Supplemental Instruction Leaders Research Articles

Improving Student Success through Supplemental Instruction in an Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory

Anatomy and physiology courses have been identified as a major barrier to the persistence and graduation of undergraduate students seeking careers in the health professions. This break in the health profession’s educational pipeline may have implications for perpetuating racial/ethnic educational attainment disparities that further health disparities through a lack of representation in healthcare providers. Although Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a well-developed, evidence-based program for improving student success, it has traditionally been used primarily in lecture-based courses. In addition, much of the literature on peer-assisted learning in anatomy and physiology focuses on medical school students. Therefore, it is difficult to extrapolate the effectiveness of SI on freshman and sophomore undergraduate students in a laboratory-based course. Here, we describe the expansion of our SI program, in conjunction with a complete curricular redesign, to address student success in an undergraduate gateway anatomy and physiology laboratory. Students who participated in the SI laboratory sessions held outside of instructor-led class time were significantly more likely to be high performers in the course, and there were no students who participated in SI sessions who earned a final course grade below a C. In addition, students expressed high satisfaction with the SI program and indicated that SI leaders provided both content and emotional support. In conclusion, SI is a valuable program to address student success in a laboratory-based course, particularly when integrated thoughtfully and intentionally with other evidence-based best practices in curriculum.

An operational solution to supplemental instruction session design and quality control

Background: Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a peer-led academic support program and form of pre-remediation assistance. One challenge to SI adoption is the absence of session design recommendations and mechanisms of quality control. Herein, a data-informed operational framework is presented resulting in consistent weekly session design and an increase in collaboration between SI leaders and their course faculty. Methods: Sessions in the fall of 2020 were hosted on Zoom in support of a Microbiology and Immunology course. Greater than 44% of program year one (PY1) students voluntarily attended an SI session. Pre-and post-quiz assessments used Mentimeter, an audience polling platform. Results: A mean of 25.2% aggregate performance improvement was found between the pre-quiz and post-quiz assessment data. Conclusion: The quiz assessment results immediately informed personalised content review during each session and empowered feedback integration between the peer leader and faculty. The framework described improves a well-established program and is widely adaptable to any course offering.

Facilitated Study Groups for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry: Experience from a Large Public Canadian University

Undergraduate organic chemistry courses have a reputation for being difficult among students in biological and physical sciences programs. Due to the extensive problem-solving, visualization, and depiction of chemical structures/reactions required, students may perceive learning such content as similar to learning a new language. Several interventions such as course-integrated tutorials or discussion sessions have aimed to assist students. Another effective approach that chemistry educators might consider is Supplemental Instruction (SI), a well-established program that emphasizes student-driven learning whereby student SI leaders facilitate discussions to help students arrive at solutions while also developing effective communication and study skills. A type of SI, Facilitated Study Groups (FSG), established by the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) in 2009, were introduced regularly into organic chemistry courses in 2012. This program provides semester-long optional small-group peer learning sessions, each of which corresponds to a course lecture. The aim of this paper is to provide comprehensive coverage detailing the structure of the organic chemistry FSG program, peer facilitation strategies employed, quantitative/qualitative synthesis of student outcomes indicating program uptake. We consistently find significantly higher grades and significantly lower attrition rates for students who regularly attend FSG sessions in comparison to those who do not (n=16 semesters). Given the growing diversity of undergraduate classes in terms of approaches to learning, language, and cultural barriers (international students, English second-language learners, learning and psychosocial disabilities), our FSG sessions seek to foster inclusion amongst our heterogeneous pool of attendees. Here, we describe strategies that tailored FSG sessions to a diverse group of undergraduate students as suggested by a sizable percentage of the class availing themselves of this resource and by a narrative synthesis of end-of-term surveys. Together, we demonstrate successful adoption of an SI-based model for organic chemistry and present a practical framework that includes pedagogically informed session strategies and cost estimates to guide design of similar programs for post-secondary students at other institutions.

Shifting Gears in a Pandemic: The Impact of Online Academic Support for International and Domestic Students

During a global pandemic, many students in 2020-2021 turned to peer-facilitated academic support through supplemental instruction (SI) to succeed. In this study, proficient students were hired as SI Leaders and trained to facilitate study sessions in a collaborative virtual learning environment. The impact of online SI support is assessed upon subgroups of 4,831 students enrolled in difficult courses at a four-year public university. Mean course GPAs and pass rates of international students, students of color, and white students with varying levels of SI session attendance were examined. One-way ANOVA and chi-square test results reveal significant differences by level of attendance for students of color and white students, with higher mean course GPAs and pass rates associated with higher levels of attendance at SI sessions for all three subgroups. These results are consistent with feedback from SI attendees and convey the significance of programs like SI, especially in times of crisis.

