conceptualized from a longitudinal study of a scholar’s program atthree different universities in the state of Nebraska. A department faculty member was part of amulti-year institutional professional learning community (PLC) that explored the scale-up andscale-out of this model. Based on their experience from the PLC, this model was used in thedevelopment of the department’s overall student services ethos and in the specificimplementation of two initiatives: 1) hybrid advising/mentoring model, and 2) peer-mentoringprogram. This practice paper provides an overview of the ecological validation model andpresents our approach to implementing these initiatives. We also reflect on challenges and futureopportunities including long-term sustainability and
Higher Edu- cation, University of Nebraska, and the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation to implement an ecology of validation model at a large scale to promote student success. At UNL, Deepak mentors the AgFutures first-year living-learning community in leadership, service, and civic engagement. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2023 Community building through technology in a biological systems engineering courseConference: American Society for Engineering EducationDivision: Biological and Agricultural Engineering Division (BAE)Tags: Community-building, student-centered strategies, technologyPaper interests: Undergraduates, Graduate, Faculty