CODES Information for Advising Partners

Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (CODES)

• CODES is a full tuition scholarship program.
• Eligible students are Pell-eligible, among the first generation in their family to attend college, or historically underrepresented in their major. 
• Most students start the program as first semester freshmen.
• Participating students follow an alternative route through SIUE’s General Education program.

CODE Scholars work with a small team of students, a faculty mentor and a community partner to address a major problem in the community such as poverty, discrimination or climate change. They share their work in digital environments.

Advising

CODES Scholars will be advised by the CODES advisor during NSO and for their first year at SIUE.  The CODES advisor will be the primary advisor for year one.

Students will be assigned their major advisors going into year two if they are making satisfactory progress.  The CODES advisor will remain with the students throughout the educational journey at SIUE.  Once a major advisor is assigned they will be the primary advisor, and the CODES advisor will continue as secondary/general.

Students will have a separate CODES Advising Hold that will be lifted each semester after checking in with the CODES advisor.

Curriculum: Alternative General Education Pathway

***2022 cohort students followed a different course progression and they did have CODE 320 in year 3.

All students from 2023 and beyond will follow the above plan.

Degree Works displays students' alternative general education CODES pathway.

CODES classes must be taken in the prescribed semester with their cohort.

Program Terms & Conditions

Scholarship is valued at full undergraduate tuition up to 18 credits/semester for up to 8 semesters

One of the semesters can be applied towards an SIUE approved study abroad program up to $5,000

Retention requirements:

• Actively participate in and satisfactorily complete the CODES courses.  (Therefore students should be commitment to attend SIUE for the duration of the program- 3.5 years. )
• Minimum 2.5 GPA
• Minimum 12 credit hours completed per semester

Community Engagement

So what are CODES students doing?

2022 cohort: Teams are working with the YWCA of Southwest Illinois, focusing on racial equity in relationship to mental health and violence prevention; with the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center on science education and misinformation; and with the Alton School District on equity in education.

2023 cohort: CODES Scholars are partnered with Missouri Botanical Garden (MOBOT) and are working to explore the institution’s history of enslavement, retrace the erasures of Black and Brown residents who lived in the area that is now Shaw Nature Reserve, and study the indigenous knowledge and cultural context underlying specimens in the Herbarium. CODE Scholars can help MOBOT tell these stories with intentionality and sensitivity to welcome more diverse guests to the Garden.

Check out the IRIS Center CODES website for more information about the exciting work that students are engaged in.