Supplemental Instruction
"Tell me, and I forget Show me, and I remember. Involve me, and I understand."
-Ancient Chinese Proverb.
Supplemental Instruction (SI), an internationally recognized academic support program, offers free, regularly scheduled, out-of-class, review sessions for historically difficult courses. SI study sessions are informal seminars in which students compare notes, discuss readings, develop organizational tools and predict test items. Students learn how to integrate course content and reasoning skills, and those who attend SI sessions regularly earn higher test scores than non-SI participants. Sessions are facilitated by SI Leaders, students who have not only demonstrated proficiency in their targeted course, but who act as a model student by attending the class and taking notes.
Difficult, high-risk courses, those that have high percentages of Ds, Fs, or withdrawals, are selected to participate in the supplemental instruction program. They are generally, but not always, 100-200 level courses, which students must take to begin an academic major. These courses are often large lecture courses requiring large amounts of reading with examinations which require application and analysis.