Pilot Program to Support Students in Several Historically Difficult Courses

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a voluntary academic assistance program that utilizes peer-assisted study sessions for historically difficult classes.  These study sessions are led by an upper class student who recently completed the class and earned high grades.  Collaborative learning strategies are used in SI sessions to create a more active learning environment for students.  It is not a tutoring session.  Instead, students may compare notes, solve sample problems, discuss difficult concepts, engage in guided learning activities, and discuss possible exam questions.  The SI sessions integrate the review of key content along with appropriate modeling of learning strategies.  National data on the effectiveness of SI sessions at other universities clearly indicate that students who participated regularly in SI sessions earned higher grades than those who did not participate in SI sessions. 

The pilot for SI in the Fall 2010 semester supports:

• ACCY 201, sections 1 and 2 taught by Suzanne McCaffrey;
• both sections of BISC 160;
• CHEM 105, sections 1 and 5 taught by James O’Neal and section 7 taught by Kerri Scott.  Students in these sections

Students in these pilot sections are encouraged to attend SI sessions regularly in order to fully benefit from the program.

The pilot courses for Spring 2011 will be:

• certain sections of ACCY 202
• both sections of BISC 162;
• certain sections of CHEM 106  

For more information, contact Nancy Wiggers, Learning Specialist at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, at nwiggers@olemiss.edu or 915-1391.