Participating in a Computer Science Linked-courses Learning Community Reduces Isolation

Abstract: In our previous work we reported on a linked-courses learning community for underrepresented groups in computer science, finding differences in attitudes and resource utilization between students in the community and other programming students. Here we present the first statistically significant differences in pre- to post-quarter student attitudes between those in the learning community and others taking equivalent programming classes. We find that students in the learning community are less likely to feel isolated post-quarter than other programming students. We also present results showing differences in resource utilization by learning-community participants.