Living Learning Community Committee Report
Authors: Leslie Ashbaugh, Emily Christian, Terry Hill, Katie Horowitz, George Theo
Summer 2015
Committee Members: Leslie Ashbaugh (Chair), George Theo (Chair) Butch de Castro,
Emily Christian, Karen Gourd, Justin Han, Terry Hill, Katie Horowitz, Eunoh Ko,
Charity Lovitt, Kim O’Neill, Avery Schinneman, Amy Van Dyke, Alan Wood
Overview: Committee members from across the campus, including faculty from each
School as well as Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Administration and Planning
staff, and student representatives met throughout Spring Quarter 2015 to discuss the
charge letter (attached) and bulleted points with the primary goal of providing
recommendations to UW Bothell Leadership on national residential life models and best
practices. We were charged to consider how to implement our recommendations, given
the context of UW Bothell's growth, commitment to student persistence, and our
common practices of distinction (cross-disciplinarity, connected learning and
community engagement). A draft of the report has been distributed to all members of
the faculty and revisions lie here in.
Background: The University of Washington, Bothell is currently able to accommodate
270 students and seeks to expand student accommodations by adding a new 500 bed
residence hall that will offer dining hall options, residential learning for enhanced and
connected learning and a greater sense of campus community between commuter
students, faculty, staff and the surrounding Bothell community. Current housing and
dining options do not meet student demand and with student FTE growth anticipated to
continue, there is wide recognition that a new residence hall is a campus priority
(Spectrum Report).
The UW Bothell LLC Program Goals and Assumptions:
 A common academic experience leads to greater community and identity
 A Program is a Year long in duration
 Primarily targeted for first-year or second year students.
 LLC Communities will be capped to 25 students in each community.
 Students live in close proximity with each other (same floor or building).
 Build shared and integrated experiences (programs, coursework, reading,
activities, and events) throughout the year.
 Provide opportunities for faculty to interact with students outside of the
classroom that will enhance the in class engagement.
 Connect with high impact practices such as service-learning or undergraduate
research.
 Involve faculty, academic staff (advising, librarians, etc.), student affairs staff,
and trained undergraduate peer leaders.
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
Common themes: Discipline or major based, civic and social leadership, fine &
creative arts, honors Programs, cultural program themes, leisure Program themes
(outdoor activities, athletics, video gaming), wellness programs, and preprofessional themes.
 Administered collaboratively between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs.
The UW Bothell LLC Program is in its 5th year and relies on the following assumptions:
 A common academic experience leads to greater community and identity
 Engaged students are engaged in intellectual, interpersonal and extracurricular
learning outside the classroom, student success is more likely
 Student persistence rates are higher when students are engaged in what?
 Classroom learning will be richer when content is applied through experience
 Strong communities lead to better support in transitioning to college
 Strong and engaging communities promote positive student behavior
 Student/Faculty/Staff relations lead to student satisfaction with their
college experience
The current UW Bothell LLC Program has articulated desired outcomes:
Students who participate in an LLC are able to:

Discuss University resources that are available to them

Demonstrate college level study strategies and skills

Explain how college expectations are different from high school

Form effective study groups

Discuss ideas from their classes with other LLC students

Establish connections and a sense of community with fellow LLC student

Have a greater sense of self confidence and belonging on campus

Interact with faculty in formal and informal venues

Interact and learn from diverse student populations

Apply knowledge,

critical thinking beyond classroom environment

Develop a sense of belonging in campus housing/university as a whole

Experience higher academic achievement

Demonstrate improved knowledge about a major/career of interest
The current committee was able to articulate a shared set of overall timely goals,
given UW Bothell’s space and time in the history of its growth. which include, but may
not be limited to:
 Offer dining hall options
 Support residential learning for enhanced and connected learning
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



Create a greater sense of campus community between commuter students,
faculty, staff and the surrounding Bothell community
Proactively respond to the context of UW Bothell's growth
Support student persistence
Leverage common practices of distinction (cross-disciplinarity, connected
learning and community engagement)
National Best Practices for Residential Life Learning Programs include creating themed
LLCs that quickly promote a sense of community and belonging, focus on student
learning and success, are year-long in duration, credit bearing, and create and sustain
campus wide partnerships. Student engagement expectations are high and assessment
recommendations are data driven. Below are some best practices around Living
Learning Communities:
Task Force Recommendations
Recommended components for future Learning Program Development:

Year-Long themed communities that are led by a Learning Community
Team composed of faculty, Peer Leader, Resident Director, and Academic
Adviser.

