| A new semester
and new faces on campus. The Special Retention Office
is no exception with new Coordinator Cathy Hall and
office assistants Victoria Lacny and Charlotte Noble
taking over Hawthorn 425. The office focuses on building
community by providing supplemental instruction and
mentoring initiatives, and by participating in the “REACH”
partnership with IVY Tech State College.
Focus on Supplemental Instruction
(SI)
Everyone's heard of Supplemental
Instruction (SI), right? But do you know what SI is,
how it works and why it's a valuable program for students,
faculty and Indiana University Northwest?
SI is an academic support program that offers student-led
study sessions for historically challenging courses.
This is not a remedial program; all
students taking an SI designated course are welcome
to attend SI study sessions at no charge.
SI begins at the first meeting of an SI designated
course where the SI leader for that course introduces
him/herself, talks about the program and hands out a
survey. The survey allows the SI leader to schedule
convenient study sessions and to gauge student interest
in the SI sessions. The instructor plays an important
role in the success of SI by recognizing the importance
of SI, allowing the SI leader time to make announcements,
and encouraging all students to participate in the study
sessions.
The main reasons behind the success of this program
are the SI leaders; students who have already taken
the course, received a 3.0 or better, and have been
recommended by an instructor to be an SI leader. These
students act as model students by attending the class,
taking notes, reading assigned texts, then planning
and leading regularly scheduled study sessions. These
sessions are not a re-lecture of the instructor's material;
instead they are interactive sessions that help students
learn to apply the concepts they heard about in the
classroom. SI leaders might plan exercises, facilitate
group discussion, or answer questions. The sessions
accomplish more than the obvious; students learn study
skills and team work, along with making connections
with other students.
Why does SI work? Students participating in SI on a
regular basis learn better study skills and how to work
collaboratively. SI leaders help students learn how-to-learn
and what-to-learn. They discover better ways to take
notes, think critically, and how to apply information
by working with other students and the SI leaders. They
generally spend more time studying and discussing the
material when they attend SI sessions regularly, and
course grades tend to be higher with a lower withdrawal
rate. SI leaders benefit by developing leadership skills,
enhancing their understanding of a subject, and honing
their own study and organizational skills as they plan
SI sessions.
While the most obvious goal of the SI program is to
help students succeed in a specific course, the goals
are more ambitious. SI leaders integrate study methods,
team building, organizational skills, and creativity
into each study session. Students learn to apply those
study skills into other courses. SI helps students make
connections with faculty, staff, and other students,
building successful learning communities, along with
having a positive experience in their SI course(s).
If you would like to be a part of the Supplemental
Instruction program or would like more information about
Special Retention Programs, please call 219-981-4296,
stop by the office at Hawthorn 425 or e-mail cathall@iun.edu. |
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