THE INSTRUCTORS Toolkit for
Using Supplemental Instruction
Provided by the Holman Success Center
Bruce T. Halle Library, Room G04
What does the Holman Success Center do?
Holman Success Center
Mission Statement
To provide students with
supportive assistance to help
them
reach
academic
achievement through instruction
and personal goal planning.
We aim to equip students with
the skills necessary for success
in a learning environment.
Holman Success Center (HSC) provides academic support for currently
registered EMU undergraduates. Our services are free and voluntary.
Drop-in tutoring is available for students who are interested getting
help as they need it. Our online tutoring program allows students to
conveniently receive help from virtually any location. Supplemental
Instruction (SI) is offered in several large general education classes.
We also have academic success coaches who work on a one-on-one
basis to help students optimize their academic performance.
The HSC also works with various academic departments to maximize
the available support services and promote student success.
Last Updated 10/16/2014
1
What is Supplemental Instruction?
Developed by Dr. Deanna Martin of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Supplemental
Instruction is an academic support service that provides peer-led study sessions for undergraduate
students in high-risk courses. SI sessions are informal review sessions where students discuss course
material, develop important organizational and study skills, and collaboratively integrate the
material and skills as a group. These sessions are led by an SI leader, who is a student that has
taken the course successfully. Most SI leaders work under the guidance of the instructor that taught
the course they attended. These leaders, in preparation for sessions, receive training by SI staff,
attend lectures, and meet weekly with their instructor(s).
The purpose of Supplemental Instruction, as defined by the International Center for Supplemental
Instruction, is:



To increase retention within targeted historically difficult courses
To improve student grades in targeted historically difficult courses
To increase the graduation rates of students
The Supplemental Instruction model focuses on four vital pieces: students, SI Leaders, SI
Administration, and You (the instructor). All four pieces play an important role in ensuring the
success of SI sessions and the success of students (International Center for Supplemental Instruction,
2013).
Supplemental Instruction at Eastern Michigan University
Supplemental Instruction at EMU is targeted specifically toward:
 100 – 200 level undergraduate courses, including
 General Education (i.e. Political Science, Biology, Statistics)
 Gateway Courses (i.e. CHEM120, PSY205, DS265)
 High-enrollment courses that include difficult content
 Courses with a historically moderate to high fail/drop rate
Introductory general education courses are great for SI, as the class structure, broad course
content and high enrollment rates allow us to assist a large group of students, many whom are
taking college courses for the first time. These students are able to transfer the skills and
techniques learned from SI sessions into more advanced courses. Gateway courses, or courses that
students must take and pass in order to continue with their major, benefit highly from SI as a
means of providing additional assistance to ensure success in the course and the ability for
students to progress into their major.
SI Sessions are
 voluntary and free for all students enrolled in the course
 non-remedial; a proactive approach to ensuring student success
 presented 2-3 times weekly at times voted on by students
 not a second lecture; collaborative review sessions for students to practice the material
Last Updated 10/16/2014
2
For a detailed breakdown of the roles and responsibilities an SI leader, please see page 4.
What Are the Requirements to Become a Supplemental Instruction Leader?
Supplemental Instruction Leaders (SILs) are students devoted to providing academic assistance to
their peers at EMU. They have achieved academic excellence through successful course
navigation, superior study skills, and utilizing campus resources.
We require our SI Leaders to have at minimum:




3.2 cumulative GPA
Sophomore standing
B+ or better in the class they wish to SI for
Enrolled at least half-time (6 undergraduate or 4 graduate credits)
In addition, we carefully review past course data via IRIM, considering course fail/drop rates,
average grades, enrollment, course structure, course material, and course history with
Supplemental Instruction when approving courses.
How can I get a Supplemental Instruction Leader?
Some students may approach you about becoming an SI leader for your class, but we highly
encourage you to talk to your students about applying for the program. When their complete
application (including a letter of recommendation from you) has been turned in to the HSC, we
will contact them for an interview and if hired, you will be notified via email.
See below for a hiring timeline for each semester.
Semester
Recruiting
Referrals
Interview
Hiring
Training
Fall
Early March
to mid April
April to late
June
Prior to
Labor Day
Winter
Mid-October
to late
November
MidNovember to
midDecember
Prior to
holiday
break
Summer
Early March
to mid-April
Late March
to late April
Prior to start
of semester
We do have a couple of notes to keep in mind when selecting an SI leader – your SI leader may
only hold sessions for sections of your class (excluding online courses). If you request an SI for ACC
240, for example, your SI leader may only hold sessions for ACC 240, and only for your sections
Last Updated 10/16/2014
3
of the class and not another instructor’s. Students from other instructors are not allowed to attend
your SI leader’s sessions; this ensures that students are getting information both accurate and
relevant to the instructor’s teaching style. From our knowledge and previous experience, instructors
may have different textbooks and/or emphasize different information within their lectures. This
may become confusing to students from an outside course section, even though it is the same
subject matter.