Maintain connection to current Discovery Core program (Use DC I, II, or
III) as one component of the shared experience.

Articulate an expectation of community or service –learning, or
undergraduate research component as part of each LLC.

Create flexible living spaces that can serve as laboratories that are
specific to the LLC themes and give students a sense of ownership over their
community.

Explore ways for the students to engage with other students that do not
live in campus housing and other upper division students with shared
interests.

Every floor of the building is an LLC or 2 peer floor.

At inception, each School will have a representative LLC and then we will
expand according to need.

Ensure that there are spaces, programming and mentoring that consider
the needs of commuter students.
Recommended components for future UW Bothell 500 bed residence hall location:
Faculty and staff agreed that the location of the new 500 bed residence hall should be
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part of the campus core, and must consider how the location of the ARC and activities
there will impact residents’ flow when trying to access amenities and food. Committee
members were in full agreement that dining is conducive to community building and
that our new dining hall should be a draw to the larger Bothell community, including
Cascadia and the City of Bothell.
Architectural considerations for learning spaces: Faculty and staff spent the greatest
amount of energy and time collaborating on architectural design considerations and the
recommendations fall into several themes.
Learning Spaces:  Ensure that the hall provides a variety of learning spaces—
adaptive, standing working stations, maker-spaces, “laboratory spaces” for
students to create experiences, consider the very design of the building to be a
learning opportunity (air quality, ventilation, living roof, compost/food
consumption, sustainability, etc.). Provide both active and quiet study lounges, a
computer lab and copy center.
Community building spaces: Provide amenities for the entire campus that
creates a hub, ensure there are late night amenities like a campus store with extended
hours, consider the first floor as free access for the campus community and provide
students’ personal living spaces as secure living areas.  There must be food and provide
space for commuters with a lounge and kitchen facilities as well as small tables for
gathering. Remember that laundry rooms and kitchen areas can be community building
areas if they are inviting. Lastly, the design of the building and programming should
foster civic responsibility.
Space as Home: This space is a home and should be cozy.  Ensure that the space
is warm and inviting, not sterile, and allow students to personalize the space by
drawing or painting on chalkboards, offering a Student Art Gallery, etc. Consider
the first floor as free access for the campus community and provide students’
personal living spaces as secure living areas beyond. The free access area can
include an atrium for living plants and an inviting lounge area nearby for
relaxing. Ensure that there is outdoor space nearby for recreation and relaxing.
Destination Spaces: Provide destination areas for the community to gather.
Some examples for destination spaces are art and gallery spaces, perhaps
managed by appropriate LLC participants as docents. Ensure that these
destinations are commuter friendly too, and provide a quiet place to regroup
during the day.
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Campus Identity: During the Academic Year 2014-2015, the Office of Academic Affairs
defined methods of distinction that build on the founding principles for the 25 years our
campus has existed and that will continue to frame future priorities as a means of
distinguishing our institution. Across the campus, leaders agreed that crossdisciplinarity, community engagement and connected learning are framing concepts
(See the 3Cs document).  Our charge included articulating a learning-centered vision for
LLCs that reflects UWB's mission, the “the 3Cs.’ Relating the ongoing work of the
Campus Identity with growing programs such as the Living Learning Communities will be
ongoing work.
Connected Learning: Connected learning is the practice of supporting learning
and the making of meaning through collaborations within and beyond the
classroom, so that students have the opportunity to make sense of what they
are learning, and ideally experience and practice their learning through
action. The very nature of a Living Learning Community is connected learning in
action. Some ways to improve our existing programming include: linking a year
long living learning community to a CBLR experience that is built into a course,
continue the current practice of linking a residential learning community to a
Discovery Core freshman seminar, embed career exploration and goals into a
CBLR course, link opportunities for leadership to a student’s field of interest,
support connected reflection during Spring quarter by collaborating with
Discovery Core III, support peer mentoring, and campus traditions.
Community Engagement: Community Engagement is the collaboration between
institutions of higher education and their larger communities for the mutual
beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and
reciprocity. Residential learning communities are well equipped to engage
the community since students are residents in their immediate environments.
Clusters of students, working through CBLR opportunities may engage in a
number of ways with campus partners and neighbors that align with their shared
interests. Residential learning is an appropriate arena to teach civic
responsibility when students accept responsibility for their residential building.
Taking responsibility for one's space includes trash removal, composting,
monitoring waste and energy consumption, etc.
Cross-Disciplinarity: Inquiry that pursues questions of global and local
challenges from multiple perspectives is more likely to tackle our complex world
in relevant ways. Reflection and making connections across disciplines is critical
to the successful practice of interdisciplinary thinking and practice. The
residential learning community is in an excellent position to promote
interdisciplinary themes including Social Justice, Human Rights, Environmental
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Recommendations for Assessment (1,3,5 years after launch): Faculty identified
easy, early and often forms of assessment, to be part of any program.
Annually, residential learning programming can conduct qualitative assessment
following the completion of each program, quantify attendance following the
completion of each program, conduct a quantitative survey in autumn, conduct
quarterly course evaluations, and conduct residence life engagement
surveys.
3 to 5 year Assessment, once programming is established, we should expect and
assess for fewer conduct issues, greater engagement with campus
activities/services, higher grades and academic achievement, greater satisfaction
with the college experience, deeper connected learning and reflection.
Additional on-campus student work opportunities for residential students: Our
campus community must seek and fulfill opportunities for student employment,
including Peer mentors, Peer instructors/Facilitators, Facilities Crew,
Domestic/International student mentors, Food service, Bike shop/Bike exchange and
Student Assistant Coordinators (supervision, trainings, etc.) and more.
Budgetary considerations in creating a Living-Learning Communities Program
There will need to be some consideration in how to build out the program in a fiscally
sound manner. If the program is self-sustaining, this will impact the cost of student
housing. There could be financial partnerships made between different schools and
Residence Life. For example, Schools could pay for the year-long faculty
appointment. We may also be able to identify grants to help fund the program. Below
are some of the major funding considerations:

