27 research outputs found
Improving student success in difficult engineering education courses through Supplemental Instruction (SI) â what is the impact of the degree of SI attendance?
The customary way to determine whether an adopted Supplemental Instruction (SI) program has been successful or not is by comparing course results for two groups, SI attendees and non-attendees. The division of SI attendees and non-attendees is generally done rather arbitrarily by prescribing a minimum number of SI sessions a student has to attend to be considered an SI attendee. Although the SI attendee vs. non-attendee concept is powerful in some respects, it tends to cloud the benefit of attending SI sessions. That a higher SI attendance leads to better course results is perhaps taken for granted, but in the few further studies that have been made, the picture of SI attendance rates vs. course results is not overly clear. The present study aims to contribute to how the degree of SI attendance affects course results in an engineering context at a Swedish University. In the study we divide the students into four categories, those with high, average, low, and no SI attendance. In terms of student success in a course, it is found that there is a clear relation between the number of SI sessions attended and course success. Students with high SI attendance do best followed by students with average, low, and no SI attendance, respectively
Benefits of Guiding Supplemental Instruction Sessions for SI Leaders: a Case Study for Engineering Education at a Swedish University
In previous studies on Supplemental Instruction (SI) relatively little attention has been paid to the âseniorâ students who lead the sessions. The focus in this study is on the benefits that the SI leaders gain from their SI experience. Data from one questionnaire directed at 35 students who recently completed their assignment as SI leaders, and another questionnaire directed at 20 former SI leaders who have graduated and are currently employed, was analysed. The results indicate that the SI leaders improved their communication and interpersonal skills, several types of leadership skills, and self-confidence as well as acquiring a âdeeperâ understanding of course content. However, the majority of the SI leaders do not seem to have changed their way of studying or their approach to planning their work, based on their SI experiences. A majority of former SI leaders regard their SI leader experience as an important asset in attaining employment after graduation. A clear majority of former SI leaders have had some use, or good use in their later professional life, for skills acquired and developed during their SI leadership
Empowering students and helping them experience success (using SI-PASS)
SI-PASS is an academic assistance program that provides help for students in âdifficultâ courses, often introductory courses for first-year students. The idea behind SI is that learning a subject is enhanced by an exchange of thoughts and ideas between students. The goal is to make the students become active and independent learners that sees peers as a learning resource. SI-PASS is connected to a âdifficultâ course and consists of weekly scheduled sessions led by an older student. The older student acts as a facilitator and receives prior and ongoing training. (The senior student should not be a teacher but help in clarifying tough questions within the subject by asking questions, initiating work in small groups, and coordinate presentations of conclusions). The session is open to all students (heterogeneity is encouraged) and usually has 5-15 participants. The session agenda is decided by the participants and the course material is processed using collaborative activities. SI-PASS as a concept is spread widely and is used at more than 2000 university colleges and universities in nearly 30 countries. SI-PASS has shown to reduce failure rates and increase reenrollment numbers. The programme has also been shown to benefit all students with different prior academic ability
Supplemental Instruction (SI) at the Faculty of Engineering (LTH), Lund University, Sweden. An evaluation of the SI-program at five LTH engineering programs autumn 2008.
The study presents an evaluation of the SI-program at five LTH engineering educations based on data from inquiries to SI-participants and SI-leaders, data on credits taken by the students during the first year, and average grade data from high-school for the first year-students. The results show that participation in SI-sessions markedly improves the chances of student success in studies during the first year. Furthermore, there are clear indications of a positive social introduction to engineering studies that is created through the SI-program. The SI-sessions also improve the participants study techniques and develop common skills important for the engineer, like problem solving, working in a group, and presenting/discussing results
Rapport om LTH:s SI-verksamhet vid gymnasiet 2011/12-2013/14
