Serving academically disadvantaged students, Part 3 of 3

(S01-E07) We complete the three-part series on publications related to serving the needs of academically disadvantaged students through peer study groups. Each episode will focus on about thirty of the more than 100 publications on this topic from my annotated bibliography of eleven national and international models for peer learning models.

What is Peer Group Library?

Keep up-to-date on the latest news and research related to peer learning by listening to short summaries of their publications. David Arendale serves as the host. Each episode is based on a publication or an annotated bibliography. The episodes feature short publication summaries of nine peer group programs like Supplemental Instruction-PASS (UMKC Model), PLTL (CUNY Model), Learning Assistant (CU Boulder Model), and more. You can download the complete podcast script with the web links to download the articles. Go to the podcast episode description. There will be a web link to the document.

Annotated Bibliography of Peer Learning Group Publications
Topic: Serving Academically Disadvantaged Students

Achat-Mendes, C., Anfuso, C., Johnson, C., & Shepler, B. (2020). Learning, leaders, and STEM skills: Adaptation of the Supplemental Instruction model to improve STEM education and build transferable skills in undergraduate courses and beyond. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations & Research, 20(2).
Georgia Gwinnett College, an access institution serving the most diverse student body of southeast colleges, was awarded National Science Foundation and University System of Georgia STEM-Education Improvement grants, in order to help our students meet the evolving needs of STEM education. One of the initiatives emerging from these resources is the Peer Supplemental Instruction (PSI) program, a modified model of the traditional SI program. SI is a well-documented, high-impact practice in higher education that engenders collaborative learning among students. Since SI was not available on campus, STEM faculty developed and mentored the current PSI program, with the aim to support students as they transition from high school to college. PSI is thus offered to students in the gateway courses for biology, chemistry, mathematics, and information technology majors and study sessions incorporate a variety of STEM skills, thereby increasing opportunities for students to engage in and develop STEM competencies. In the last year, PSI attendance was recorded at 4,123 interactions. Assessment of academic performance of these students suggests that participation increased course GPA, particularly in students entering college with low high school GPAs (n=1239). Moreover, student attitudes towards STEM learning improved and peer students serving as leaders also benefited, based on their reports on the development of professional skills, including flexibility, scientific communication, and organization, which are critical to success in college and STEM careers. We present an innovative adaptation of the SI program that can be adopted by STEM faculty, and may be particularly useful to institutions serving underprepared populations.

Anker, E. O. (1991). Supplemental Instruction: An answer for the at-risk student in a high-risk course? (Master of Arts thesis), Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.
This research paper studied the use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) during Spring 1991 at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. Areas for study included: final course grades for "at risk" students; and relationships among the level of SI attendance, academic ability, and final course grades. Special admit "at risk" students were the focus of the study. A study skills class was paired with a content course (e.g., History 101) in Fall 1990 to provide academic assistance for students. The at risk students were required to enroll in the non-credit course. Thirteen special admit students from Fall 1990 were enrolled in the paired class. In Spring 1991 seven special admit students instead participated in SI rather than being enrolled in a paired study skills class. There was no significant difference regarding final course grades. Individual SI attendance for SI ranged from three to 17 for the 18 sessions offered during Spring 1991. The mean average was 8.7 sessions. There was a positive correlation between higher levels of attendance and higher academic achievement. The researcher suggested that SI was more helpful to participating students than a paired study skills course.

Arendale, D. R. (1997). Supplemental Instruction: Review of research concerning the effectiveness of SI from The University of Missouri-Kansas City and other institutions across the United States. Conference Proceedings of the 18th Annual Institutes for Learning Assistance Professionals, Tucson, AZ. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service ED457797). www.lsche.net/?page_id=1044
This paper provides a narrative overview of the Supplemental Instruction (SI) model and a review of the major research studies concerning SI. The studies are based on data from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a separate data base of nearly 5,000 research reports describing the use of SI at 270 institutions with a total student enrollment of more than 500,000 in the classes where SI was offered.