The Peer Tutor and Supplemental Instruction Leader Experience: Perceived Gains in Learning, Connection to Campus, and Fulfillment

This study explored the perceived gains of postsecondary peer educators, specifically related to their views of learning,feelings of connection to campus, and feelings of fulfillment as a result of their roles. The peer educator in the campuslearning center is a critical but undervalued resource for student success. This is reflected in the literature, which has agap in the research related to the experience of the peer educators themselves. To address this problem, a survey wassent through public listservs to college learning assistance professionals, who then distributed it to their respective peertutors and SI leaders (N = 1217). Using three open-ended questions from the Peer Educator Experiences Survey, I analyzedresponses to generate several themes for each question. I identified five distinct themes from responses to the firstquestion, which asked participants about their views of learning. Of the five themes, “learned how/ways people learn”had the highest frequency of responses (n = 239). I discovered four themes from responses to the second question thatasked about the most rewarding aspect of their jobs. For this question, the theme of “helping/witnessing growth” wasthe most evident response (n = 326). The final question asked about participants’ connections to campus; again, fourthemes identified four distinct themes. The theme of “campus people/resources” proved to be the most populous (n =203). Institutions and learning center administrators should consider these results when recruiting, training, assessing,and requesting funds for these programs.

Does Peer-Assisted Instruction for Physics Help Improve Student Learning?

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a teaching method adopted by academic institutions to strengthen and extend learning opportunities beyond regular classroom lectures. The supplemental instructor is a junior or senior-level student with a track record of a sound knowledge of the material and works closely with the students seeking help. The SI leader is free to provide different teaching/learning strategies to foster problem-solving skills and critical thinking behavior. While the supplemental instructors are independent in conducting the learning sessions, they work closely with the course instructor. In this work, we investigate the efficacy of the SI model in college physics compare to university physics at Southern Arkansas University using data from ten years. Furthermore, we discuss how this additional teaching pedagogy elucidates to successful completion of a physics class, retention in the department/university, and overall academic success through the peers’ support.

The Effect of Supplemental Instruction on Student Performance

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a practice of providing peer-assisted academic support for historically difficult courses in universities in the US and across the world. According to the Department of Education, participation in SI improves the course grade, likelihood of course completion, and students’ overall retention rates at the university. Research studies have also found evidence consistent with these claims. However, majority of the studies fail to account for the problem of selection of students into SI participation. To overcome this selection bias, we use administrative data from a mid-sized public university in Texas and exploit the within-course variation in SI offerings arising from factors like administrative changes, lack of funding, or inability to match an SI leader to a course. Results from intent-to-treat models indicate small positive effects on course GPA or likelihood of course completion for the overall population. The benefits of SI are larger for subgroups of female students, students with below median SAT/ACT scores, and juniors and seniors.

The Impact of Supplemental Instruction on the Performance and Attitudes of General Chemistry Students

The Impact of Supplemental Instruction on the Performance and Attitudes of General Chemistry Students

Perspective Transformation in the Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leader

This qualitative case study explores how former Supplemental Instruction (SI) leaders experienced perspective transformation as a result of serving in a peer leadership role at a 4-year, private university through a blended theoretical framework based on the principles set forth by Mezirow and Nohl. Through their participation in interviews and graphic elicitations, former SI leaders offered valuable insights concerning the transformative nature of student leadership and its impact on the emerging sense of self in social and learning contexts. This study also assists in filling the void in research on how undergraduate students benefit by serving in a leadership role within a peer-facilitated academic assistance program in higher education.

The Role and Impact of Supplemental Instruction in Accelerated Developmental Math Courses

A difficult issue for tutoring programs is low participation, especially at commuter campuses. At the University of Houston-Downtown, this problem seems particularly acute for developmental education (DE) courses. This paper describes the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) with focus on the role of the SI Leader in accelerated DE math courses. A study was conducted between Fall 2015 and Spring 2017 to evaluate differences in student performance in two courses between sections that were staffed with an SI Leader and those that had no assistance from the SI program. The study found statistically significant differences in grade performance between SI session participants and non-SI participants. The study also found that students passed at a higher rate in accelerated Intermediate Algebra as compared to traditional biweekly sections. Finally, students passed at a higher rate in accelerated sections that were staffed with an SI Leader compared to accelerated sections without an SI Leader.

Impact of Supplemental Instruction on Business Courses: A Statistical Study

Many students in quantitative business courses are struggling. One technique designed to support such students is Supplemental Instruction (SI), which is most popular in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In this paper, we show the positive impact of SI on student performance in two bottleneck business courses in a large university. Our evaluation results establish that (i) SI has a statistically significant effect on students’ likelihood of passing both courses (after controlling for background variables), (ii) SI is more helpful for students identified as at risk than for those who are not, and (iii) it is important to consistently attend SI sessions for greater success. We also present models to predict consistent student attendance based on background factors with 90% accuracy and conclude with a brief qualitative study about students’ self-perception of SI and the professional development attained by SI leaders.

