Supplemental Instruction Sessions

By -
Posted March 31, 2014 by Emma Mann

Sometimes, as hard as you try, the schedule of classes you create just isn’t what you want. You get all of the classes you need, but they just might not be the most convenient schedule for you. Spring of my freshman year, I had one of those schedules. I got all of my classes: Math, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, and even a general education course. The main problem I had was that all but one of the office hours for my math professor was during either my chemistry lab or my physics lab. Most weeks, this wasn’t an issue. I could go into the office hour I was free for and get my questions about the concepts answered. Other weeks though, there just wasn’t enough time. That’s when I found Supplemental Instruction sessions (SI sessions).

SI sessions are free weekly study sessions led by a fellow student who has taken the class before. They allow students to collaborate with other students on course concepts and study together. SI sessions allow students to work in a smaller setting than in the lecture. The largest group of people I had in the SI session I went to was only about 20 students compared to the over 100 students who attended lecture. SI sessions were there to answer more conceptual questions in the course through additional practice problems from outside of the book and class homework. The SI leader asked why we used they steps we did on an incorrect problem and then explained why a different approach to the problem would make the problem not only easier, but correct. SI sessions not only helped me improve my understanding of course material, but also helped me improve my grade in the course.


Purdue University YouTube video on SI Sessions

Attending one SI session every other week of the semester has been shown to increase student’s grades an average of a full letter grade. SI sessions are offered for 15 different introductory courses allowing students to transition into college learning. Most SI sessions are offered at least twice a week and later in the day, which allows students to fit SI sessions into their class schedule. SI sessions are a great opportunity for students to learn a gain a better understanding of their course material. I would highly recommend for students to at least attend one SI session to see if it would help them in at least one of their classes because who doesn’t love free help in class?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Purdue Housing

By -
Image
One of the many concerns incoming freshmen have is what to do regarding their housing options. In addition to the roommate selection process, you may be interested in seeing your on-campus options in terms of amenities and the communities available within the building. For example, when I accepted my admission to Purdue as a freshman, I knew I was interested in a standard double that I had experienced at a summer college program. To ensure my University Residences housing, I applied to Vertically Integrated Projects so that I would be able to pursue a research project as a freshman while also guaranteeing my housing within Earhart Hall through the connected learning community. For more information on learning communities, read our previous blog! Many freshmen will live in a residence hall, even if they are not in a specific learning community. Now, as a Resident Assistant or RA in Earhart Hall, I have been trained on the term “residence hall”; our halls go beyond a traditional “dormito
Read more

Top 10 Extracurriculars Purdue Students Want You to Join Outside of Engineering

By -
Image
1. Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM):  The biggest student-run organization on campus! You can join as a dancer, where you get to fundraise leading up to the 18-hour long event or be even more involved and join a committee! Some of the committees include Riley Relations, where you fundraise to sponsor events for the Riley families throughout the year & are paired with a Riley family for the night of the event, Special Events Committee, where you organize 5K’s and other events around campus throughout the year, and so much more! 2. Boiler Gold Rush (BGR):  Whether it be as a new student, a team leader (TL), or even a Supervisor, there are so many ways to get involved with BGR! This week-long event is held the week before classes start in August. As a new student, it is your first chance to meet your new colleagues and participate in many games, fountain runs, and other fun activities throughout the week. It is also a great way to familiarize yourself with the campus an
Read more

A very (sub)objective review of dining options at Purdue

By -
Image
Jenn and her friends after the Thankgiving dinner Food is an integral part of our day. For some people, the very first thing they do in the morning is eat breakfast. I personally prefer my cup of coffee to a stack of waffles. Nonetheless, food has the power to pick up a bad mood, enhance a good mood, and even ease the stress you are feeling about exams and homework. The awareness I have of how food impacts my mood is recently found since I started college in August. at home I usually came home to my mom or dad making something delicious in the crockpot. Suddenly I arrive at college and there are so many options that it can get overwhelming at times to figure out what to eat. Navigating the dining options at college did not seem like something I should have been worried about, yet it was something that took a month of experimenting to perfect.  The key is knowing where to go and what is consistent. I decided to help you out and give you some insight into how I view each dining option on
Read more