Arendale, D. R., & Martin, D. C. (1997). Review of research concerning the effectiveness of Supplemental Instruction from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and other institutions. Unpublished manuscript. The University of Missouri-Kansas City. Kansas City, MO. ERIC database. (ED370502).
This report provides both a narrative overview of the Supplemental Instruction (SI) model and a review of the major research studies concerning SI. A major portion of the research concerns a meta-analysis of SI research from 270 institutions from across the U.S. The analysis reviewed 4,945 research studies of 505,738 college students between 1982-83 and 1995-96. Regardless of institutional type or academic discipline, SI participants in comparison with non-participants receive mean final course grades that are higher (2.42 vs. 2.09), higher rates of A or B final course grades (46.8% vs. 35.9%) and mean percentages of D, F and withdrawal rates that are lower (23.1% vs. 37.1%). Even when the data is separated by broad academic disciplines or individual departments or classes, the positive differences for SI participants remain. In a national study of 13 institutions and 2,410 students, the question of helpfulness of SI for students of color was examined. The study found that students of color participated in SI at rates equal or exceeding those of White students (White, 33.8%; African American, 42.0%; Latino, 50.9%; Asian/Pacific, 33.3%; and Native American, 42.9%). Students of color received higher grades than similar students (2.02 final course grade vs. 1.55, rate of 36% for D, F, or W vs. 43% for non-SI participants). Studies from the University of Missouri-Kansas City mirror those from the national studies. A study of UMKC that examines 375 courses with an enrollment of 14,667 students year by year from 1980-81 to 1995-96 found that SI participants earned high mean final course grades, higher rates of A and B final course grades and lower rates of D, F and course withdrawals. In a Winter 1996 study concerning the potential bias of student motivation the results favored the SI participants. SI participants received: final course grade of 2.78, rate of 58.9% for final grades of A or B, rate of 17.2% for D, F or W. The non-SI motivational control group received lower levels of academic achievement: final grade of 2.16, 33.9% A or B, and 26.8% for D, F or W. All other non-SI participants received grades similar to the motivated non-SI group: final grade of 2.38, A or B rate of 42.7%, and 38.6% D, F or W. In a study of UMKC students separated into quartile groups on the basis of standardized entrance test scores, the SI participants outperformed their non-SI counterpart quartile group in nearly all comparisons. Top quartile: SI group 3.29 final course grade vs. 2.83 for non-SI, 92.9% reenrollment vs. 93.1% for non-SI; Middle two quartile groups: SI group 2.67 vs. 2.28, 90.5% reenrollment vs. 77.9% for non-SI; Bottom quartile: SI group 2.10 final course grade vs. 1.77 for non-SI, 85.6% reenrollment vs. 77.9% for non-SI. A study of SI attendance during Winter 1996 suggested a positive correlation between higher academic achievement and higher levels of SI attendance: no SI attendance: 2.37 final course grade, 42.2% A or B, 39.3% D, F or W; attended one to three times: 2.77, 56.3% A or B, 21.4% D, F or W; attended four to seven times: 2.82 final course grade, 63.0% A or B, 17.4% D, F or W. In a study of UMKC students who were first-time freshmen students in 1989, SI participants had graduated at a rate of 46.0% by Fall 1996 as compared with 30.3% of students who had never participated in SI. Other studies include research questions concerning demographic variables and rival hypotheses.

