The Future of Education

A compelling need to provide innovative skill development for underprepared students entering universities has arisen in the last few years. This is due to disparities in students’ prior knowledge, lack of familiarity with university standards, and differences in primary language that make postsecondary education more difficult. Depending on the individual, different types of support are warranted in order to enable these people to succeed, especially in difficult courses. High failure rates in complex courses led educators to seek strategies beyond traditional tutoring methods to increase student skill development, thus preparing them for all of their university-level classes. The idea of Supplemental Instruction (SI) has existed since the early 1970’s, but is experiencing a resurgence in response to the changing needs in educational environments. Supplemental Instruction is a non-mandatory resource given by some universities, in which the goal is to help students master content while developing study and metacognitive skills. The sessions are conducted on a frequent, regular basis by a student who has taken and excelled in the class, known as a Supplemental Instruction Leader. The trained leader acts as a model student by attending classes, taking notes, and asking questions. Students acknowledge the leader in class and recognize him/her as an equal, making a sense of familiarity and personal connection easier to develop. The fact that the leader is not seen as an authority facilitates the formation of a much closer relationship, where students feel more comfortable and willing to work harder to break down possible educational barriers. Students who have attended SI sessions indicate they have obtained a deeper understanding of what was being taught through the different ways of practicing with the material. They specify that the discussion of lecture topics facilitates internalization and comprehension of the information. Students also comment on the positive aspects of a more intimate and personalized setting outside of the traditional classroom.SI sessions focus on peer learning and employ a variety of activities based on collaborative learning techniques that promote active engagement and higher retention. SI not only seeks to increase content knowledge but recognizes the need to build the self-confidence necessary for students to believe that they can succeed. During the sessions, students take the lead by actively participating in a learning environment. Through constant peer interaction, practice, and repetition, students deepen their understanding and feel more confident about course material. The success of an SI program lies in its ability to enhance both the cognitive and affective domain, which will be extremely advantageous for student success in their university journey.

Keywords: Peer learning, Collaborative Learning Techniques, Active Learning Environment;

References: 
[1] Malm, J., Bryngfors, L., & Fredriksson, J. (2018). Impact of Supplemental Instruction on Dropout and Graduation Rates: An Example from 5-Year Engineering Programs. Journal of Peer Learning, 11, 76–88. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1175969.pdf
[2] Yue, H., Rico, R. S., Vang, M. K., & Giuffrida, T. A. (2018). Supplemental Instruction: Helping Disadvantaged Students Reduce Performance Gap. Journal of Developmental Education, 41(2), 18–25. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1200705.pdf