Living, Learning, and Staying: The Impact of a Women in Engineering Living and Learning Community

A number of studies highlight living and learning communities (LLCs) as a factor contributing to student persistence, particularly in STEM programs. For several years, the University of Maryland – College Park has housed Flexus: The Dr. Marilyn Berman Pollans Women in Engineering Living and Learning Community. This LLC is solely for first and second year women, who are in vital years of their student development. Flexus provides a space for these women to feel supported, explore different options within engineering, and gain skills that are not taught to the general population. Additionally, every participant in Flexus is required to take a one-credit course each semester and complete a minimum of four service hours. This paper explores how Flexus has helped improve the experiences of women in engineering majors. In 2013, researchers from the Project to Assess Climate in Engineering (PACE), which is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, conducted focus groups with Flexus and non-Flexus engineering students. Researchers combined program evaluation data gathered by the institution with the focus group data collected by the PACE team to illuminate best practices for building inclusive environments for and retaining women pursuing engineering majors. Findings indicate that providing women with the opportunity to live together within one residence hall and take classes together as part of the Flexus LLC has three main effects. It creates a strong sense of community, provides confidence-boosting professional development, and ultimately helps students stay in engineering. Flexus participants are retained at significantly higher rates compared to non-participants (p≤0.05). The LLC best practices that have resulted in positive outcomes are discussed as well as lessons learned from program implementation. The size of college campuses can overwhelm students academically and socially, which can affect retention. By creating a small female-only engineering community, these large campuses can begin to feel more like home. Together the women learn to study, socialize, and rely on each other, and Flexus women remain within the School of Engineering at higher rates than their peers.