What is Supplemental Instruction?
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a program that offers course-specific academic support with peer-led study sessions. Paired with traditionally difficult courses, SI Sessions are a unique academic resource where students can build community, enhance their course knowledge and performance, as well as cultivate skills applicable to their future academic and professional endeavors.
What are SI Sessions?
SI Sessions are regularly scheduled, out-of-class, peer-facilitated study groups provided to supplement student learning throughout their course. These study groups are designed and facilitated by an SI Leader to provide fun, engaging, and collaborative learning strategies in an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students.
What are SI Leaders?
SI Leaders are students themselves who, as a result of their leadership qualities and academic performance, were nominated by their professor to support a course as a study session facilitator. Trained in the SI model, SI Leaders plan, host, and facilitate collaborative study sessions weekly throughout the semester. Because they work closely with their professor, SI Leaders are able to create exclusive study content for their SI Sessions.
SI Leaders do not re-lecture, tutor, nor provide answers. Instead, the SI model of facilitation promotes student collaboration as the means for high quality learning of the course material. Their job is to help students understand and navigate the lectures and readings of the course, integrating the what of learning with the how to learn.
Alongside facilitating SI Sessions, SI Leaders attend and take notes on course lectures so that they are fully integrated into their assigned course. They’ll be in class with you every day, hearing what you hear and reading what you read. They take notes and participate in the class, just like you.
Want to know more about SI Leaders? Check out our Become an SI Leader page!
Where can I find Supplemental Instruction at ACC?
The SI program supports all course types across all disciplines and regions of the ACC District. Check out which courses have SI-support this semester:
What are the benefits of attending SI Sessions?
SI Sessions are beneficial in so many ways! Here’s just a few of the ways that SI has a positive impact upon student experiences:
In the early 1990s, the U.S. Department of Education validated three specific claims about the effectiveness of Supplmental Instruction:
- Students participating in SI within the targeted high-risk courses earn higher mean final course grades than students who do not participate in SI.
- Despite ethnicity and prior academic achievement, students participating in SI within targeted high-risk courses succeed at a higher rate (withdraw at a lower rate and receive a lower percentage of [fail] final course grades) than those who do not participate in SI.
- Students participating in SI persist at the institution (reenroll and graduate) at higher rates than students who do not participate in SI.
A more recent review of all published SI research between 2001 and 2010 found studies in support of all three of these claims, and no studies contradicting them.
Students don’t just learn a higher letter grade as a result of attending SI Sessions, they actually gain a greater understanding of the course material through the learning process of peer-led facilitation. In addition to developing a greater understanding in the course, students also learn new study tactics, improving their overall learning experiences.
Students who attend SI Sessions engage in the unique opportunity to connect with their peers and build class community. By spending time with peers both in an out of the classroom, students build meaningful relationships with each other, which in turn makes their learning experiences all the more valuable.
SI Sessions are a great space for students to collaborate and share resources with each other! By attending SI, students get help navigating course-specific materials, as well as resources that are available to all students across the ACC District.
But don’t just take it from us! Check out what our awesome ACC students have to say about SI Sessions:
SI is the perfect opportunity to take one’s time and break down any knowledge barriers that may not be able to be comprehensively covered in the allotted class time.
Student of Live Sound I, SP25
Sometimes I wouldn’t fully grasp certain topics or didn’t know how to answer certain homework questions, so I would like going to [SI to] clear things up. It was also an added bonus that I could meet and hangout with other students.
Student of MicroEconomics, SP25
I initially went to SI to get clarification on class material, but as I got to know the people attending SI, it also became a good place to socialize, making it more comfortable asking questions.
Student of Organic Chemistry II, SP25
Student FAQs
How do I know if my class has SI support?
When registering for classes, you can search for “Supplemental Instruction” in Self-Service under Academics->Course Catalog->Course Type. This filtered search will provide you with a list of SI-supported classes for which you can register.