Armentor, M. M. (2019). A quasi-experimental study of the effect of Supplemental Instruction on course completion and persistence at a two-year college. (Ph.D. dissertation), Northcentral University, San Diego, CA.
The efficacy of Supplemental Instruction was investigated in this study. The problem addressed by this study is the lack of course completion and persistence for at-risk community college students The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study, which was informed by the student integration and student involvement theories espoused by Tinto and Astin, was to examine the effect of an academic support program, Supplemental Instruction, on the final course grade and persistence to the subsequent semester of at-risk students in college level gatekeeper courses at a small southeastern Texas college. This study addressed two research questions (1) What, if any, difference exists in final course grades in gatekeeper courses for at-risk students who participate in supplemental instruction and those who do not participate in Supplemental Instruction, and (2) What, if any, difference exists in persistence to the subsequent semester for at-risk students who participate in supplemental instruction and those who do not participate in Supplemental Instruction? The study population was at-risk two-year college students enrolled in gatekeeper courses. Most data was collected at the end of the fall 2017 and fall 2018 semesters and included final course grades, attendance in supplemental instruction, age, gender, race, college status, and socioeconomic status. Persistence data was collected on the twelfth class day in the subsequent semesters. The results from data analysis demonstrated there was no statistically significant difference in final course grades or persistence between the treatment and control groups. By investigating the effect of Supplemental Instruction in two-year colleges, higher education leaders have additional information on which to make decisions about continuing Supplemental Instruction programs. While the findings of this study were not consistent with current literature, it highlights the need for additional quantitative studies in twoyear colleges with larger student populations.

Armstrong, L., Power, C., Coady, C., & Dormer, L. (2011). Video-based Supplemental Instruction: Creating opportunities for at-risk students undertaking engineering mathematics. Journal of Peer Learning, 4(1), 3-15. www.ro.uow.edu.au/ajpl/vol4/iss1/3/.
At the University of Western Sydney (UWS) Australia, the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program has been very successful. PASS is based on the Supplemental Instruction (SI) model. Video-based Supplemental Instruction (VSI) provides a more intensive and integrated learning experience based on collaborative processing of pre-recorded lectures for students who lack the prerequisite knowledge to successfully complete the course. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods were used to study the effectiveness of VSI with at-risk students enrolled in engineering mathematics. In three of the comparison student groups, the VSI students outperformed peers attending a traditional course. The at-risk VSI participants performed at nearly the same level as the non at-risk students attending the traditional lecture course. The main themes that emerged from the VSI participants were: increase in confidence, higher understanding of content, positive attitudes towards learning and math in particular, and improved study habits and learning strategies.

Barham, W. A. (2001). A supplemental learning assistance model for developmental learners. In V. L. Farmer & W. A. Barham (Eds.), Selected models of developmental education programs in higher education (pp. 167-183). Lanham, NY: University Press of America
This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program. After providing a short history of developmental education in American higher education, the book chapter reviews the theoretical framework for SI, program organization, procedures for SI sessions, and a selected review of research concerning outcomes of the SI program for SI participants and the institution.

Barlow, A., Dreyfuss, A. E., Sears, J., Bonhomme, A., Clarke, R., Moon, S., . . . Younge, L. (2012). PLTL in the developmental writing classroom. Conference Proceedings of the Peer-led Team Learning International Society Inaugural Conference, Brooklyn, NY. www.pltlis.org/wp-content/uploads/2012%20Proceedings/Barlow-2012.docx
Writing placement exam preparation can be broken down into small tasks overseen by Peer Leaders, following (though not precisely) patterns set out by Fred Keller in “Good-bye Teacher” in 1968. The mechanical aspect of writing, however, is never enough for the production of essays that communicate, something that requires audience and a desire to “speak.” Students in developmental classrooms often have problems beyond the writing itself: they may be test shy and may not be prepared to take on even college entry tasks without careful direction. Working with Peer Leaders, the developmental program can address the problems of mechanics and testing demands, the Peer Leaders taking on some of the responsibility for guiding students through the tasks. PLTL can also help address the broader problems of preparation for college and even for critical thinking, the Peer Leaders serving as role models. The pilot program at New York City College of Technology (CUNY) was discussed.

