We Are Where You Are: Health and Wellness as an Innovative Living

Learning Community

Alicia Baker, Health Promotion SpecialistMary C. Jordan, Assistant Director of Housing for Residential Education

University of Florida

Introductions

Who You Are• Name

• Institution

• Role

o Experience with living learning communities (LLCs)?

• Institutional Demographics

o Public/Private

o Urban/Rural

o Total Enrollment

• LLC Status

o Brand new

o On campus, but in need of help

o Well structured program, but revamping for (?) reason

Session Overview

What We’ll Talk About

• The Basics

• Creation Timeline

• Assessment

• Pitfalls, Roadblocks, Brainstorming

Learning Objectives/Outcomes

• Describe the role health education can directly play in residence life initiatives

• Identify innovative and realistic methods for creating a wellness Living Learning Community

• Identify at least one method of measuring success of a Living Learning Community Partnership

The Basics

Section 1

About the University of Florida

Demographics 35,043 total

undergraduates

7,192 degree-seeking freshmen

8,800 on-campus

Identity Flagship University for the state of Florida

Land, Sea, and Space Grant Institution

Aspiring to preeminence and top 10 public institution status

14 diverse living learning communities (LLCs)

No live-on requirement

>100% capacity, primarily first-year students

In the middle of the Residence Life and Education Metamorphosis Project

About the University of Florida

GatorWell Health Promotion Services is UF’s health promotion office

Housed within the Division of Student Affairs

Funded by Health Fee

10 full-time staff Director and Assistant Director

5 Health Promotion Specialists

1 Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coordinator

1 Marketing and Communication Specialist

30 Student Employees Health Hut, Residential Outreach, Front Desk, Tech Team, and STRIVE

About GatorWell Health Promotion Services

Living Learning Communities Defined: According to the National Study of Living Learning Programs (2007)

Students live together in a dedicated portion of a residence hall/apartment complex

Students participate in academic and/or extracurricular programming designed especially for them

Dedicated resources, monetary or otherwise

A Living Learning Community Is…

We know a few things: Students feel a disconnect…

…that they do not know how to overcome

LLCs show students: How connected learning is by living their learning in the residence hall

How they can integrate their interests and passions into their coursework

What their academic experience can translate to IRL

- National Study of Living Learning Programs (2007)

Why Do We Have LLCs?

There are MANY possibilities for LLC creation that all fit within the criteria Transitions: Support and resources for students entering a specific transition in their

university experience

Common Interests: Not tied to a specific major, but connection via values or interest

Connected Coursework: Take one or more shared course(s) as a requirement of participating in the community

Program or Major: Space for students who are in the same major or academic program

Residential Colleges: Entire cohorts of students who share a common experience in and out of the classroom

The Living Learning Spectrum

LLCs have been found to improve Adjustment to life on a college campus

Sense of belonging from built-in social support

Academic/professional self-efficacy

Rates of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related effects

Awareness and appreciation for diversity

LLC involved staff/faculty also report benefits Increased likelihood of student interaction outside of class/work topics

More involvement with community issues and projects

Tangible benefits such as meal/housing compensation or professional development opportunities

LLC Research

Socioecological Model: Influence at the community level

Stages of Change: Meeting students at their level of readiness Providing knowledge for pre-contemplation and contemplation

Providing resources for preparation, action, and maintenance

Built-in support system for those making changes

Social Cognitive Theory Observational learning from peers

Increasing self-efficacy and behavioral capability through education and skills training

How It Ties Into Health Promotion

What is your grander vision?

GatorWell Health Promotion Services educates, empowers, and coaches students to make healthy decisions, and provides leadership and advocacy for

health enhancing policy.

Be Well. Do Well. GatorWell.

What are your needs and challenges on your campus or in your organization that may be driving the need for your LLC or that your LLC might address?

Creating Your LLC: Start With Why

Questions?

Creation Guide

Section 2

A guide for Living Learning Community Creation

The process for the creation of a new living learning community generally begins 12-14 months in advance of the “grand opening” of that community

Keep in mind your [potential or actual] health-related LLC as we work through this creation timeline

Adapted from Clemson University

Creation Guide

Confirm your LLC Make appropriate connections in your Housing office to get LLC off the ground

What is your LLC? Create blurb for University Housing “teaser” marketing that will be mailed to the

following first year class in October

Creation Guide: July

Find connections to others on your campus who are doing living and learning work

Outline expectations of partners

Identify the target population (majors/classifications/interests)

Clarify need in student population

Gain commitments from stakeholders and departmental leadership

Identify leadership. Many may participate, but a single point of contact and driving force has been a best practice

Creation Guide: August & September

Classified as an interest LLC (GatorWell Health and Wellness)

Healthy Gators data drives GatorWell outreach and justification for need

Leadership: 1 Health Promotion Specialist acts as Coordinator Relays information to rest of staff if needed

Communication/Transparency is important!

