ESCC offers Supplemental Instruction program

“The program is not to be mistaken with tutoring, which identifies weak students and helps to remediate their weaknesses,” said SI co-coordinator  Kathy Pattie. “Instead, Supplemental Instruction identifies difficult classes, often referred to as gateway classes that traditionally are more difficult for students to pass.  In this program, students in the class are offered a one-hour supplemental session for each class taught.  These sessions are led by students who have been identified as exceptional students in those classes.”

Student SI leaders attend the course with the rest of the class.

Then they help their fellow students learn to relate concepts taught in the class.

This helps the students to understand the material and also helps them build study skills that will transfer to their other courses. 

Participation in the sessions is voluntary, with students being able to pick and choose the sessions they attend. 

“I think it is a really good program that will be helpful to a lot of students,” said Gage Craig, one of the new SI leaders.  “I am excited not only about being a student leader, but about gaining help in my own Biology 103 class as a student.”

The one-hour sessions of SI are increased to two hours immediately before a major exam or project. 

Nationally, the results of Supplemental Instruction are extremely positive. 

The program has been proven to aid in class retention and has been shown to decrease the number of withdrawals over the course of the semester. 

It has also been shown to increase the final grade of the student participants by 5-10%. 

Students who participate in Supplemental Instruction are also shown to have much higher graduation rates than those who do not attend these sessions. 

Petra Hokanson, a current ESCC student and SI leader, agrees that the opportunities available to her through SI will broaden her educational experience. 

“I am excited about this opportunity to help fellow students through possible difficulties in their classes,” Hokanson said. “I see this as a learning opportunity for myself as well.”

SI will be offered fall semester 2012 in six classes.

Those classes are: English 092, English 093, English 102, biology 103, math 112, history 201 and history 202.

ESCC plans to expand the program next semester to include more classes.

Students interested in SI may find the classes in the catalog designated in the course titles with the letters SI.

The program is funded by a Title III grant. 

For more information, call (334) 347-2623.