Beemer, J., Spoon, K., He, L., Fan, J., & Levine, R. A. (2018). Ensemble learning for estimating individualized treatment effects in student success studies. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence Education, 28(3), 315-335. www.kopernio.com/viewer?doi=10.1007/s40593-017-0148-x&route=1.
Student success efficacy studies are aimed at assessing instructional practices and learning environments by evaluating the success of and characterizing student subgroups that may benefit from such modalities. We propose an ensemble learning approach to perform these analytics tasks with specific focus on estimating individualized treatment effects (ITE). ITE are a measure from the personalized medicine literature that can, for each student, quantify the impact of the intervention strategy on student performance, even though the given student either did or did not experience this intervention (i.e., is either in the treatment group or in the control group). We illustrate our learning analytics methods in the study of a supplemental instruction component for a large enrollment introductory statistics course recognized as a curriculum bottleneck at San Diego State University. As part of this application, we show how the ensemble estimate of the ITE may be used to assess the pedagogical reform (supplemental instruction), advise students into supplemental instruction at the beginning of the course, and quantify the impact of the supplemental instruction component on at-risk subgroups.

Birkett, M., Neff, L., & Deschamps, E. (2017). Low high school GPA: Another reason to try SI. Supplemental Instruction Journal, 3(1), 24-37. www.info.umkc.edu/si/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Compressed-siJ-Volume-Three-Issue-One.pdf.
The purpose of this project was to investigate the effect of participation in Supplemental Instruction (SI) on first-year students’ academic performance after controlling for relevant non-programmatic factors. Student academic performance was compared in quartiles determined by high school core grade point average (HS Core GPA). A total of 2,436 student SI participants and non-participants were matched based on six academic readiness and demographic covariates. The results revealed that SI participants had significantly higher course grade averages and passing rates compared to non-participants. Participants in the lowest HS Core GPA quartile had the largest gains in course grade with the largest effect size when compared to matched nonparticipants. The results of this study suggest that first-year students with low HS Core GPA may experience the greatest benefit of SI participation.

Bowles, T. J., & Jones, J. (2003). An analysis of the effectiveness of Supplemental Instruction: The problem of selection bias and limited dependent variables. Journal of College Student Retention, 5(2), 235-243.
This article extends beyond the usual reliance upon single equation regression models to evaluate Supplemental Instruction (SI) and employs a simultaneous equation, limited dependent variable evaluation model. Results of the research study at Utah State University at Logan suggest that students with below average academic ability are more likely to attend SI and that common measures of student ability included in single equation models fail to adequately control for this characteristic. The authors suggests that the older evaluation models have underestimated the effectiveness of SI.

Boylan, H. R., Bonham, B. S., & Bliss, L. B. (1992). National study of developmental education: Students, programs and institutions of higher education. Boone, NC: National Center for Developmental Education.
Through a grant from the EXXON Education Foundation, the National Center for Developmental Education conducted the most extensive study of developmental education. The 1989 to 1992 study included 116 institutions representing a wide diversity of types. More than 6,000 students were subjects of the longitudinal study. The purpose of the study was to determine what is actually done in developmental education, to explore whether or not developmental programs actually contribute to student success, and, if so, to identify what types of programs and services have the greatest impact upon student success. Among the list of instructional factors related to student success, Supplemental Instruction (SI) is one of the items. Other items listed were: mastery level performance, frequent testing, immediate feedback, required remediation, individualized instruction, lab activities, integrated teaching of critical thinking skills, and close proximity of classrooms and support services.

Brock, L. (2003). Effect of Supplemental Instruction on academic performance of community college students. (Master of Arts thesis), California State University, Stanislaus, CA.
This study examined the potential impact of Supplemental Instruction (SI) with public community college students enrolled at Modesto Junior College (CA). The analysis included both the level of involvement in SI as measured through sessions attended as well as the preentry attributes of the students: prior academic achievement, prerequisite course grades, interest, and self-efficacy.. Nine sections of the following courses which offered SI were selected for the study: College Algebra, Elementary Statistics, Elementary Algebra, English Basic Composition and Reading. Voluntary participation in SI ranged from one-third to two-thirds of the classes in the nine course sections. In nearly all the courses both the decision of participate in SI and the number of times that SI sessions attended were found to be statistically significant with higher final course grades. In several sections there were no statistically significant differences between SI and non-SI participants. The preentry attributes of the students did not significantly contribute to higher grades. The researcher made several recommendations for further research including a study of the impact of early participation in SI rather than waiting until later in the academic term. There are no reported studies of SI that have evaluated this variable for its possible impact on student grades in the course.

