Supplemental Instruction

What is Supplemental Instruction?

Supplemental instruction (SI) is an academic assistance program designed to help students succeed in historically difficult college classes. SI is designed to help students master course content and to help students improve strategies for learning the content. In SI, a trained student leader sits in on the class sessions and meets regularly with the course instructor and with the SI supervisor to learn new ways of helping students approach the course content. The SI leader then offers students weekly review sessions custom-tailored for the course and the instructor. The authority in an SI review session is in the class notes and textbooks; the SI leader's job is to facilitate students' learning processes by providing opportunities for guided review.

How can SI help me?

• SI can help you review course content.
• SI can help you develop more active strategies for learning material.
• SI does not target individual students who may be experiencing academic difficulties; rather SI targets classes that have been shown to be difficult for large numbers of students.
• Research conducted on SI, here and at other colleges and universities, shows that students who participate in SI review sessions record higher final course grades and fewer withdrawals and incompletes than students who did not participate in the sessions.

What does SI look like?

• An SI Leader, selected by your course instructor and by the ASC, sits in on your class sessions, takes notes, and completes the reading assignments.
• The SI leader holds two one-hour review sessions per week. The sessions are open to all students enrolled in the SI course, and students do not need to preregister for the sessions (in other words, they are drop-in sessions).
• Typical SI sessions include a variety of activities designed to help students improve their understanding of course material: small-group problem-solving, student-led question-and-answer sessions, and test reviews.
• Attendance is optional, and students may choose which sessions they wish to attend.

Students interested in working as SI leaders should review our Work Opportunities to learn more.

Copyright © March 2004
The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown