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Living Learning Communities

Living learning communities—also known as residential learning communities or living-learning programs—are educational programs that link undergraduate students' academic and residential experiences, and are one type of a learning community that can be found on a college or university campus. This entry provides an overview of living learning communities, including their origin, definition, and various models, as well as how living learning communities can include diversity as a core value of educational philosophy and practice.

Overview

Part of the broader movement of learning communities that can be found across many institutions of higher education, living learning communities are a distinct type of program because of the intentional connections between students' academic and residential experiences. These programs bring together the divisions of student affairs and academic affairs to provide students unique opportunities to integrate learning across multiple contexts, engage in meaningful interactions with faculty, and experience a sense of belonging within a smaller segment of a campus community.

The origins of living learning communities can be traced back to the work of Alexander Meiklejohn at the University of Wisconsin. In response to the emergent model of the research university that placed emphasis on academic disciplines and specialization, Meiklejohn founded the Experimental College in 1927 to offer the benefits of a liberal education to select students during their first 2 years of college. The Experimental College was an intentionally designed living learning community that provided students with an integrated curricular and cocurricular program, and faculty who created active learning environments both in and out of the classroom. Students of the Experimental College lived together in a residence hall that also housed faculty offices, and attended classes and meals in nearby buildings.

Many of the principles of the Experimental College serve as a template for living learning communities that are commonly found at large research universities. Contemporary living learning communities bring together undergraduate students with common curricular or cocurricular interests to live in designated sections of residence halls; offer theme-related courses, seminars, activities, and resources; and include varying levels of faculty involvement. Students who participate in living learning communities, compared to their peers who do not participate in such programs, often have smoother academic and social transitions to college, higher college grade point averages, greater persistence between the first and second years of college, more engagement with peers and faculty, and higher gains in various areas of intellectual and personal development.

Living Learning Community Models

The extent to which the academic and residential experiences are integrated into a living learning community varies by its type and purpose. The most integrated model is the residential college, which has its roots in the residential college system of the University of Oxford and the colonial college period of U.S. higher education. A residential college is a self-contained unit within a university that may award baccalaureate degrees to participants, feature faculty who live and have offices in the residence hall, and provide classroom, study space, and dining facilities within the residence building.

Residential learning communities or living learning centers bring together students with common academic interests. The academic component may include specially designated sections of large introductory classes, two or three courses that are linked or clustered together, or seminars that cover topics related to the academic focus of the living learning community. Faculty involvement may range from attending occasional activities and programs with students, to teaching courses and having offices in the residence hall. These types of living learning programs also have cocurricular components that help build community among students and faculty and link students' classroom learning with their out-of-class experiences.

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