What is "SI"?

Supplemental Instruction is a series of weekly interactive review sessions for students taking historically challenging courses (those with higher than usual rates of D, F and W outcomes). Statistics from colleges and universities across the country where SI is utilized show that attendance at the sessions helps students perform better and achieve higher grades. This holds as true for students who are struggling to pass as it does for students who feel they should pull an A rather than a B.

SI is different from traditional tutoring in that it is group review, it is dynamic, rather than passive, and the leader is a peer: someone who has previously taken the course and done well, or a student who may be a major or who has strong skills in the subject matter and was recommended for the leader role by a faculty member.

Attendance is voluntary. For you the student, it's a chance to get together with people in your class to compare notes, to discuss important concepts, to develop strategies for studying the subject, and to test yourselves before your professor does, so you'll be ready when the time comes.

Your SI student leader has completed extensive training in order to assume the leader role, is working closely with your professor and the SI Supervisors to plan engaging sessions, and will attend class along with you as frequently as possible so he/she knows what is being covered and how.
They will not lecture; their job is to help you think about the lectures you hear and the assignments you read, and then put it together with you into some perspective during review sessions so you can learn the material more efficiently. Some say that SI demonstrates how to be successful in a given class - pointers and the sharing of techniques which have proven to be successful for students who do well in the subject area.

DU testimonials about SI from students who participated last year:
What was the most helpful aspect of the SI sessions attached to your class?
" Emily was great. She explained problems in a different way.
" Having someone who wasn't a math geek to help - a different perspective.
" Kasina gave good remembering tips
" It was very informal and we were able to ask questions in English so that we were fully understood.
" The most helpful part was the small group and the ability to work on anything.
" Getting my homework done correctly so I could study off of it for tests.
" To go over the material with someone new and hear another way of teaching.

A schedule ot times, locations, and leader information for Supplemental Instruction is available here.

It is perfectly acceptable for students to attend a different SI section from the one matched with their particular class.

Dr. Ali Walton
University Requirements Adviser
alwalton@du.edu
303-871-2245