Proactive help for your students

Supplemental Instruction

› “Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a student academic assistance program that can increase student performance and retention” (Arendale, 1994, p. 11).

› SI targets high risk courses instead of targeting high risk students, like traditional tutoring, and is open to all students taking the course (Arendale, 1994).– Does not blame instructor– Does not blame students– Recognizes that students in high risk courses tend to need

more academic support to raise to the level required to be successful in the course.

What is SI?

› Proactive rather than reactive

› Attached to a specific course

› SI leaders attend all class sessions

› SI is not remedial

› Promotes student interaction and mutual support

› Gives course instructor useful feedback from SI leader.

(Arendale, 1994)

Why use SI?

› Caffey College in California found that students who attended supplemental instruction had a 54%-93% success rate based on how many times they attended SI. Students who did not attend SI had a 46% success rate. The more sessions the students attended the higher their success rates (2012)

› Cypress College in California had similar findings. Students who attended less than 12 hours of SI had a 54% success rate, students who attended more than 12 hours had an 83% success rate versus 42% for students who did not attend SI (2010).

› Citrus College found that for chemistry and biology students who attended SI had an 82% success rate versus a 70% success rate of those who did not attend (2011-2012).

Success Rates of Students in SI in California Community College System

› Courses for which students have not mastered prerequisite skills.

› Students who cannot read, take lecture notes, write, or study at the high school level.**

› Needs to be modified for courses where practice is needed for mastery.

(Arendale, 1994)

When SI is less effective

› Has successfully completed the course or a similar course.

› Is a “model student”—attends class, takes excellent notes, and effectively uses study strategies.

› Attends all class meetings. **

› Conducts three or more out-of-class SI sessions per week modeling how and what to learn.

› Facilitates learning—is not a “mini-professor.”

(Arendale, 1994)

Role of the SI Leader

› Students do not do optional.

› Can be affective with developmental courses but needs modification.

› Instructors responsible for training and/or communicating wants and needs to SI leader.

› Can be difficult to coordinate SI hours with all student schedules, which makes requiring and giving points for SI difficult.

Caveats

› Used for English 0095 & 0096.

› Required students to attend 5 hours per semester.

› One of my former English 1101 student.

› Did not require SI to attend course.

› Treated like embedded tutor.

› Split class with SI leader sometimes.

Glenna’s Experience with SI

› With one instructor with multiple sections of a course, schedule multiple sections of SI with different SI Leaders.

› My most successful semester I had 5 sections of a class with 3 SI sessions 3 times per week. One session (by request was at 8 am (gave out PopTarts), one was between 2 classes 12:15 – 1 pm (bring a brown bag lunch) and one was later in the day.

› If there were a lot of students, I’d pitch in.

› The sessions were based on the midterm and final exam study guides (make sure the SI Leaders can do it).

› SI was part of their grade (3% - 5%)

Linda’s Experience with SI

› Significantly increased retention.

 

› The in-class SI attendance was less useful to the students than the open-lab times.

› It is important to impress upon SI's that they need to adapt to new course materials.

› Sometimes SI's need to be coached on what to help students with. 

› Some students need to be told they should see the SI .

› The feedback from the SI is very useful .

Jason’s Experience with SI

Arendale, D. R. (1994). Understanding the supplemental instruction model. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 1994(60), 11-21. Retrieved from http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/docs/Arendalex.pdf

Caffey College. Supplemental Instruction Section Offerings, Student Participation, and Performance Outcomes. Spring 2012. Retrieved from http://www.chaffey.edu/research/IR_PDF_Files/Research_Reports/Academic_Success/1213-SI_SP12_Pre-Post_Survey_Report.pdf

Cypress College. Effects of Supplemental Instruction on Performance. Spring 2010. Retrieved from http://www.cypresscollege.edu/IRP/Resources/Research/SE/SIperformance_Sp09.pdf

Citrus College. Fall grade comparisons between students who attended SI and those who did not. Retrieved from http://www.citruscollege.edu/admin/research/Documents/STEM/2012/Fall2011_Winter2012.pdf

References