What is SI?
Supplemental Instruction is a program built around peer-led group study sessions for some of Purdue’s most challenging courses. Our SI Leaders are undergraduate students at Purdue who have taken the course that they are assigned to lead and know what it takes to succeed. They are trained to facilitate or guide learning through fun, collaborative activities that provide more practice with challenging course material and concepts. SI attendance is correlated with higher grades in the paired course, but it shouldn’t be thought of as a quick fix or a place to go for last minute help before an exam. To get the most benefit, you should attend SI early in the semester and continue coming as often as you can. Keep in mind that 1 hour of productive group study is equal to 2 hours of solo studying – SI helps you maximize your study time while also getting to know your peers and having fun.
What to Expect
When you come to an SI session, you should expect to encounter a welcoming and inclusive environment. Since SI sessions are collaborative, you should expect to work in small groups with other students in your class; however, SI is a low stakes environment (you won’t be graded!), so don’t be embarrassed to make a mistake or be confused. The leader will use facilitation strategies to encourage you to think more critically about course content and develop a deeper understanding of how different concepts connect to one another. Although the leader might not directly answer a question you ask, they will help you to find the answer yourself, which in the long run will be more beneficial to your learning. We encourage SI leaders to develop activities that are fun and engaging as well as useful, so you might get to play games like Jeopardy or Amazing Race while improving your skills in the course content.