Construction of learning spaces in the hall that stay active and ignite student
engagement around the LLC Themes.
 Year-long Faculty appointments.
 Year-long pay and/or academic credit for peer leaders while they undergo their
own training.
 Programming costs for each LLC.
 Robust marketing of the program to help create demand and excitement around
the program.
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A brief survey of Peer Institution Models: Our committee was charged with surveying
residential halls at aspirational peer institutions and other examples of mixed-use
spaces that inspired the imagination. Examples include:
Chardin Hall, Seattle University: Chardin Hall is a Sophomore-Only dorm at
Seattle University that provides 140 beds. Students are organized into 4 person
suites in 2 double rooms with a shared bathroom. The dorm also houses a
multimedia education center, computer lab, group and private study lounges,
full kitchens on each floor, each room to have access to cable and internet and is
equipped with a mini refrigerator. Living Learning Community programming
focuses on service, social justice and leadership.
Lemieux Library, Seattle University: Lemieux Library is a newly expanded LEED
Gold environmentally sustainable library that now includes learning commons,
both quiet and active learning spaces, visually appealing art, computer labs,
Smart classrooms, academic support services including writing and math tutoring
and a compelling outdoor space.
Community Scholars Program, University of Michigan: Residential program that
focuses on deep learning, engaged community, meaningful civic engagement
and community service-learning, and diverse democracy and intercultural
understanding and dialogue. Serves 125 students and has 35 student leaders
that serve as peer advisers, peer mentors, and RAs.
Residential Colleges, Boise state: Follows the Oxford and Cambridge model
where faculty also live in the residence hall with the students. They have 4
communities: Arts & Humanities, Business and Economics, Engineering, and
Health Professions. The faculty not only teach classes for the students, but they
also create and attend programs in the residence hall. The faculty appointments
are 2 years in length.
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