âSupplemental Instructionâ (SI) introducerades vid Lunds Tekniska Högskola (LTH) 1994. SI-verksamheten utvecklades vid Kansas Universitet i USA som ett kostnadseffektivt sĂ€tt att komma till rĂ€tta med den dĂ„liga studentgenomströmningen vid vissa utbildningar pĂ„ universitet/högskolor. SI Ă€r som framgĂ„r av det engelska namnet ett komplement till den ordinarie undervisningen. Tanken med SI Ă€r att inlĂ€rningen av ett Ă€mne förstĂ€rks genom utbyte av tankar och idĂ©er mellan studenterna. SI sker i möten om ca 5-15 studenter dĂ€r diskussionen leds av en Ă€ldre student. Den Ă€ldre studenten skall inte agera lĂ€rare utan hjĂ€lpa till att klargöra svĂ„ra frĂ„gestĂ€llningar inom Ă€mnet genom att stĂ€lla frĂ„gor, vara bollplank, initiera arbeten i smĂ„grupper och koordinera presentationer av slutsatser. Den Ă€ldre studenten genomgĂ„r en inledande SI-ledarutbildning dĂ€r denne fĂ„r verktyg att anvĂ€nda under sin sejour som SI-ledare. SI vid LTH har framförallt applicerats pĂ„ inledande kurser för nya studenter som ett sĂ€tt att komma till rĂ€tta med dĂ„lig genomströmning. Ett annat viktigt skĂ€l till anvĂ€ndningen av SI vid studiestart Ă€r att överbrygga skillnader i studiesĂ€tt mellan gymnasium och högskola. De goda erfarenheterna med SI metodiken har gjort att LTH sett denna som ett medel att öka kontaktytorna med gymnasieskolor i SkĂ„ne. Detta inleddes som ett projekt under hösten 2007 mellan sju skĂ„nska gymnasieskolor och LTH dĂ€r studenter frĂ„n LTH varit SI-ledare för elever pĂ„ gymnasieskolorna i naturvetenskapliga Ă€mnen. Projektet föll vĂ€l ut under detta prövoĂ„r och samarbetet har idag permanentats. Antalet gymnasieskolor har utökats och idag Ă€r elva skĂ„nska gymnasieskolor med i samarbetet tillsammans med LTH. Denna rapport Ă€r en utvĂ€rdering av verksamheten under tre lĂ€sĂ„r 2011/12-2013/14. Rapporten visar att SI-verksamheten pĂ„ gymnasiet i stort fungerat bra under de tre lĂ€sĂ„ren. SI-ledarna och eleverna fĂ„r vanligen en mycket god och lĂ€ttsam relation dĂ€r man nĂ€rmar sig Ă€mnets svĂ„righeter utifrĂ„n elevernas önskemĂ„l. Det verkar som de flesta eleverna uppskattar SI-mötena och att de kĂ€nner att de fĂ„r en god förstĂ„else för de problem de gĂ„tt igenom. De berörda lĂ€rarna pĂ„ skolan verkar kĂ€nna att SI-mötena verkligen kompletterar ordinarie undervisning med vĂ€rden som samarbete och diskussion mellan elever kring Ă€mnet samt att hinna gĂ„ djupare pĂ„ olika Ă€mnesomrĂ„den. LikasĂ„ verkar flera lĂ€rare uppskatta att deras elever fĂ„r intryck av högre utbildning via SI-ledarna. . SI-ledarna kĂ€nner överlag att de utvecklar sin förmĂ„ga att leda och hantera grupper samt att deras sjĂ€lvförtroende och förmĂ„ga att prata inför andra stĂ€rkts. SI-gruppen vid LTH till sist kĂ€nner bĂ„de att man fĂ„tt en god kontakt med de gymnasieskolor man samarbetar med och att eleverna pĂ„ skolorna fĂ„tt en god inblick i högre studier via SI-ledarna. Den huvudsakliga framtida utmaningen för SI-verksamheten Ă€r att stĂ€rka förankringen av denna pĂ„ skolan â hos berörda lĂ€rare, skolans ledning, men ocksĂ„ hos skolans elever
Rapport om SI-verksamheten vid gymnasiet 2010/11
LTH:s SI-verksamhet pÄ gymnasiet Àr ett samarbete mellan LTH och elva gymnasieskolor i nÀrregionen som startade under hösten 2007 och gÄr ut pÄ att anvÀnda den s.k. SI-metodiken som komplement till den ordinarie undervisningen i naturvetenskapliga Àmnen. SI-mötena leds av teknologer frÄn LTH. Syftet med samarbetet Àr flera: att förbÀttra samverkan mellan LTH och gymnasieskolor i nÀrregionen; öka intresset för naturvetenskap och teknik bland gymnasieelever med hjÀlp av teknologer som mentorer; att bidra till att öka inlÀrningen i naturvetenskapliga Àmnen; att förbÀttra elevernas studieteknik; samt att ge eleverna en bÀttre bild av hur det Àr att studera vid ett universitet/teknisk högskola. För att se hur vÀl projektet lyckats efter det första halvÄret gjordes en enkÀtutvÀrdering som riktade sig mot elever, SI-ledare och ÀmneslÀrare. Resultaten frÄn utvÀrderingen visar att mÄlsÀttningarna med SI-samarbetet mellan LTH och elva skÄnska gymnasieskolor till stor del har uppfyllts under lÀsÄret 2010/2011. Kontakterna med gymnasieskolorna har stÀrkts, elever som deltagit i SI-mötena vittnar om att förstÄelsen för Àmnet i kursen har ökat, att SI-mötena varit ett komplement till ordinarie undervisning och att studenterna frÄn LTH som varit SI-ledare kÀnner att de utvecklats sitt pedagogiska kunnande samt som ledare. Det som framförallt behöver förbÀttras Àr att kontaktpersoner vi skolorna fÄr tid avsatt att vara engagerade i SI-samverkan. Vidare behöver interninformationen om SI-samverkan inom respektive skola utökas för att skolans lÀrare skall kÀnna sig mer delaktiga. I syfte att underlÀtta detta har ett avtal upprÀttats mellan varje skola och LTH för lÀsÄret 2011/2012. DÀr tydliggörs bland annat kontaktpersonernas roll och att de skall ha erhÄllit en utbildning inom SI-metodike
The potential of Supplemental Instruction in engineering education