How GatorWell Does It

Creation and invitation of committee/stakeholder members

Selection of residential space (gender assignment for floors, identification of staff spaces)

Finalize participation goals/expectations/requirements

Give your LLC a name – balance between creativity and use of department name (imagine students saying, “I’m a part of the ____ community!”)

Content creation for housing application

Creation of web presence on partnered department’s website, with a link to housing

Determine application process, committee, and criteria

Creation Guide: October

Committee includes Housing and GatorWell staff

Known as “GatorWell LLC” or “Health and Wellness LLC”

No requirements for involvement!

How GatorWell Does It

GatorWell @ Jennings

Office Space

GatorWell @ Springs Office Space

Massage Chair and “Stress Less Room” Amenities

Creation Guide: November

Research like communities at other institutions

Creation of program mission/goals/learning outcomes

Discuss budgets and potential program fees. Be creative about other sources of funding

How GatorWell Does It Department has dedicated budget for operations

Housing also offers small programming budget to RAs for LLC-related programs

Identify linked course components (sections of Campus 101 course, sections of other courses?)

Editing/creation of position descriptions for Peer Advisors and Graduate Staff

Begin creation of marketing materials

Create talking points to share information with stakeholders and others

Educate all who interact with your target population on the goals and talking points

Creation Guide: December

Previously offered a course in one of our residence halls (Jennings) Discontinued in Fall 2015 due to academic constraints at UF

Residence hall still has a classroom space should we explore future coursework

GatorWell Wellness Educator Staff (Student Employees) 2 dedicated positions, 1 per Outreach Office

Maintain the office space, supervised by Health Promotion Specialist/Coordinator

All Wellness Educators (Health Hut and Front Desk) are provided education on Outreach Offices during their employee orientation/training

Beginning in Fall 2016, Housing created LLC RA position

How GatorWell Does It

Outline programmatic elements (specific activities that will accomplish the learning outcomes)

Identify incentives for faculty and staff participation

Identify faculty and staff who will be involved and educate on roles. Doing so at this phase will allow for the best planning for the fall term

How GatorWell Does It Incentives: Parking Pass, Professional Development, Connectedness to Colleagues

Programmatic elements include programming support, GatorWell special events, weekly tabling, massage chair use, open office hours

Creation Guide: January

Springs Fall Festival Program – Fall 2016

GatorWell Sleep Campaign Launch Party at Jennings Hall – Spring 2016

Creation Guide: February

RA Selection Happens

Creation of “Community Standards” agreement (both for expectations and release of information to the academic partner)

Marketing Website, Orientation, Academic Advisors, Admissions Counselors,

Application/Agreement Process, Assignments, Branding

Student Recruitment

Promotion Materials – Departmental and University Housing

Information Sessions

Wellness Educator Recruitment/Promotion In the past, hired for openings

Now LLC positions are used as a promotion from Health Hut program

Review agreement/MOU or LOA with Housing

How GatorWell Does It

Selection of Graduate staff

Solidify connections to University, Division, and departmental goals

Creation of assessment plan – to be agreed upon by all program partners

Creation Guide: March

Host pre-training event for live-in ResLife and Peer Adviser group. Education on the mission of the LLC and starting their thought process on “how to”

Creation of summer training modules for staff/peer advisers to complete in June/July

Educate orientation leaders and advisers so that they can help you spread the word in their sessions

Faculty/staff planning for fall

Creation Guide: April

Do everything that fell behind during your really well intentioned plan; but be cognizant of the likely limited availability of faculty/staff, depending on your

campus

Creation Guide: Summer

Introduction of community to students

Welcome Packet/swag

Emails/Newsletter

Interest Surveys

Creation Guide: July and August

Pre-test

Plan for staff training and orientation

Welcoming activities Floor meetings

Assessment beginnings

Staff Introductions

Kickoff Event

Plan for GatorWell staff training and orientation

Plan for Housing staff training

Welcoming activities Floor Meetings (previously check-in)

