Supplemental Instruction

314 Hill University Center
1400 University Boulevard
Birmingham, Alabama 35224
(205) 934-8184 FAX (205) 934-8287

Supplemental Instruction

Supplemental Instruction is a free academic assistance program providing regularly scheduled, out-of-class, student-led study sessions for selected courses with a high degree of difficulty.

SI supported courses for Fall 2008:

WHAT IS SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION (SI)?

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a nationally proven, academic assistance program. SI is not individual tutoring, which tends to emphasize how to do a problem; instead, SI provides an out-of-class, peer led, study group which is set up to help you grasp both the concepts and the applications provided in your course material. SI sessions are designed to be an organized study group consisting of your peers, facilitated by a trained SI Leader. You are taught to view problems differently and learn the material by asking questions and analyzing your work.

SI sessions are typically offered for Biology 101 : Topics in Contemporary Biology, Biology 115 : Human Anatomy, Biology 123 : Introductory Biology I, Biology 124 : Introductory Biology II, Biology 210 : Genetics, Chemistry 105 : Introductory Chemistry I, Chemistry 115 : General Chemistry I, Chemistry 117 : General Chemistry II, Chemistry 235 : Organic Chemistry I, Chemistry 237 : Organic Chemistry II, Sociology 100 : Introductory Sociology, Psychology 101 : Intro to Psychology, Economics 210: Principles of Microeconomics, and Electrical Engineering 312: Electrical Systems. SI Sessions are structured to keep pace with the material being taught in your class and SI Leaders stay in close contact with your course professor. As a result, SI Sessions provide students who attend on a regular basis the ability to keep up with the course material and, in general, become more successful. SI targets academically challenging courses and empowers you by presenting the essential tools needed to master difficult concepts.

SI is open to all students and provides assistance through regularly scheduled study sessions, usually in regular classrooms, that begin the first week of class and continue through the last day of class.

The SI program provides an environment in which how-to-learn is integrated with what-to-learn so students earn higher exam and course grades and withdraw less often when they participate in SI programs.

Objectives of SI:

• Increase student skills in comprehension, analysis, critical thinking, and problem solving.
• Integrate review of course content with study skills and learning strategies.
• Increase re-enrollment and persistence of participating students.

How SI Works:

• Targets courses with high withdrawal rates and historically low grades.
• Student attendance to all sessions is voluntary.
• SI Sessions are scheduled at times when the majority of student's in SI supported courses can attend.

The SI Leader's primary purpose is to connect course content by involving students in sharing class notes, solving problems, using handouts, taking practice tests and exams and reviewing study skills. In SI, students connect what-to-learn with how-to-learn.

Why SI Works

• Students learn how to study. In each SI Session, the SI Leader demonstrates a new study skill or reinforces a familiar one.
• Students use their study skills in the course itself. The SI Leader focuses on skills that are highly relevant to the course.

SI Leaders:

• SI Leaders are selected and trained for SI by the program coordinator. These student instructors have already successfully completed the course or a similar course.
• SI Leaders attend class lecture, take notes, and read assignments.
• As facilitators, SI Leaders help guide the study sessions, expecting students to be actively involved in the learning process. The SI Leader’s chief purpose is to promote independent learning.