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ERIC Number: EJ1415200
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0897-5264
EISSN: EISSN-1543-3382
Effect of an Internet Grant on Student Retention during COVID-19
Ximena Burgin; Beth Ingram
Journal of College Student Development, v64 n6 p721-727 2023
In spring 2020, a worldwide pandemic caused many postsecondary institutions to pivot from face-to-face to online learning for the remainder of the semester. While some institutions reverted to face-to-face teaching in fall 2020, many institutions mainly remained online. As a result, the effect of students' disparate access to enabling technology like internet services became more apparent. Concurrently, institutions faced financial burdens associated with the pandemic, so the federal government made funding available to support students and institutions of higher education. The state of Illinois distributed a portion of those relief funds through the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) initiative, a competitive process designed to "support the students' progress toward degree completion by closing digital equity gaps" (IBHE, 2020, p. 1). Through this competitive grant program, the state awarded nearly $500,000 to a regional public institution (RPI). A portion of those funds was allocated to providing internet grants to students who might not have reliable service and needed better or faster service to meet academic requirements. Interested undergraduate students were required to apply for the grant, which was widely advertised on campus (NIU Today, 2020), and RPI relied on advisors, resource centers, and faculty to refer students for the grant. This study investigated the influence of the GEER internet grant on student persistence or graduation in the academic year after the grant was awarded and was guided by the question, "Was there a significant difference in student retention or graduation between GEER internet grant recipients and non-recipients?"
Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-548-1784; Tel: 410-516-6987; Fax: 410-516-6968; e-mail: jlorder@jhupress.jhu.edu; Web site: https://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/list
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A