Cross Institutional Implementation of Supplemental Instruction (SI) Gabriela Schwab El Paso Community College Helmut Knaust & Emil Schwab The University of Texas at El Paso Department of Mathematical Science

More than credit students 88% Hispanic 60% female 61% part-time students EPCC Student Population Profile The second largest community college in the nation for minorities.

Main Challenge Precalculus courses to often serve as roadblock for incoming students Incoming students are not well-prepared for studying STEM disciplines Low passing rates High drop rates

Traditionally the student success rate in the Precalculus course has been low. We are currently funded by the U.S. Dept. of Education, MSEIP program to provide students in Precalculus I and II with Supplemental Instruction (SI), to enhance student achievement in high-risk courses through collaborative learning techniques. The main focus of our project is to enrich the learning experience in these two courses by adding mandatory SI as an integral part of the courses, led by UTEP graduate students.

New delivery format to include more PEER-LED learning Precalculus I Precalculus II Three hours lecture per week One section students Four hours lecture per week One section students One hours Supplemental Instruction per week Three sections students each ++ One hours Supplemental Instruction per week Three sections students each

Supplemental Instruction (SI) What is SI? What are SI leaders? SI targets high-risk courses instead of high-risk students. SI is mandatory to all students in the class; it is integral to the course SI is active learning in small size sections, group-based, lead by a SI leader; it is not lecture or study- group or tutoring. SI is dynamic, interactive, argumentative and engaging. SI begins the first week of class before students encounter academic problems. SI leaders are graduate students from UTEP, trained in specific teaching/learning theory and techniques. SI leaders attend classes with students, read assigned materials, take class notes, and conduct regularly scheduled SI. SI leaders, rather than acting as lecturers or teachers, facilitate and encourage the group to process material and solve problems.

Thank you! Contacts Gabriela Schwab Helmut KnaustEmil Schwab