ConfChem Conference on Select 2016 BCCE Presentations: Changing Roles for Changing Times—Social Media and the Evolution of the Supplemental Instructor

This Communication summarizes one of the invited papers to the Select 2016 BCCE Presentations ACS CHED Committee on Computers in Chemical Education online ConfChem held from October 30 to November 22, 2016. The supplemental instruction (SI) model has come a long way from being a peer-assisted study sessions geared toward improving student retention and success. Students now have 24/7 access to handouts, professional tutoring by an SI leader, and group collaboration outlets; several of these services are offered via social media sites. How well these outlets are incorporated into the classroom is now a key component of what makes an SI session successful. With the advent of these innovations, the limits to what the SI leader can provide to their students are far fewer. Some of these innovations include (but are not limited to): video lectures, practice exams, and promotion of group collaboration among students. Through the use of platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Piapp, and Slack, the SI session can b...

Predictors of Student Success In Supplemental Instruction Courses at A Medium Sized Women’s University

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a program that seeks to improve student success by targeting classes with high failure rates, as defined with a failure percentage of 30% or more. It is organized by an administrative SI supervisor who supervises SI leaders, which are students that have successfully completed the courses that they have been assigned. The SI supervisor also collaborates with the course instructors who aid in screening the competency of the SI leaders. Improved self-confidence, teamwork, independence and course performance have been reported as benefits of SI. This project sought to explore the effect of SI on success and failure, along with gender, age and race. The type of course was also used as a factor in order to control for it as a confounding variable. In order to ascertain the effect of these variables on success, a technique called logistic regression was used. Caucasian female students who took bacteriology and did not attend SI were used as the reference group. Students were about twice as likely to succeed if they completed the required number of SI sessions and one fifth as likely to succeed if they were in a SI class and did not meet the minimum number of sessions. Hispanic students were 40% as likely to succeed, and African American students were about one third as likely to succeed when compared to Caucasian students. Students between 20 and 29 years old were half as likely to succeed, and those 30 or older were one quarter as likely to succeed when compared to teen students. Those in algebra were about three times more likely to succeed than those in bacteriology, chemistry and statistics. When the students that withdrew were removed, the chances of success were about the same, except for African American students which were one quarter as likely to succeed, and those that did not meet minimum sessions were one quarter as likely to succeed. The model explained more variation when the students that withdrew were included. As SI had a strong influence on success, it should be considered as a tool to enable retention of students in high risk courses.

SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION AS A PEER MENTORING INTERVENTION IN FIRST YEAR CHEMISTRY

Ponte Academic JournalNov 2017, Volume 73, Issue 11 SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION AS A PEER MENTORING INTERVENTION IN FIRST YEAR CHEMISTRYAuthor(s): Vino PaideyaJ. Ponte - Nov 2017 - Volume 73 - Issue 11 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2017.11.12 Abstract:Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an academic support program implemented by a South African university for �high risk� courses. The main objective of SI sessions is the development of an informal collaborative learning environment under the guidance of a �senior� student called an SI Leader. An SI Leader is a student who has previously completed the course successfully and can therefore model exemplary practices in chemistry learning. This paper highlights the enactment of the role of SI leader as mentor in the chemistry SI learning spaces. Data was collected using video-recordings of SI sessions and focus group interviews with students. Data analyzed using Bandura�s Social Cognitive learning theory revealed that the SI leader served as mentor to chemistry students with respect to development of critical thinking skills, learning strategies and reflective practice for meaning making in a collaborative learning environment. Further, the data expressed four conditions for effective modelling of SI leader in SI sessions viz. collaboration, retention through rehearsal of information, reproduction of knowledge in the form of reflection and motivation to learn. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

Challenges Experienced with the Implementation of Supplemental Instruction at Institutions of Higher Education

This paper examines the challenges experienced with the implementation of supplemental instruction in institutions of higher education. Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a cooperative learning model designed to improve student performance in high-risk courses with a history of high failure rates. It is aimed at facilitating understanding of course content while at the same time assisting students to develop better learning skills. Although there is substantial evidence of the benefits of SI in institutions of higher education which have adopted it, there are challenges that hamper its successful implementation. The main findings in terms of the challenges were: lack of a coordinated plan; lack of articulated vision and ownership; SI leaders’ inability to model effective instructional strategies; SI leaders’ inability to effectively engage students in their own learning; and no feedback offered within the setup to keep stakeholders abreast and to promote individual growth DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n27p740

The Impact of Supplemental Instruction: Results From an Urban Community College

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an academic support program consisting of a series of free, voluntary based weekly study sessions for students taking historically difficult courses. SI is designed to increase student retention and academic performance. Whereas Hensen and Shelley (2003) examined SI impact at a large public midwestern university, this study examined a newly implemented SI at an urban community college in downtown Dallas, Texas. General psychology students who regularly attended SI study sessions had an 83% success (final letter grade of A, B, or C) rate compared to 64% for students who did not participate. To further increase overall success, an early alert warning system within the Blackboard™ learning management system was set up to track each student’s performance in the event students started to fall behind in assignment completion. In that case, the student was placed in the SI study group. Additionally, this study examined the SI leaders themselves by tracking their academic and professional activities.