After your SIL is hired, they will go participate in two days of training which will provide them
additional tools to be an effective mentor in class and SI sessions.
Some of the training topics include:





Active class presence
Empathetic listening
Planning collaborative activities for SI sessions
Effective drop-in tutoring practices
Developing a mentoring relationship with students
In addition, SILs are provided with a comprehensive manual and attend weekly meetings with a
Supplemental Instruction Mentor (SIM) who answers his/her questions and helps them develop
leadership skills. These skills are obtained through weekly workshops that address time
management, stress management, goal setting, and accommodating different student populations.
In searching for SILs, we look for students with more than pristine academic records. We’re
interested in hiring SI Leaders who can be mentors. As of November 1, 2013, the SI Program at
Eastern became a College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) Level One Certified
Mentoring Program, meaning that we take a holistic approach to student development. The
certification provides specific standards for hiring, training, and evaluation of SILs. We hope that
these standards will act as a baseline and assist instructors in recommending students to become
SILs.
Standards for Level One Certification include:
-
15 hours of mentor training
50 hours of mentoring experience
a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA
two professional references
If you’re interested in learning more about CRLA certifications and standards, visit
http://www.crla.net/imtpc/index.htm
Last Updated 10/16/2014
4
What exactly does a Supplemental Instruction Leader do?
Lecture Attendance
• SILs act as a positive student role model
• Take note of important concepts, in addition to any content students appear to be struggling with
• Participate in lecture based on instructor's discretion
Professor Meetings
• Up to one hour each week
• Discuss session planning, upcoming tests, and class performance
• Updates on SI Session attendance
Session Preparation
• Up to three hours each week
• Reading/reviewing textbook and lecture material
• Developing activities and worksheets
SI Sessions
• SILs facilitate two one-hour sessions per week (or three one-hours sessions for five credit hour courses)
scheduled around both the SIL's and student's schedules
• Time is spent reviewing material via worksheets, discussion, games, and more.
Drop-in Tutoring
• In addition to SI Sessions, SI Leaders hold two hours of drop-in tutoring at Eagle Study Tables in Halle
Library.
• Students from all sections of a course (even different professors) may attend.
Team Meetings
• SILs attend a one-hour weekly meeting with other SILs from various subject areas that are led by an
experienced SI leader promoted to a "Mentor" position.
• Discuss HSC announcements, professional development, conflict resolution, attendance boosters,
campus resources, and etc.
Last Updated 10/16/2014
5
How can Supplemental Instruction Benefit You?





SI sessions utilize effective study strategies with attendees while reviewing course material
and enhancing learning competence and academic performance (Ning & Downing, 2010).
The more time SILs spend reviewing these vital college skills outside of the classroom, the
more time for you to focus on discussion of material in depth.
Weekly meetings with your SIL provide you with important early feedback on content
proving to be difficult for students. In addition, he/she may offer helpful opinions on
methods that allow students to learn the material (Clark-Unite, Smith, & Zerger, 2006).
Students that attend SI sessions potentially gain greater confidence in the material and
become more active participants when needed in lecture. In addition, academic success in
introductory courses shapes students perceptions of the profession and may sway their
choice as to major in a specific field (Jones & Fields, 2001).
Using a proactive approach in the review of course material helps students keep up in
course work and improves grades and attrition rates.
Working one-on-one with your SI leader gives you the opportunity to mentor them and
develop a working relationship with a student who has an interest in your field of study.
What is the difference between an SI Leader, a Teaching Assistant/Graduate
Assistant, and a Tutor?
The role of the SI leader differs in many different ways from a traditional Graduate or Teaching
Assistant, and also from individual tutoring. Because of the differences, we ask that you discuss
with your SIL their particular responsibilities, specifically activities that the HSC discourages them
from doing. This includes proctoring exams, setting aside personal time for individual tutoring,
lecturing in place of an instructor, and inquiring on individual student work.
Below is a chart defining the difference in roles among SI, TA/GAs, and tutors.
SI Leader
GA/TA
Tutor
Facilitates group
collaborative study
sessions for students
Lectures subject matter
and re-teaches previous
material
Individualizes review of
course material
Model student during
lecture; may take notes
on difficult material
students struggle with
Content specialist; is able
to lecture on material
and answer questions
directly
Does not attend lecture
Peer
Academically elite
Either peer or
academically elite
Last Updated 10/16/2014
6
What Can I Do to Ensure the Success of my SI Leader?