The results from this study show that both the percentage of students passing a difficult first-year engineering course, and scores on the course exams, are higher for students attending SI compared to students not attending. There is also a clear relation between SI attendance and student performance, with higher attendance leading to higher student performances. The study also shows that female students are attending SI at a higher rate than male students. However, both genders seem to benefit to the same degree by attending SI meetings. Also all students, independent of prior academic ability, benefit from attending SI. A qualitative study based on a questionnaire to students attending SI, suggests that SI meetings provide elements missing in other scheduled learning opportunities in the courses, which are important for understanding course material
The soft values of SI: Using surveys to assist in providing quality assurance for an SI program
The main goals of SI are usually to improve learning and student performance as well as increasing retention. The achievement of these goals are evaluated based on linking SI attendance with retention and student results (student performance is here often seen as a proxy for learning). However, the objectives with introducing an SI-program at a higher education institute is often so much more than these three goals. For instance, you want SI to help students to become independent active learners where they see fellow students as learning resources and as a result develop a network of study partners. You also want SI to help students train critical thinking, presentation skills, teamwork and collaboration, problem solving, develop study strategies and skills as well as obtaining a better confidence in studies. Although it is quite likely that supervisors running SI programs try to evaluate if they achieve these additional goals, very little information and results are actually available in the literature. The present study focus on the use of questionnaires to evaluate these soft goals of SI as well as providing quality assurance for the program. The questionnaires may be focused on the participants and leadersâ reflections on the SI program at the end of the course or questionnaires that are more specialized on a specific topic. Examples of questionnaire results for a specific SI program are presented. It is shown that several additional soft goals are achieved. For instance, most students attending SI feel that their abilities in critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, presentations improve. Furthermore, most participants get a better academic confidence and take more responsibility for their learning. Also a significant portion of the students build a network of study partners through SI. Participants at this session will be involved by inviting them to group discuss on topics like âą âwhat additional goals do they have with SI besides improving student performance and increasing retention?â, âą âto what extent do they use surveys or qualitative methods like focus groups to evaluate these additional goals?â, and âą âwhat results did they get from these additional evaluations?â
The potential of Supplemental Instruction in engineering education: creating additional peer-guided learning opportunities in difficult courses for first year students
Supplemental Instruction (SI) can be an efïŹcient way of improving student success in difïŹcult courses. Here, a study is made on SI attached to difïŹcult ïŹrst-year engineering courses. The results show that both the percentage of students passing a difïŹcult ïŹrst-year engineering course, and scores on the course exams are considerably higher for students attending SI, compared to students not attending. The study also shows that a higher percentage of female students attend SI, compared to male students. However, both genders seem to beneïŹt to the same degree as a result of attending SI meetings. Also all students, independent of prior academic ability, beneïŹt from attending SI. A qualitative study suggests that SI meetings provide elements important for understanding course material, which are missing from other scheduled learning opportunities in the courses
Rapport om SI-verksamheten vid LTH 2009/10
Rapporten redovisar en utvĂ€rdering av SI-verksamheten (SI = SamverkansinlĂ€rning) vid nio civilingenjörsprogram vid Lunds Tekniska Högskola under lĂ€sĂ„ret 2009/10 tillĂ€mpat pĂ„ kurser i endimensionell analys, linjĂ€r algebra, mekanik samt inledande kemi. BĂ„de kursresultat samt poĂ€ngproduktion under det första Ă„ret Ă€r signifikant bĂ€ttre för SI-deltagare Ă€n de som ej följt SI. Resultaten avseende andel godkĂ€nda pĂ„ kurs eller delkurs lĂ„g i intervallet 14-38 % bĂ€ttre för SI-deltagarna. PoĂ€ngproduktionen i kursen endimensionell analys till vilken mycket av SI-verksamheten varit kopplad lĂ„g 3,7 hp högre bland SI-deltagarna, en ganska avsevĂ€rd skillnad med tanke pĂ„ att kursen totalt Ă€r pĂ„ 15 hp. PoĂ€ngproduktionen under det första lĂ€sĂ„ret var 6,1 hp högre för SI-deltagarna jĂ€mfört med de som ej följt SI. Skillnaden blir Ă€n mer uttalad nĂ€r vi jĂ€mför andelen som klarat LTH-mĂ„let om minst 40 hp â 78 % bland SI-deltagarna och 55 % bland de som ej följt SI