UCF Program Helps Students 'EXCEL' in Math and Science

By Courtney Gilmartin Feb. 12, 2009

Photo: Jacque Brund

Graduate teaching assistant Anna Koufakou, right, helps EXCEL student Evalyne Orandi with an assignment.

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University of Central Florida students participating in the EXCEL program get the feeling of a small college campus while pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

EXCEL is a competitive, two-year program that aims to help incoming freshmen increase their success in science and math classes by creating connections with other students, faculty and disciplines.

“EXCEL really helped me to adjust and feel like I had people to depend on as soon as I got here,” said Kimberly Trimble, a sophomore Molecular Biology and Microbiology major from Atlanta.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the program works to increase the number of STEM-degree recipients and expand the workforce in those fields. That is a national priority, particularly during an ever-changing, more competitive global market.

Since 2006, UCF has recruited 200 EXCEL students a year. Beginning this fall, Seminole Community College students will benefit from a similar program called SCC Advance that also is funded by the National Science Foundation.

SCC partnered with UCF to establish its program, a two-year effort that emulates many of the successful strategies of EXCEL. About 30 SCC students will participate beginning in the fall, and another 30 are expected to join the program in 2010-11.

In addition to small, specialized classes, EXCEL students at UCF get the benefits of special advising days, mentoring by graduate students and faculty, study sessions, a tutoring lounge, an EXCEL on-campus housing block and a variety of social activities. 

“My favorite thing about EXCEL is the fact that EXCEL students take classes together,” Trimble said. “It builds a great bond between all of us who share the same passion.”

During their sophomore year, EXCEL students have the opportunity to participate in optional, paid undergraduate research experiences. Students are paired up with UCF STEM professors and experience research firsthand.

Early involvement in undergraduate research experiences leads to increased chances of successfully completing junior and senior fellowships, said Michael Georgiopoulos, EXCEL program director.

In Spring 2008, 32 students were involved in undergraduate research experiences funded through EXCEL.

“EXCEL allowed me to get involved in undergraduate research at an early stage of my college career,” said Keon Vereen, a junior Aerospace Engineering major. “From the very beginning of college, EXCEL allowed me to meet a lot of professors with cool fields of study.”

“My expectation was to excel and learn with other students while profiting from the close community of faculty, assistants, professors and counselors,” added LaiTaras Stokes, a sophomore from Tallahassee majoring in Electrical and Aerospace Engineering. “My favorite aspect is being able to give back to the program and fostering the networks that I have with professors and fellow students.”

EXCEL students are passing Calculus I classes at a significantly higher rate than that of non-EXCEL students. Additionally, EXCEL students have indicated that their involvement in a learning community and the more individualized teaching has led to greater success and understanding of STEM courses.

UCF’s EXCEL program received its five-year grant from the National Science Foundation in 2006. EXCEL’s directors are working to institutionalize the program at UCF by working with sponsors from industries interested in increasing the STEM workforce throughout the country.

UCF and SCC organizers hope their efforts can become models for other universities and community colleges throughout the country.

UCF already partners with SCC and three other Central Florida community colleges to improve access to higher education through its DirectConnect to UCF program, which guarantees graduates of those community colleges admission to the university. University officials say expanding an EXCEL-modeled program to SCC will further ease students’ transition from a two-year to a four-year institution.

For more information on EXCEL, visit http://excel.ucf.edu. 

UCF Stands For Opportunity: The University of Central Florida is a metropolitan research university that ranks as the 6th largest in the nation with more than 50,000 students. UCF's first classes were offered in 1968. The university offers impressive academic and research environments that power the region's economic development. UCF's culture of opportunity is driven by our diversity, Orlando environment, history of entrepreneurship and our youth, relevance and energy. For more information, visit http://news.ucf.edu.

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