Bushway, S. D., & Flower, S. M. (2002). Helping criminal justice students learn statistics: A quasi-experimental evaluation of learning assistance. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 13(1), 35-57.
This article describes a quasi-experimental study of the use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) in a statistics course taken by students enrolled in criminal justice and criminology at a large public university. Three other modifications were made in the class: (1) participation in SI was mandatory for at-risk students and voluntary for all others in the class; (2) offering web-based quizzes; and (3) mandatory lecture class attendance for at-risk students. SI and the quizzes contributed to increased success of students while the mandatory attendance did not have an apparent effect. The intent of the online quizzes was to increase reading of the textbook.

Campbell, M. L. (2002). Supplemental Instruction academic assistance within Pennsylvania's ACT 101 Program for disadvantaged students [Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh, 2001]. Dissertation Abstracts International, 62(12), 4083.
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a specialized form of group academic support developed to increase student performance and retention by proactively integrating study skills acquisition strategies into voluntary out-of-class sessions targeting content from high-risk courses (Martin & Arendale, 1993). SI features faculty partnerships, sessions focused upon peer collaborative learning, SI leaders who attend class lectures, and on-going assessment (Martin & Arendale, 1994). To determine how to foster SI academic assistance within programming like Pennsylvania's Act 101 initiative for disadvantaged students, this study determined the differences in perceptions of SI between Act 101 tutorial coordinators with established SI programs and those who may potentially start new SI programs. A self-administered questionnaire was developed by the researcher using current SI literature and mailed to each of the state's Act 101 program tutorial coordinators. Of the 79 subjects, 56 (71%) returned completed questionnaires. Though 27% of the Act 101 tutorial coordinators were unaware of SI, 46% reported familiarity with and usage of the model. Act 101 SI efforts were characterized as small in scale, nascent in development, and lacking many recommended elements of the SI model (e.g., faculty partnership). Act 101 tutorial coordinators lacking SI programs, yet aware of the potential, tended to underestimate the benefits of such programming like the emphasis on high-risk courses, integration of study skills, and lack of remedial stigma. Moreover, they tended to overestimate the difficulty associated with overcoming challenges to program administration like program costs and recruiting students to SI sessions. However, most Act 101 tutorial coordinators valued similar program characteristics such as promoting student persistence and meeting academic needs as influencing the use of SI. Finally, perceived limitations in program funding, professional supervision, and campus support emerged as the most prevalent issues impeding the expansion of SI within Act 101.

Carr, A. R. (2002). A study to determine the effect of a university's Supplemental Instruction program on retention. (Master's of Arts thesis), Northern State University.
The topic to be investigated in this study was whether regular use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) by at risk freshmen students during the fall semester of 2001 at Northern State University (SD) would result in an increase in persistence from the fall semester of 2001 to the fall semester of 2002 when compared to freshmen students who were also at risk but did not regularly use SI. Courses supported by the SI program included Principles of Sociology, History of Western Civilization II, General Chemistry, General Psychology, American Government, and Biology Survey. All students in the study met the income guidelines of federal TRIO programs for designation as at-risk by being economically-disadvantaged and/or first-generation college. To be considered a SI participant, a threshold was established of attending four or more sessions during the academic term. The results favored the SI participants as they persisted at a rate of 59% as compared with a peer group who persisted at a rate of 52%.

