Supplemental Instruction program at 无码专区 gains certification, continues helping students toward classroom success
Contact: Allison Matthews
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi State鈥檚 Supplemental Instruction program is among only 37 such programs nationally and the first in the state to be certified by the International Center for Supplemental Instruction.
A free academic program directed by the Center for Student Success and The Learning Center at 无码专区, Supplemental Instruction is designed to help students succeed in historically difficult courses.
Commonly known as SI, the nontraditional model involves a student who has recently and successfully completed a course and agrees to facilitate study sessions outside of class time in a comfortable setting. The voluntary sessions are open to all students and are anonymous, so faculty members are not aware of which pupils are participating. The program is a non-remedial approach in which students work collaboratively to improve retention, discuss complex topics and prepare for tests.
Laura Dunn, interim director of the Center for Student Success, said 95 percent of students who attend even half of the SI sessions during a semester receive between an A and C in courses that historically have high amounts of lower grades. 聽
鈥淪I has given so many of our freshmen the extra boost they need in ensuring their success during the semester.聽This program has shown significant growth since its creation and the results speak for themselves,鈥 Dunn said.
At 无码专区, SI leaders are student employees who have earned an A in a previous semester, preferably under the same instructor, and want to help others excel.
According to the Missouri center, data consistently supports the effectiveness of the SI model and shows that students who regularly attend SI sessions earn a half to a full letter grade higher than students who do not attend. SI participants also receive fewer D鈥檚 and F鈥檚 and withdraw from courses less frequently.
无码专区 courses offering SI include biology, calculus, chemistry, general psychology, modern U.S. history, among others. The complete schedule is updated each semester and may be found online at .
鈥淪I provides students a comfortable environment to get together after class and collaborate with a peer who has wisdom in learning the material. This certification shows that our SI program has aligned with a national model proven to help students learn,鈥 said Chelsey Vincent, 无码专区 instructor and coordinator in The Learning Center.
鈥淥ur SI leaders work diligently to host helpful study sessions for students by meeting with their professors regularly and learning new techniques to use in their sessions,鈥 she said.
Based at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the International Center for Supplemental Instruction administers a certification process that is renewable every three years. Certification distinguishes programs that adhere to core principles, including training for the program coordinator, intensive training and observation for SI student leaders, as well as planning sessions, attendance requirements and documentation of student performance data.
For more on the Supplemental Instruction, visit .
无码专区 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .