In an effort to better support students in difficult courses, the University of South Carolina has partnered with CircleIn, a study app, to provide students with a platform that allows them to communicate with classmates, share class notes, ask anonymous questions and study course content collaboratively.
Who it’s for: USC students interested in interacting with peers outside of the classroom to better engage with difficult coursework.
USC students who are currently enrolled in Accounting 225, Math 141 and Chemistry 333 are part of the pilot program to help university leadership determine how the app impacts DFW rates.
Why it matters: This partnership with CircleIn marks a new step in advancing Provost Arnett’s goal of increasing student graduation and retention rates. Students in courses with high DFW rates who have access to CircleIn are already showing statistically significant increases in course grades and a decrease in fails and withdrawals.
Of note: Isabella Halliday, a marketing major who used CircleIn in her accounting class, recently won a nationwide competition for her engagement with the app.
- Halliday completed a significant number of study actions and questions over the course of a semester, outnumbering those of other CircleIn users across the nation.
- Accounting 225 is a required course for students in the Darla Moore School of Business and is often a deciding factor in whether prospective majors are able to continue with their coursework in the school. Halliday attributes her CircleIn activity not only to a desire to improve her own understanding of accounting but also a drive to help her peers succeed academically.
- To recognize Halliday’s contributions and competition victory, she will receive an Apple MacBook Air laptop.
What she’s saying: “I want to thank CircleIn for helping me with my accounting class because I have seen that make a difference in my grade overall and my study habits. I feel so lucky to be able to represent my school and know that my work went well and was noticed.”