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

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. Categories and Subject Descriptors K.3.2 [Computers and Education]: Computer and Information Science Education--computer science education General...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: SIGCSE
• Authors: Tanya L. Crenshaw, Erin W. Chambers, Heather Metcalf
• Keywords: Case Study, Computer Science, Education, SIGCSE 2008, Student Retention