Supplemental Instruction Sessions Contribute to Students' Academic Success

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Catawba College students have an opportunity to improve their chance of success in a variety of classes thanks to 12 Supplemental Instruction (SI) Sessions being offered during spring semester. These free, informal sessions are led by students who have taken the course before and agree to sit throug...

Catawba College students have an opportunity to improve their chance of success  in a variety of classes thanks to 12 Supplemental Instruction (SI) Sessions  being offered during spring semester. These free, informal sessions are led  by students who have taken the course before and agree to sit through one section  of the class.

The SI sessions have gradually increased in popularity since the inaugural  six SI sessions were offered during the spring of 2013.   During fall  2014, eight SI sessions were offered as student demand continued to increase.

According to Catawba's SI coordinator, Kelly Heinemann, who also serves  as Catawba's Director of Mail Services and Assistant Director of Housing & Supplemental  Instruction, the hour and a half long, SI sessions are offered two times a  week and "most are chosen because of an abundance of tutoring requests  from students coming to the Academic Resources Office."   These  SI sessions are offered in two sections of Elementary Spanish II; Music Theory  II; Intermediate Spanish II; Media Law and Ethics; Principles of Macroeconomics;  Survey of American History II; Accounting I; Anatomy and Physiology II; General  Psychology; Bioscience; and Philosophy and Culture.

SI leader Rhonda Elder explained the sessions she has led like this:  "SI  is not only a chance to help others learn, but it's a learning experience  itself.  I've learned valuable skills like time management, organization  and communication.  I've learned that working with others has helped  me understand the content more in depth and that makes me better at helping  students during the sessions. SI also provides a second exposure to content  in a more step-by-step and relaxed environment, and I've seen that that  helps many students."

"SI has been a fantastically rewarding experience, allowing me to review  some of my favorite classes while helping others enjoy them as much as I did," explained  Donovan Patrick James, an SI leader.

"It has been great helping fellow classmates and friends do well in  a subject they find difficult," added Michael Waller, also an SI leader.

Students who have signed up for the SI sessions say they have been well-served.

"They were helpful when I needed them and I wouldn't change anything," student  Taylor Lee said.

"The SI sessions were very helpful and offered fun activities," student  Patrick Moore added.

 

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