Welcome to the home page for the Supplemental Instruction Program at Miami University . The goal of the SI program is to help students achieve academic success in a number of courses with historically high failure and withdraw rates. SI offers peer led study sessions that are designed to improve student academic performance and help them become independent and successful learners. This web site provides general information about the SI program at Miami University , schedule of the sessions currently offered to the students, and links to additional SI-related information.
What Is Supplemental
Instruction and How Does It Work?
Supplemental Instruction is an academic enrichment program that was developed at the University of Missouri — Kansas City in 1973. The goal of the SI Program is to improve student academic performance and help students acquire the necessary study skills.
The SI Program provides regularly scheduled, out-of-class, peer facilitated sessions in classes identified as historically difficult. SI Leaders who run the sessions are students identified by faculty that have successfully taken the course before and are familiar with its requirements, material covered, and appropriate learning strategies.
SI sessions are NOT substitute lectures and do NOT cover additional material. SI sessions focus on integrating review of course content with appropriate learning strategies. SI Leaders help current students identify what-to-learn and how-to-learn in order to achieve one's academic goals. SI sessions are free and available to all students enrolled in the course.
The number of courses covered by the SI changes
every semester, as well as the times of the session,
so be sure to check the schedule
of SI sessions for the current semester.
Information for Students
For many students, taking foundation-level survey courses can be a daunting experience…
Wouldn't it be nice if there were people to help you through your studies?
With SI, there is a way to get help! Upper class students are running study support sessions!!!
How can I benefit from attending the SI sessions?
Nationally, students who participate in the SI receive higher course grades and withdraw less often than non-SI participants. SI sessions provide immediate review of the material, reinforcement of old concepts, and practice of new skills. SI sessions give students an opportunity to clarify difficult concepts, wrestle with topics, and engage in discussions. Plus, SI Leaders are not authority figures, but peers helping other students learn.
How is SI different than tutoring?
SI Leaders attend all class sessions and are familiar with how concepts are introduced and reviewed in the course. Unlike tutoring, SI Leaders have a closer understanding of instructor's teaching style and specific course requirements. SI sessions are based on collaborating learning techniques where the SI leader serves as a peer, providing students with a model of appropriate thinking, organization, note taking, and test preparation for the course.
How Effective is SI?
Nationally, it was proved that average grades of students who attend SI are higher than grades of those who do not.
Here is a graph showing correlation between the grade and the number of SI sessions attended for an introductory accounting
class at Miami University in the Fall 2003. A group of students who attended at least one SI session completed the course with a 3.04 mean G.P.A. While the mean G.P.A. for those who did not attend any SI sessions was 2.57 (shown as a red line on the graph). Moreover, the graph shows that students' grades for the course tend to improve as they attend more SI sessions.
Information for Faculty
What is Supplemental Instruction?
How would SI benefit my class?
Educators choose SI because the proactive program is designed to help students refine necessary cognitive and applied study skills to earn better grades. SI targets “high attrition” courses not “high risk” students. Faculty members who participate in the SI program enjoy students who are better informed about classroom topics and who earn higher grades.
What are the qualifications of an SI leader?
An SI Leader is an undergraduate or graduate student with a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0. This student has taken the course and succeeded or mastered the course content. SI leaders are trained to facilitate collaborative learning experiences where the classroom experience is enhanced, not duplicated. If you would like to recommend one of your current students to be an SI Leader, you can download the Supplemental Instructor Application and have them submit it.
What courses typically offer SI?
SI targets historically difficult courses. The classes that offered Supplemental Instruction last semester were:
ACC 221
BOT 115
CHM 141
CHM 241
CSA 174
CSA 271
ECO 201
ECO 202
FIN 301
|
MBI 115
MTH 151
MTH 153
MTH 251
PHY 171
STA 261
STA 301
ZOO 115
ZOO 161 |
It is important to note that SI is not limited to these particular courses. If you feel your class would benefit from the assistance of Supplemental Instruction, please contact:
Kristy Drobney
Rinella Learning Center
Campus Avenue Building , 23
Phone: 513-529-8741
Information
for Current and Prospective SI Leaders
Who are the SI Leaders and What Do They Do?
SI Leaders are students who have successfully taken the course before and were recognized by the faculty as have mastered the course content. SI Leaders attend all class sessions and conduct regular out-of-class study sessions. SI Leaders serve as a model of appropriate thinking, note taking, and studying for the course.
The ultimate goal of an SI Leader is to help students identify what-to-learn and how-to-learn and become successful and independent learners. At the session, an SI Leader serves as a peer moderator, not as an authority figure. Strong emphasis is placed on utilizing collaborative learning techniques to make sure all students are involved in the learning process.
How Can I Become an SI Leader?
If you are interested in becoming an SI Leader, you have to fulfill certain requirements:
• Minimum 3.00 G.P.A.
• Have successfully completed the course for which you intend to an SI Leader or have been identified by the faculty
• Have completed EDT 310 (can be taken during the first semester of your SI experience)
• Filled out and returned SI Leader Application Form
What Are the Rewards from being an SI Leader?
In addition to being recognized and respected by other students and faculty members, all SI Leaders are paid on an hourly basis according to the university policy. SI Leader experience is a great resume item for scholarships and job applications!
Duties of an SI Leader:
• Attend every class session
• Regularly prepare for the SI sessions
• Meet with the cooperating professor on a weekly basis
• Conduct a minimum of 3 one-hour study sessions per week
• Help students identify how to learn the course content, explain steps for problem solving, refine learning strategies, test preparation, memory skills, and test taking
• Maintain accurate session attendance records
• Submit required paperwork on time
Need help with your SI sessions?
• Talk to your peer SI Leaders, share your experiences and advice through the SI Blackboard Discussion Forum .
• Refer to your SI Leader Manual for suggestions regarding the different methods you can use to improve your sessions and make them more interesting and more productive.
• Check out our Links to SI Resources Online and choose Teaching Resources for SI Leaders link.
• Contact Cheryl Hester or one of the Head SI Leaders
Links to SI Resources Online:
• University of Missouri – Kansas City
The Supplemental Instruction Program was developed at the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC) in 1973. The web site provides overview of the development of the program, as well as information about SI workshops, national conferences, publications, training, SI research, and other SI-related news.
http://www.umkc.edu/cad/si/index.htm
• SI – Net
SI – Net is the Supplemental Instruction mailing list created by UMKC to provide discussion forum for those interested in SI. To date, faculty, SI Leaders, and staff from 13 countries around the world have used SI-Net to exchange ideas, express opinions, share innovations, and participate in workshops. The forum is an excellent opportunity for SI Leaders to participate in dialogue with SI supervisors and faculty, and find out about SI meetings, training, and job opportunities. SI-Net is an independent and unmoderated forum, and participation is free.
http://www.umkc.edu/cad/si/index.htm (additional resources)
• Links to SI Programs Around the World
Provides links to other SI Programs at educational institutions all around the world.
http://www.umkc.edu/cad/si/sidocs/othhompg.htm
• Teaching Resources for SI Leaders
This University of Texas at Austin web site provides useful information about a variety of teaching techniques that could be utilized during SI sessions. Topics include how to encourage student participation in the sessions, lead discussions, provide useful feedback, dealing with multiple ability levels, group work techniques, and note taking strategies.
http://www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/si/teachingresources.html
Current Semester SI Roster
Academic Support and Study Skills Links
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