Carter-Hanson, C., & Gadbury-Amyot, C. (2016). Implementing Supplemental Instruction online to create success in high-stakes coursework for pre-doctoral dental students. Supplemental Instruction Journal, 2(1), 53-75. www.info.umkc.edu/si/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/siJ-Volume-Two-Issue-One.pdf.
There is a critical shortage of culturally diverse dental practitioners in the United States. In addition, many underrepresented minority (URM) and disadvantaged students have difficulty with the course material needed to pursue a dental degree. One strategy for helping students achieve higher grades and persist in difficult course work is the implementation of Supplemental Instruction (SI). The purpose of this study was to describe the outcomes of using SI online for the first time as part of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Dentistry’s (UMKC-SOD) Admissions Enhancement Program (AEP). The AEP program was designed to provide URM and disadvantaged pre-dental students with increased academic skills training in Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Math via online modules. Students met with their SI Leader three times per week at a specified time in a synchronous format to review course material, problem solve, and work collaboratively with fellow classmates. Twelve URM and disadvantaged students participated in the AEP from 2011 to 2014 for a total of 48. Success in the AEP was measured by an increase the student’s Dental Admission Test (DAT) score and admission to dental school. At the end of each year’s program, students completed a survey regarding all aspects of the AEP. The study found that AEP students who were admitted to dental school had a significantly higher DAT score than those students who were not admitted. Students also reported that the required time for SI sessions and test taking instruction helped them prepare for the DAT. Over 72% of students responded favorably that SI contributed to their success in the AEP and to taking the DAT. Students reported that attending the SI sessions helped them work through problems in the course material. This study found evidence that SI is a viable strategy for helping URM and disadvantaged students be successful in high stakes courses needed to move forward and pursue health profession degrees. SI sessions were conducted using Blackboard Collaborate, a synchronous two-way audio-video platform allowing online users to “meet” in real time. Prior to starting the online modules, students and SI Leaders completed an online training session for navigating the Blackboard Collaborate interface. Upon completion of the training sessions, students were given access to the module material 24/7.

Carter-Hanson, C. L. (2014). The outcomes of an innovative hybrid pre-dental admission enhancement program among underrepresented minority and disadvantaged students. (Ph.D. dissertation), University of Missouri-Kansas City.
This study examined the outcomes of a hybrid pre-dental admission enhancement program (AEP) with regard to the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) scores, admission rates, and satisfaction among underrepresented and/or disadvantaged students at the University of Missouri, School of Dentistry (UMKC SOD). Additionally, data from 48 students who completed the AEP from years 2011-2014 were evaluated regarding their experience participating in the AEP. The program's unique hybrid design provided both a residential and online experience. The onsite experience exposed students to critical skills training encompassing time management, essay writing, learning styles, study skills, test taking skills, test anxiety, reading skills, and mentoring with the dental school application process. Students were able to prepare a rough draft of the dental school application essay and receive faculty feedback. This enabled students to have a well-written essay for their application. Additionally, AEP students participated in hands-on lab exercises and shadowed dental students providing patient care in the clinic. Technology allowed students to access the academic content of the AEP including Math, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Biology, 24/7 in an asynchronous format. Students were also mentored by supplemental instructors (SI) from the International Center for Supplemental Instruction (ICSI) three times per week in live synchronous sessions through Blackboard Collaborate™ support. Students were asked to complete a program evaluation, which posed questions in a 5-point Likert scale format ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree, has yes/no questions and allows for student comments. Frequency statistics, Pearson correlations and a Regression Model were used for statistical analysis of the data. All tests were conducted at p < 0.05 or less with a group of 48 students. Students admitted to dental school are continually monitored throughout their dental education until graduation.

