Research has shown that college students who find a support community in the first 6 weeks of college are more likely to persist and complete their education (Woosley, 2003). Much of this community can be found and created outside of the classroom through co-curricular involvement, however, faculty are in a unique position to influence the success of their students. For example, a 2021 study found that students who felt a sense of belonging in their STEM program were more likely to persist to their second year (Garza et al.).

When I think about how to build community in the classroom, icebreakers often come to mind. These activities are a great way to help students (and you!) learn each other’s names and to set the tone of your course and I highly recommend starting the first day of class with one or two. However, it isn’t always feasible to start every class with a series of community-building activities. So, what are we supposed to do for the rest of the quarter? I’ve listed some suggestions for incorporating community development into your course in a less time-intensive way. 

• Talk to students about the importance of community. Describe how you found your own community in college. Did you join clubs or study groups? Did you struggle at first? How did you get help? Modeling vulnerability in this area can help to create psychological safety for your students. If students feel comfortable and safe in your class, they are more likely to approach you if they need help. 
• Create opportunities for community building in and out of the classroom. Helping students facilitate the process of creating study or reading groups makes it easier for students to connect with each other outside of class. Active learning techniques and instructional games are also really effective ways to help students process course material and build community at the same time. Some faculty have also found that incorporating online discussion tools like Slack and Discord have helped students contribute to the class community in a variety of ways like sharing notes, answering each other’s questions, and organizing study groups.  
• Connect students with others who share their interests. Helping students make connections is one way you can serve as a mentor. As a faculty member, you are likely very connected to the university community in ways that students are not.  You can encourage connections formally, by introducing a student to another faculty member whose research might be interesting to them, or informally, by sharing campus events that relate to your course curriculum with the class at large.

If you are interested in exploring this further, I recommend contacting an instructional designer or connecting with DePaul’s Instructional Game and Innovation (DIGI) Lab to discuss more ways to incorporate a sense of community into your classroom. 

Sources 

Garza, T., Huerta, M., García, H. A., & Lau, J. (2021). Exploring Sense of Belonging, Socioacademic Integrative Moments, and Learning Communities Related to ELs’ Persistence Based on Reenrollment Decisions in Community Colleges. Community College Review, 49(1), 30–51

Kole de Peralta, K., & Robey, S. (2018, September 19). Four reasons Slack will change how you teach (opinion). Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/views/2018/09/19/four-reasons-slack-will-change-how-you-teach-opinion

Messing, K. C., & Smith, E. K. T. (2022, March 8). Building trust with students—Even before class starts. Harvard Business Publishing Education. Retrieved from https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/building-trust-with-students-even-before-class-starts

Wiles, A. M., & Simmons, S. L. (2022). Establishment of an Engaged and Active Learning Community in the Biology Classroom and Lab with Discord. Journal of microbiology & biology education, 23(1), e00334-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00334-21

Woosley, S. A. (2003). How important are the first few weeks of college? The long term effects of initial college experiences. College Student Journal, 37 (2), 201- 207.