Abstract
Decades of research in social psychology shows that when students experience a sense of belonging in the classroom, they’re more likely to persist through academic challenges, especially when they are part a minoritized group. The Student Experience Project brought together six institutions and several learning partners to develop and test practical strategies based on these findings for faculty to easily implement in their classrooms. These strategies have been successfully utilized at a variety of institutions, across the disciplines, in large and small classrooms, with national data showing a positive correlation between improving student experience and better grade outcomes, as well as reinforcing the key role that faculty have in establishing the classroom climate. Participants will leave this session with an overview of the evidence base, some practical tools to measure and improve student experience and access to an extensive collection of resources for further exploration.