Students launch free online platform to connect study groups  

When Albert Huynh and Michael Charles started at UIC, the computer science undergraduates wanted to find peer-study groups to help them succeed in their difficult classes. 

“I was taking a lot of hard classes freshman year, and I know I would not have passed them without having peers next to me studying and having study groups,” said Charles, a second-year student from South Holland, Illinois.  

Huynh lived off campus and didn’t have a network of dorm mates to meet up with to study.  

The two started talking about this need during an internship last summer at the Discovery Partners Institute where they brainstormed problem-solving ideas they could bring to market. The result was Akknoledge, a free online platform Charles and Huynh designed for students to search for study groups tailored to their specific courses, professors, locations and dates. 

“I knew it would benefit a lot of other people because UIC is a big commuter school,” said Huynh, a third-year student from Bolingbrook, Illinois.

The founders brought in Fawwaz Abayomi, a second-year computer science student from Homewood, Illinois to be their director of business development. Shpetim Useini, a third-year biology student from Rockford, joined them as outreach director for study groups on health sciences, chemistry and biology, which make up a large segment of Akknoledge’s users. 

Since it was launched in September, 750 students have used the platform to form 90 different study groups, Abayomi said. Currently, Akknoledge is only available at UIC.  

“Our goal is to bring this platform to more students in and beyond our university,” Charles said. “We want to help students succeed academically and feel more connected, no matter where they are.” 

Photos: Martin Hernandez/UIC

How it works 

Students use their UIC email to log on to the Akknoledge website. From there, they can look up study groups by searching for a particular class and selecting a time and preferred location. They can even find out what study styles will be used and what the study session will cover, as well as the number of other students expected. The session is then added to their calendar, and they can share a link or QR code to invite other students. They also can create new study session groups. 

For security and privacy, the data is encrypted. Emails of interested students are verified, and some groups remain private until the person who created the study group allows access. There is also a mix of virtual and in-person study groups. Students must agree to conduct and academic integrity requirements to participate. 

Josephine Volpe, associate vice provost for advising development, said the platform amplifies support for students by finding study partners and increasing belonging and motivation.

“These students took the initiative to make a difference in the educational journeys of their peers and have shown grit and a drive to succeed,” Volpe said.

Miiri Kotche, associate dean for undergraduate affairs in the College of Engineering, said the team came up with “a great idea” from their first-hand experiences. She commended them for pilot testing the platform repeatedly and gathering feedback to make refinements. 

“Their creativity and persistence highlight how UIC engineering students use their problem-solving skills to address real-world unmet needs,” Kotche said.   

To help students coordinate to study together, Akknoledge developers have reached out to UIC campus groups which have shared information about courses, professors and available locations on campus.  

“We want to make sure that we’re building community and allowing students to connect with their peers in different courses and form study groups,” Charles said. “We also want to make sure that we’re improving understanding and course material through collaborative learning.” 

Mark Zhdan, a fourth-year computer science major, has used the platform to arrange study sessions with other students. It’s been a help, academically, he said.  

“I was studying for this one exam, and it was useful because I was struggling on some topics. A TA could have helped me, but with students, it’s easier because you can relate to them better,” Zhdan said.  

Rogelio Lozano, a third-year computer science major, called Akknolege “awesome.“ 

“I think it’s a great way to connect students on campus and a great way for students to make a community and study together,” Lozano said as he studied recently with classmates in Thomas Beckman Hall for an upcoming exam. 

Benefits of study buddies 

The platform’s main objective is to help students improve their academic experience and knowledge retention through building community with other students. By surveying their users and using published data, Akknoledge developers found that 60% of students said studying together improved their learning. Seventy percent of students who studied together said they were more likely to stay motivated even when feeling burnt out.  

The developers have worked with various campus units to spread the word among students. The UIC Library has listed the platform on its website as an additional resource for students reserving study rooms. The creators also recently hosted a tabling event at the library to promote the platform.  

A large part of how they gained users early on was by reaching out to professors in large lecture classes and getting their permission to speak with the class and demonstrate the platform to the students. 

Hannah Wilson, director of new student and family programs at UIC, said she was so impressed with the concept when the Akknoledge founders presented it to her last fall that she allowed them to promote it at several new student and family spring semester orientations in December and January.  

“I would assume that anybody taking advantage of it is prospering,” Wilson said. “They’re able to connect with other individuals that possibly are in the same class or studying the same concept which is allowing them to learn from one another.” 

Since its launch, they won second place in a Demo Day competition held by the UIC Office of Innovation and in February they were one of three winners of the UIC Black Students in Business Pitch Competition. 

Before launching Akknoledge, Charles, Huynh and Abayomi envisioned working for others in tech fields after graduating from UIC. But the success of their platform has them rethinking those plans. Now they are focused on bringing their platform to other universities and working for themselves. 

“I knew that I wanted to just make a big impact in tech, but I didn’t really know how,” Charles said. “And then, with Albert and me starting this idea over the summer, my vision changed from just working at a company for the rest of my life to having something to actually build out.”