Seasoned faculty members can attest that, besides hard work, successful college students have at least one thing in common — they’re connected to a positive community. A sense of belonging helps students persist through to graduation and maximize their potential. But in today’s social landscape, a sense of community takes deliberate effort to cultivate. If you want to encourage success on your college campus, this guide will highlight the benefits you can expect from a thriving student community and how to foster one at your institution.
A healthy student community can support success in many ways, and these benefits put community building efforts into perspective as meaningful investments in student outcomes. Here are 10 of the most significant benefits your institution could expect from effective community building initiatives.
College years can be the greatest years of one’s life, but they can also come with significant life stresses. Community is vital to a student’s ability to process their feelings through the ups and downs and build resilience.
One study found that students with a stronger sense of community before the COVID-19 pandemic experienced lower rates of depression and anxiety during the pandemic. Retention rates were also higher among these students than among peers with a weaker sense of belonging. Studies like this show how vital community is for mental and emotional well-being throughout the student life cycle.
Some students may find the idea of approaching lecturers and administrators intimidating. Student communities like class chats offer a space to build confidence by asking questions about the program. From there, students can encourage one another and approach faculty for help together if necessary. Supportive friendships between students can also build self-esteem and improve confidence further.
Belonging to a vibrant student community enriches the learning experience. Student communities can foster lively discussions about concepts learned in class and supportive sharing of academic triumphs and challenges. They also provide space for recreation, allowing students to return to class with a fresh, positive mindset. When students belong to communities that fit their interests and values, they have a more enjoyable, rewarding, and engaging time at college, improving the chances they’ll persevere through challenges.
Accountability is a vital factor in student success. Student communities can become sources of accountability and motivation, where students share goals and check in with each other. For example, teammates can share academic habit trackers to keep each other accountable for consistent study routines. Scheduled group study or tutoring sessions can also reinforce commitment.
While higher education excels at improving what students know, their long-term success also hinges on whom they know. Student communities can lay the foundation for lifelong professional relationships. These relationships help students to discover opportunities for employment and career advancement after graduation. With networking tools like LinkedIn, email, and phone calls, students can maintain their relationships for years to come and reach out when they know of or are looking for a new position.
Cultivating student communities and promoting student engagement form a virtuous cycle. As students build friendships, they can encourage one another to engage in academic growth opportunities as well as sports, and other activities. Meanwhile, participating in these activities brings opportunities to form new friendships with like-minded peers.
Whether attending class, a sports practice, or a cultural festival, students are more likely to show up consistently when their friends at college are doing so. This makes community a powerful resource for helping students make the most of every aspect of campus life.
Learning at higher education institutions can be horizontal as well as vertical. Because students have different strengths and progress at different rates, they can help each other grow. Opportunities to do this include:
Research on student burnout reveals that loneliness is a major contributor, while a sense of belonging is essential for preventing it. Students reporting a high sense of belonging show better outcomes in academic success and mental health. They are also less likely to experience the three dimensions of burnout — emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. This means building a vibrant community where students feel a greater sense of belonging is key to a resilient, successful student body.
Along with improved academic outcomes, student communities enhance the soft skills that support lasting career success. Healthy relationships are indispensable for developing attributes like:
While many institutions aim to promote diversity and inclusion, achieving grassroots-level inclusivity depends on student community. Students can learn about diversity in classes and seminars, but their relationships with peers outside the classroom are where the rubber meets the road. The more vibrant the student community, the more they can discover and embrace unique perspectives and find their own sense of belonging among diverse peers.
Even institutions committed to building vibrant student communities can hit speedbumps along the way. Assessing challenges you may face in promoting belonging on your campus can better prepare you to overcome them and achieve your goals. Common factors hindering student belonging include:
Institutions committed to investing in student belonging can do so in several ways. Here are ten of the most effective strategies.
In community building, the when can matter nearly as much as the how. Transitioning to higher education can be a major personal and social challenge. Efforts to cultivate a sense of belonging will be most effective when they meet students at this early point of felt need. A robust orientation program with academic, athletic, cultural, and social aspects can start students off on the right foot with new friendships and access to community resources.
Allocating funding and facilities to student societies is an impactful way to invest in student success through community building. While students will decide which communities best align with their interests and values, offering a broad range of opportunities ensures everyone can find a place of belonging. These opportunities could include:
Online communities are indispensable for promoting belonging in remote learning contexts, but they can also be a valuable supplement to on-campus communities. Strategies to promote community in online courses include:
Provided student communities exist, students may still need help finding them. Administrators can help with this by maintaining a current directory of student societies and a calendar of upcoming events. These resources should include contact links to sign up or learn more. Once your institution has a social directory and calendar, share it on social media, campus newsletters, program learning management system (LMS) pages, and other channels to maximize awareness.
Mentorship programs can enhance inclusion and belonging among students, especially first-year students. The mentor-mentee relationship becomes an entry point into the wider institutional community. Mentors can introduce their mentees to new friends and clubs while sharing tips for balancing community commitments with academics. Meanwhile, their own confidence and self-esteem get a boost from helping their new peers. Research indicates that bias training for inclusive mentorship programs helps new students feel a greater sense of belonging.
Incorporating soft skill development into programs can help develop well-rounded students with the confidence to thrive in communities. Programs can hone soft skills in several ways:
Collaborative learning in class can spark friendships extending beyond the classroom. Ways for teaching faculty to incorporate collaboration into classes include:
A more inclusive campus is an environment where students are eager to connect across their differences and celebrate diversity. To cultivate an inclusive student culture:
While student community relationships can promote mental health and well-being, many students need additional resources to maintain a healthy baseline of wellness. Providing the necessary support can improve their confidence in building and deepening connections with peers. This support could include:
One of the key performance indicators (KPIs) of community building initiatives is how they impact academic engagement. To track and support student engagement, consider implementing innovative, purpose-built software. Industry-leading student engagement software provides tools like predictive analytics to detect retention risks and guide early interventions to help students persevere.
Effective community building for students can enhance student engagement and success at your institution. But if you want to maximize the impact of your institution’s initiatives, consider implementing software to track and support engagement. Student Success & Engagement is a cutting-edge, purpose-built solution to help you:
Request your free demo of Student Success & Engagement today.