Provide Course Textbook, Course Pack, and Other Course Resources
SILs often rely on course material such as textbooks and lab manuals to prepare for their
sessions outside of lecture. Please provide your SIL with any material that students also have
access to and possibly instructor slides or notes, should you feel they are needed. Any online
components to textbooks that offer practice quizzes or activities are a great resource for SILs
as well.
Allow SI Leader Access to Course Shell
SI leaders need to be able to contact all students via email about upcoming sessions and
cancelled sessions. The best way to give your SI leader access to your students’ email
addresses is to add them to your course shell on emuonline.edu.
Encourage Attendance
SI provides an opportunity for faculty to develop a professional relationship with a student
who has successfully completed their course, while providing another learning tool for their
current students. The success of SI hinges on the instructor’s endorsement and support of the
program. Previous research has shown that instructors who actively promote and recommend
SI Sessions to their students will observe higher attendance in the SI Sessions than instructors
who do not encourage students to attend (McGuire, 2006; Congos & Schoeps, 1993;
Webster & Hooper, 1998). Therefore, allowing your SI Leader time during lecture to
announce sessions or allowing them to write session information on your white/chalk board
allows students to have constant reminders of sessions.
Discuss with your SI Leader attendance boosting strategies, such as offering incentives for
students to attend. Worksheets created by the SIL that may include one or two sample test
questions, approved by you; making these questions available exclusively to students who
come to SI sessions will be an incentive for them to attend. Offering a certain amount of extra
credit to students that have regularly attended sessions throughout the semester is another
possible incentive. These are not required of you, but may help should the SI Leader struggle
with getting students to attend their session.
Show Your Students That You and Your SI Leader Are a Team
If it appears to students that the SI Leader does not work regularly with you, it may seem as
though the SI Leader is not in tune with the course material, which may have a negative effect
on attendance. Demonstrating to your students that you and your SI Leader are working
together to help them allows the students to see that you trust the SI Leader with the material.
This interaction may result in the students feeling more comfortable approaching you when
they see how you interact with their peer. Your SIL should take a few moments before class to
talk to you, and if possible, both you and your SI Leader should leave the classroom together.
These small steps go a long way in gaining trust from students.
Last Updated 10/16/2014
7
Campus Resources
Campus Police (DPS)
Center for Multicultural
Affairs
Counseling and
Psychological Services
1200 Oakwood Street
734.487.1222
dps_questions@emich.edu
358 EMU Student Center
734.487.2377
313 Snow Health Center
734.487.1118
Counseling.Services@emich.edu
Disability Resource Center
Health Services &
Wellness Center
Holman Success Center
240 Student Center
734.487.2470
drc@emich.edu
Snow Health Center
2nd Floor
734.487.1122
G04 Halle Library
734.487.2133
success.center@emich.edu
LGBT Resource Center
Office of International
Students
Office of Student Conduct
and Community Standards
354 EMU Student Center
734.487.4149
lgbtrc@emich.edu
244 Student Center
734.487.3116
ois@emich.edu
250 Student Center
734.487.2157
Office of the Ombuds
University Writing
Center
Women’s Resource Center
240 Student Center
734.487.0074
115 Halle Library
734.487.0694
356 EMU Student Center
734.487.4282
emu_womenscenter@emich.edu
Last Updated 10/16/2014
8
References
Congos, D. H., & Schoeps, N. (1993). Does supplemental instruction really work and what is it
anyway?. Studies in Higher Education, 18(2), 165-176.
International Center for Supplemental Instruction. http://www.umkc.edu/asm/si/index.shtml
Jones, J. P., & Fields, K. T. (2001). The role of supplemental instruction in the first accounting
course. Issues in Accounting Education, 16(4), 531-547.
McGuire, S. Y. (2006). The impact of supplemental instruction on teaching students how to learn.
New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2006(106), 3-10.
Ning, H. K., & Downing, K. (2010). The impact of supplemental instruction on learning competence
and academic performance. Studies in Higher Education, 35(8), 921-939. doi:
10.1080/03075070903390786
Webster, T. J., & Hooper, L. (1998). Supplemental instruction for introductory chemistry courses: a
Preliminary investigation. Journal of Chemical Education, 75(3), 328-331.
Zerger, S., Clark-Unite, C. & Smith, L. (2006), How Supplemental Instruction benefits faculty,
administration, and institutions. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 63–72. doi:
10.1002/tl.234
For more information or questions about EMU’s Supplemental Instruction Program, please contact:
Judy Mack
Coordinator of Supplemental Instruction and Tutoring
Holman Success Center
G04 Halle Library
734.487.2133
jmack@emich.edu
Last Updated 10/16/2014
9