A Faculty-Led, Community-Building Program That Enhances Student-Faculty Connections within Biology

Area of Science:

• Higher Education
• Student Success
• Community Building

Background:

• Student-faculty connections are crucial for a sense of belonging and academic success.
• A gap in connection was observed between Black or African American students and faculty compared to white students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and assess a low-cost, faculty-led community-building program.
• To enhance students' sense of community and belonging within the biology department.
• To address disparities in student-faculty connection.

Main Methods:

• A faculty-led program of community-building events was developed and implemented.
• Surveys were used to gather student feedback on their sense of connection and program satisfaction.
• Data were analyzed to compare connection levels between different student demographics.

Main Results:

• The majority of students reported feeling connected to faculty and peers post-implementation.
• Students expressed high satisfaction with the community-building events.
• A positive trend indicated increased likelihood of Black or African American students reaching out to faculty.

Conclusions:

• The faculty-led program successfully improved student-faculty connections in the biology department.
• Community-building initiatives can effectively enhance students' sense of belonging.
• Academic departments can adopt similar low-cost programs to foster inclusive campus environments.