Summer retention programs help UIC students at little cost
Summer retention programs help UIC students at little cost
John Steenbergen taught Math 180, better known as Calculus I, during many spring and fall semesters during his 10-year career at UIC.
When he was asked to teach the course as part of a new program called Summer Edge, launched during the summer of 2023, he knew there would be big differences. The class would be exclusively online and it would be for a smaller group than the 100-140 students who usually take the math course in a single semester. He’d also have to cover the material twice as fast. But the biggest difference: Everyone in the class had already taken it once.
Steenbergen, a professor in mathematics, statistics and computer science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said the students he’s taught in his Summer Edge Math 180 course over the past three summers are motivated and eager to retake the class.
“You always see students where something happens that just makes it hard for them to complete the semester,” he said. “Sometimes they just have to retake a course because they weren’t able to finish everything. The Summer Edge program is an opportunity to do that.”
Summer Edge is one of two summer academic programs designed to help students recover or make up credits they might have otherwise missed. Both programs — Accelerate Your Success and Summer Edge — offer eligible students the opportunity to participate at little to no cost.
The Office for Research on Student Success said both programs have improved retention rates among students, a priority for Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda.
Students in the Summer Edge program pay no tuition to retake one of seven core courses. Accelerate Your Success offers students as much as $2,300 in financial support to take two or more summer courses to remain on track for advancement or graduation. The Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Programs, Student Success and Effectiveness oversees both programs.