Learning community

Mathematics education

Persistence (discontinuity)

Engineering

Place-based education

Geotechnical engineering

Social psychology

Pedagogy

Environmental education

Psychology

Political science

Sense of community

Sociology

Equity (law)

Higher education

Innovative Higher Education

We combined tenets of learning communities and place-based learning to develop an innovative first-year program for STEM students. Using a quasi-experimental design, we found that participants in the place-based learning community had a stronger sense of belonging, improved academic performance, and increased first-year persistence relative to a matched reference group. We also showed that participation narrowed equity gaps in first-year outcomes for students underrepresented in the sciences. A sense of place arises not just from a location, but from interrelationships between people and the natural world, and these results suggest organizing learning around place can promote inclusive student success.

Effect of a Place-Based Learning Community on Belonging, Persistence, and Equity Gaps for First-Year STEM Students