Engineering Education, 2021 2021 ASEE Illinois-Indiana Section Conference Proceedings | Paper ID 35129Figure 2 – Degree Program RetentionFigure 3 – Academic DataEvaluation and Implications:This study serves as a useful analysis highlighting the implementation process of one academicunit to improve student success and retention at the freshman level. According to IUPUI’s First-Year Experience program, being in classes with the same people is what students who participatein learning communities love most about the program7.The Themed-Learning Community “Designers in the Making” has been offered for threesemesters yielding a low population and the inability to generalize findings. However, surveyresults indicate a positive impact on student