Assessment beginnings

Staff Introductions (GatorWell pro and student staff with Housing staff)

Kick-off Event

What GatorWell Does

Discussion & Questions

Assessment

Section 3

Benefits

Prioritizing budgets

Legitimacy and buy-in

Measure progress toward goals

Continuous improvement

Marketing efforts

Passing the “So What?” Test

Assess department SLOs in a concrete way

Define goals, objectives and

outcomes

Provide program, services, activities

Create measurements/

assessment questions

Select appropriate method and collect data

Review Assessment

Results

Use and share

results

Cycle of Assessment

What data do you already have? Retention Data

GPA

Program Tracking Information

Program Surveys

Head Counts

Program Outcomes

Look at your Data and Compare

Find best comparison groups Same major

Performance within

Retention to

Demographic matches elsewhere on campus

Course sections with similar content

Students with similar entry data to University

Quantitative Locally designed surveys

National Surveys (NCHA, BRFSS, EBI, SILLP, NSSE) and your institutional questions

Pre/Post Tests

Control Group Analysis

Course Information

Counts

Quantitative and Qualitative Data Types

Qualitative Focus Groups

Participant Observations

Document Analysis

Interviews

Student Studies

Student/Staff Feedback

The Bottom Line

You need good data to best tell your story! Telling your story is an integral part of moving your

program ahead.

Roadblocks, Pitfalls, and Brainstorming

Section 4

Roadblocks?

Solutions?

Your Campus

References

• Brower, A.M. (2008). More Like a Home Than a Hotel: The Impact of Living-Learning Programs on College High-Risk Drinking. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 35(1), 32-49.

• Brower, A.M. & Dettinger, K.M. (1998). What is a Learning Community? About Campus, 3(5), 15 – 21.

• Brower, A. M., & Inkelas, K. K. (2010). Living-Learning Programs. Liberal Education, 96(2), 36-43.

• DO LEARNING COMMUNITIES DISCOURAGE BINGE DRINKING?. (2002). About Campus, 7(2), 4.

• Flynn, M. A., Everett, J. W., & Whittinghill, D. (2016). The impact of a living learning community on first-year engineering students. European Journal Of Engineering Education, 41(3), 331-341. doi:10.1080/03043797.2015.1059408

• Haynes, C. & Janosik, S.M. (2012). Faculty and Staff Member Benefits from Involvement in Living-Learning Programs. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 38(2), 32 – 44.

References• Inkelas, K. K., Daver, Z. E., Vogt, K. E., & Leonard, J. (2007). Living–Learning Programs and First-

Generation College Students’ Academic and Social Transition to College. Research In Higher Education, 48(4), 403-434. doi:10.1007/s11162-006-9031-6

• Inkelas, K.K., Soldner, M., Longerbeam, S.D., & Leonard, J.B. (2008). Differences in Student Outcomes by Types of Living-Learning Programs: The Development of an Empirical Typology. Research in Higher Education, 49. 495-512. doi: 10.1007/s11162-008-9087-6

• Inkelas, K. K., Vogt, K. E., Longerbeam, S. D., Owen, J., & Johnson, D. (2006). MEASURING OUTCOMES OF LIVING-LEARNING PROGRAMS: EXAMINING COLLEGE ENVIRONMENTS AND STUDENT LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT. JGE: The Journal Of General Education, 55(1), 40-76.

• Pike, G. R. (1999). The Effects of Residential Learning Communities and Traditional Residential Living Arrangements on Educational Gains During the First Year of College. Journal of College Student Development, 40, 269-284.

• Pike, G.R. (2002) The Differential Effects of On- and Off-Campus Living Arrangements on Students' Openness to Diversity*, NASPA Journal, 39(4), 283-299, DOI: 10.2202/1949-6605.1179

• Wawrzynski, M.R., Madden, K., & Jensen, C. (2012). The Influence of the College Environment on Honors Student’s Outcomes. Journal of College Student Development, 53(6), 840-845, doi: 10.1353/csd.2012.0074

• Yao, C.W. & Wawrzynski, M.R. (2013). Influence of Academically Based Living-Learning Communites on Men’s Awareness of and Appreciation for Diversity. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 39(2), 32 – 46.

Thank You!

Contact InformationAlicia Baker, Health Promotion Specialist at GatorWell AliciaB@ufsa.ufl.edu

Mary C. Jordan, Assistant Director of Residential Education MaryJ@housing.ufl.edu