A case study of retention practices at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abstract

Computer science is seeing a decline in enrollment at all levels of education. One key strategy for reversing this decline is to improve methods of student retention. This paper, based on a 10-month case study at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, examines two aspects of student retention at both the graduate and undergraduate levels: community identity and community relationships. Our data shows that students feel isolated from each other, faculty, and members of the greater computer science community. Given our findings, we highlight existing programs and propose new programs which improve student-community interactions. While the lessons learned might not apply at every institution, they constitute a valuable case study for improving conditions for students at large research universities.

Evaluation d´un jeu sérieux pour l´apprentissage de la programmation

“…En informatique, par exemple, d'après Crenshaw et al (2008) et Kelleher (2006), le nombre d'étudiants est en chute libre. De plus, « les établissements d'enseignement supérieur et universités affirment que régulièrement 50% ou plus de leurs étudiants ayant initialement choisi des études en informatique décident rapidement d'abandonner » (ACM/IEEE, 2005, p. 39).…”

Ten Years toward Equity: Preliminary Results from a Follow-Up Case Study of Academic Computing Culture

“…Published in a white paper to the department (Crenshaw et al, 2007), a 2008 article (Crenshaw et al, 2008) and in Metcalf's second master's thesis (Metcalf, 2007), these recommendations encouraged more interactions among community members, greater flexibility in programs of study, and more opportunities for quality outreach, teaching, and mentoring that can also assist in the department's research orientation and goals. The eight recommendations were:

Provide more comprehensive information to prospective graduate students.

Facilitate more opportunities for outreach.

Facilitate more interaction between students and faculty.

Improve quality of teaching.

Provide more flexibility in core requirements.

Increase early research opportunities.

Create multiple and diverse mentoring opportunities.

Provide an adequate family leave policy.

…”

Improving first-year success and retention through interest-based CS0 courses

“…To improve culture within the program (a known problem for retention as stated by Crenshaw [6]), mentors will be trained to maximize participation from all students and help foster a working community.…”