuh, Johnson and Romanoff). In relation to our findings, this implicates that although the RLC system at Santa Clara University requires major revision, these efforts are justifiable because the program has the potential to be central to first-year social/academic experiences at the university.
Similar to our project, the body of research on learning communities is primarily focused on single RLC programs at specific universities. At the University of Southern Maine, a study conducted on the Russell Scholars Program, their prestigious RLC system, found that participation in a residential learning community can improve undergraduate academic achievement and satisfaction. Research in this area has consistently found that RLCs have significant social and academic benefits (Romanoff, Zhao and Kuh, Johnson and Romanoff). In relation to our findings, this implicates that although the RLC system at Santa Clara University requires major revision, these efforts are justifiable because the program has the potential to be central to first-year social/academic experiences at the university.
RLCs at SCUWe studied the 8 major RLCs that are open to first-year students at Santa Clara University. These RLCs are pictured above with brief descriptions of their themes ("On-Campus Living").
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