NOTICE: No SI Sessions will be held on November 25, 26, and 27 due to Thanksgiving Break!
What is SupplementaI Instruction?
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a series of review sessions for students taking historically difficult courses. SI is provided for all students who want to improve their understanding of course material and improve their grades. Attendance at sessions is voluntary. For you the student, it’s a chance to get together with people in your class to compare notes, to discuss important concepts, to develop strategies for studying the subject, and to test yourselves before your professor does, so that when he/she does, you’ll be ready. At each session you will be guided through this material by your SI leader, a competent student who has previously taken the course.
What’s an SI leader?
Have you ever wished you could do something over, knowing what you know now? That’s impossible, but you can come close in SI. SI leaders are students themselves and are prepared to share with you what they have learned over the years about how to study. They know the course content and are anxious to help guide you through it. They’ll be in class with you every day, hearing what you hear and reading what you read. What they won’t do is lecture; their job is to help you think about the lectures you hear and the books you read, and then put it all together into some kind of perspective during SI review sessions so you can learn it more efficiently.
When do SI review sessions start?
Currently, SI sessions are scheduled immediately following the course. However, on the first day of class you will fill out a short survey to let the SI leader know your class schedule. Each SI leader will set up two or more review sessions a week at times that are best for the majority of you. You can attend one or all of them (the choice is yours) and each one will be different because you’ll have new material to discuss. SI review sessions are informal. Bring your notes; bring your textbook; bring your questions.
What’s in it for me?
If you attend SI sessions regularly, chances are you’ll earn a better grade. You’ll have developed a better understanding of course content as well as more effective ways of studying. This will help you in other classes as well!
FALL 2009 MASTER SCHEDULE OF SI SESSIONS
Now Hiring Energetic Classroom Leaders!
The Skinny...
The Office of Student Development and Public Affairs is continuing the SI program during the spring 2010 semester. Designed by researchers in the Center for Academic Development at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, SI is a peer tutoring program used by hundreds of colleges and universities throughout the world. Students who have performed well in courses that are traditionally difficult are nominated by the faculty members who teach the courses to be SI tutors. Nominees are then interviewed and selected by the Director of Supplemental Instruction. SI tutors are paired with an instructor and paid to attend all class sessions and to lead two or three study sessions immediately following the class each week. They are also paid for their preparation time.
The Job...
The role of the SI tutor involves modeling behavior that translates to success in the classroom. By attending the class, the SI tutor is able to understand faculty expectations. The SI tutor works with the students voluntarily attending study sessions by generating relevant discussions and creating worksheets and test questions that enable students to feel empowered when encountering difficult material. SI tutors participate in extensive training the week before classes begin each semester.
For the official application, referal form, and a list of classes offering SI, click here.
If you are interested in becoming an SI tutor, please complete the application and return it to the Bear CLAW (Center for Learning and Writing) by 12:00 p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2009. Interviews will begin after Thanksgiving. If you have any questions, please contact me by responding to this e-mail or by calling Michael Frizell, SI Director, at 417-836-5006.
SI Leaders of the Month
The Awards for Excellence in Leadership are Presented to:
Morgan Walker & David Beller
in recognition of their contributions to the Supplemental Instruction Program at Missouri State University,
they is hereby recognized as the SI Leaders of Month of October 2009.