FAU students in Supplemental Instruction Session
Find Supplemental Instruction for Your Course
Search Availability
 

si at fau

FAU piloted SI during the Fall 2007 semester with MGF1106. With the incredible success of this program, FAU continues to evaluate the program and has expanded the number of classes that incorporated SI each term. SI is offered in Biological Principles, Life Science, General Chemistry I and II, Organic Chem I & II, Biochemistry, Genetics, QMB (Quantitative Methods of Business), Accounting and more!

What is Supplemental Instruction?

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an international program offered by the Center for Learning And Student Success (CLASS) that provides peer-facilitated group study sessions for students enrolled in large, high-risk courses (30% D, F, and withdrawal rate). Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a series of weekly study sessions open to all students who want to improve their understanding of course material and improve their grades. Attendance is voluntary but SI is a great opportunity to get together with people in your class to compare notes, to discuss important concepts, to develop strategies for studying and learning the subject, and to test yourself before your professor does. At each SI session, you will be guided through course material by your SI leader who has previously taken the course and earned an A.

Find an SI Session for Your Class!

Current Supplemental Instruction Schedules


Why should I attend SI?

Students who attend SI sessions on a regular basis usually average one or more letter grades higher than those who do not attend SI sessions. You will also develop a better understanding of course content as well as more effective ways to learn it. The college level study skills that you learn in SI will help you earn higher grades in your other classes. Through attending SI, you will develop friendships with students, staff and feel a stronger connection to FAU.

What happens during SI sessions?

At each SI session your SI Leader will guide you through course concepts. The leader will not re-lecture or give his/her class notes.  The leader will not do homework or thinking for you.  The leader will help you make good use of study time and allow you to share knowledge and figure things out together. The leader will share the strategies he/she used to be successful in the course.  The leader's job is to help you think about the lectures and the textbooks, and then put it all together into some kind of perspective during SI sessions so you can learn more efficiently. During SI sessions, students can compare notes, discuss readings, develop organizational tools, and predict test items.  Students learn how to integrate course content and study skills while working together.  

SI Verses Tutoring 

One difference between SI and tutoring services is that SI leaders attend class along with the students they are working with. As such, SI sessions are generally tailored to support specific faculty and their methods.  The peer-facilitated sessions are offered multiple times each week by the same SI leader.

Like tutoring, SI is voluntary, free, and available to students on a drop-in basis. Just like our tutors, each SI leader has already taken the course and earned an A or A- and undergo our SI/tutor training program.

Why is SI so effective?

Learning theorists such as Dewey, Piaget, and Bruner advocate peer group learning because it increases understanding and mastery of course content and students who collaborate earn higher grades. SI sessions encourage students to discuss concepts and check accuracy of notes in small groups. Group learning allows interaction and practice with the course concepts in a non-threatening environment. This method of teaching has proven highly successful in increasing learning speed and in earning higher grades.

What can I expect from the SI Leader?

 The SI Leader:

  • Has had the class before and earned an "A"
  • Attends class lectures
  • Is trained in the most effective college level learning and study strategies
  • Shows you how to learn the course content in SI classes
  • Provides leadership structure to the study session
  • Models effective note-taking techniques and the crucial self-testing strategies
  • Models needed thinking and problem-solving techniques
  • Empowers students to become independent learners who can earn A's on their own

How do I apply to be an SI Leader?

Applications for SI Leaders are available on this page one month prior to the coming term's registration window opens. Visit the current application page.  Please read through all pertinent information prior to submitting your application.

Faculty Interest

Interested in adding an SI leader to your class? Know a student who you think would make a great SI leader? Read more about our SI program.