The Impact Of The Supplemental Instruction Leader On Student Performance In Introductory Accounting

This study explores the association between a supplemental instruction (SI) program and student performance in an introductory accounting course. SI is a proactive academic support program that is aimed at improving student learning in traditionally “high-risk” college courses by integrating learning and critical thinking strategies with technical course content. This paper examines and describes the classical SI model as it has been applied in both non-business and business disciplines. We then extend the work of Etter, Burmeister, and Elder (2000) and Jones and Fields (2001) which examine the effectiveness of the SI model in introductory accounting by providing empirical tests after controlling for differences in SI group leaders. The SI leader’s duty is to provide structure to the collaborative learning environment and to integrate study skills and learning strategies with course content. However, empirical analysis incorporating controls for differences in SI leaders is lacking. Results, based on both nonparametric chi-square analysis and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicate that SI is an effective program that increases academic performance as measured by total points earned in the course. Further, results suggest that the SI program remains effective across multiple SI leaders.

Using Supplemental Instruction to Bridge the Transition from Secondary to Tertiary Education

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is today a well known academic assistance program, providing help for students in “difficult” courses at colleges and universities. Little attention has been paid however to the possibility of also implementing the SI program in upper secondary school. In this study we present qualitative results from such an SI program in a Swedish setting. Here, students from the faculty of engineering at Lund University, act as SI leaders at eleven upper secondary schools in the local region, in subjects such as math, physics and chemistry. The main conclusion is that the SI methodology also seems to work in an upper secondary school environment. The students who attend SI regularly appear to obtain new study strategies to increase their understanding of the subject, besides improving on general skills such as teamwork, communicating on a subject, and making presentations in front of others. There are several advantages for the schools and university involved. For example they gain a formal and an informal link, which can prove useful in many circumstances when an exchange of information is needed, and both can use SI as a means to boost recruitment. For the upper secondary school, the students can get an alternative view on subjects, which hopefully stimulates interest and understanding. The students also get a more mature role model to turn to. For the university an additional advantage is that a more informal view of what it is like to study at university can be provided to upper secondary school students.

Leading by Example: A Case Study of Peer Leader Programs at Two Achieving the Dream Colleges

This report draws on the experiences of two Massachusetts community colleges that employed academically successful students to serve as peer leaders. The Achieving the Dream initiative supports colleges’ investments in the resources and personnel needed to make desired institution-wide changes. As part of the initiative, Northern Essex Community College has used Supplemental Instruction Leaders, and Bunker Hill Community College has used Peer Mentors in order to strengthen student success and promote institutional improvement efforts.Both colleges chose to implement peer leader programs in developmental (remedial) and gatekeeper (introductory college-level) courses that have historically been difficult for many students to pass. This report describes recruitment, training, activities, and costs related to developing these peer leader programs as well as how peer leaders worked with students and faculty inside the classroom. Students, peer leaders, faculty, and administrators offered perspectives in focus groups and interviews during the 2010-2011 academic year. Key findings include the following:--Peer leaders at both colleges offered additional academic assistance to students by introducing and reinforcing lessons covered in class and by helping their faculty partners facilitate classroom activities.--Program staff and faculty members recruited and selected peer leaders with strong academic and interpersonal skills. However, specific peer leader tasks and functions inside and outside the classroom varied based on how assigned faculty members agreed to have peer leaders work with students.--Students in peer-assisted courses generally felt that they benefited from receiving peer leaders’ guidance and support, and they appreciated that this guidance and support was provided by fellow students.--Both colleges have expanded their peer leader programs across sections and disciplines, prompting them to establish more program standards and articulate more practices. College administrators generally considered the programs affordable and cost-effective.The development of peer leader programs at Northern Essex and Bunker Hill reveals innovative ways in which colleges can enhance student learning and engagement in community college classrooms. Over the past years, both colleges have carefully implemented and expanded peer leader programs for students in need of extra support. Peer leaders provide a unique perspective for students and have the ability to create a learning environment unlike that of the typical instructor-student relationship. Community colleges interested in creating or expanding their own peer leader programs may find lessons in the theoretical, operational, and fiscal challenges and considerations that marked the implementation of the two programs discussed in this report.

Benefits to Supplemental Instruction leaders

AbstractThis chapter provides a broad overview of the benefits attained by SI leaders as a result of their participation in SI leadership activities.