REFLECTIONS ON A SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEVEL

The Supplemental Instruction (SI) Program is offered for courses that are particularly difficult and have a high withdrawal or failure rate. The Student Instruction Leader (SIL) is handpicked by the course instructor after they completed the course successfully with excellence. SI sessions are regularly scheduled meetings before or after class, where the SIL facilitates a study session with any students enrolled who want to participate. These sessions provide supporting information about the course content and examine good study skills that can be used directly in class and eventually applied to other classes.

The SI Program has been active in the Geoscience Department at Crafton Hills College (CHC) for about five years. There have been four Student Instruction Leaders, who worked ranging from one year (two semesters) to two and half years (five semesters). After nearly ten completed semesters:

1) The SI Program has considerably helped pass rates for the course, especially if the students attend at least five sessions.

2) If students are enrolled in both lecture and lab and attend sessions for both, their levels of success are even higher, for they will usually attend over ten sessions.

3) SI sessions can utilize multiple tools in order to achieve success. The most successful tools can vary between SI leaders, depending on their strengths.

4) Mentoring between the cooperating faculty members, the more experienced SI leaders, and the new SI leaders is essential in order to maintain continuity and student success.

5) Generally, success rates of SI leaders gradually increases with experience.

At this time, the SI Program has been mostly utilized in the Physical Geology courses. Last semester, it was offered in the Physical Geography (with lab) for the first time. In the future, we hope to add SI sessions for all of the geoscience courses offered at CHC. The Supplemental Instruction Program has increased student success in the Geoscience Department. Students are more engaged, better prepared, and generally ask more questions in class and the laboratory.