Cox, C. T. (2006). An investigation of the effects of interventions on problem solving strategies and abilities. (Ph.D. dissertation), Clemson University, Clemson, SC.
This dissertation investigated a number of intervention for improving student academic performance in science courses. One of the interventions considered was Peer-led Team Learning (PLTL). Results were mixed concerning its effectiveness with students. Complications of the analysis were caused by student choice regarding participation. The researcher speculated that PLTL worked with students who had lower academic preparation than the comparison student population. Problem-solving has been described as being the "heart" of the chemistry classroom, and students' development of problem-solving skills is essential for their success in chemistry. Despite the importance of problem-solving, there has been little research within the chemistry domain, largely because of the lack of tools to collect data for large populations. Problem-solving was assessed using a software package known as IMMEX (for Interactive Multimedia Exercises) which has an HTML tracking feature that allows for collection of problem-solving data in the background as students work the problems. The primary goal of this research was to develop methods (known as interventions) that could promote improvements in students' problem-solving and most notably aid in their transition from the novice to competent level. Three intervention techniques that were incorporated within the chemistry curricula: collaborative grouping (face-to-face and distance), concept mapping, and peer-led team learning. The face-to-face collaborative grouping intervention was designed to probe the factors affecting the quality of the group interaction. Students' logical reasoning abilities were measured using the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) test which classifies students as formal, transitional, or concrete. These classifications essentially provide a basis for identifying scientific aptitude. These designations were used as the basis for forming collaborative groups of two students. The six possibilities (formal-formal, formal-transitional, etc.) were formed to determine how the group composition influences the gains in student abilities observed from collaborative grouping interventions. Students were given three assignments (an individual pre-collaborative, an individual post collaborative, and a collaborative assignment) each requiring them to work an IMMEX problem set. Similar gains in performance of 10% gains were observed for each group with two exceptions. The transitional students who were paired with concrete students had a 15% gain, and the concrete students paired with other concrete students had only a marginal gain. In fact, there was no statistical difference in the pre-collaborative and post-collaborative student abilities for concrete-concrete groups. The distance collaborative intervention was completed using a new interface for the IMMEX software designed to mimic face-to-face collaboration. A stereochemistry problem set which had a solved rate of 28% prior to collaboration was chosen for incorporation into this distance collaboration study.

Dalton, C., & Saxon, D. P. (2013). The effects of Supplemental Instruction on developmental reading, part 1. Research in Developmental Education, 25(1), 1-6.
This article is part one of two part examining the effect of Supplemental Instruction (SI) with developmental reading. Part one provides an overview of SI and describes the study and methods employed in conducting the reseatrch concerning the use of SI with developmental reading.

Dalton, C., & Saxon, D. P. (2013). The effects of Supplemental Instruction on developmental reading, part II. Research in Developmental Education, 25(2), 1-6.
This article reports the results, discussion, and conclusions of the study of Supplemental Instruction (SI) with developmental reading courses. The pass rate for the SI supported developmental reading courses was five percentage points higher than for non-SI supported courses. There was not a statistically significant difference between the pass rates of the SI and non-SI groups. There also was no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding final course grades. Voluntary attendance practices with the traditional use of SI are not effective with less motivated students enrolled in developmental reading. It does not appear that SI is cost effective for use in developmental reading courses.

Doyle, T., & Hooper, J. (1997). Structured Learning Assistance Project. Final Report, Fall Semester 1996, Winter Semester 1997. Unpublished manuscript. Ferris State University. Big Rapids, MI. ERIC database. (ED425772).
Initiated in 1994, Structured Learning Assistance (SLA) is a research project whose purpose is to determine if, for certain courses, grades can be improved by requiring students to attend weekly practice workshops. These SLA workshops assist students in developing the background needed to connect to the course content and to develop and apply the learning strategies most appropriate to the content area. This report details the 3-year findings of the SLA project, as well as findings for all students who participated in it during the 1996-1997 academic year, with a focus on minority students. Results indicated that SLA can significantly improve student pass rates, even for at-risk students. In nearly 85% of the 42 courses offered with SLA support, the SLA students had higher pass rates than those of all other university students taking the same courses. This improvement was especially marked in the mathematics courses, where the average pass rate increased anywhere from 24 to 45 percent. Student evaluations of the SLA project are included. Appended are minority and total student data for fall 1996 and winter 1997, statistics on the project's 3-year averages, and pass rate by subject area.

Du Plooy, P. (1999). VSI partnerships, and the transformation of education in South Africa. Conference Proceedings of the First National Conference on Supplemental Instruction and Video-based Supplemental Instruction, Kansas City, MO.
The issue of partnerships between public and private institutions has been generating a great deal of interest in recent years in South Africa. One example of the development of a private-public partnership in higher education is that of the academic development program, Video-based Supplemental Instruction (VSI). This paper examines the introduction of VSI to South African institutions, in particulate the establishment of a partnership which has evolved to drive this project, and how the VSI program has proved successful as an alternative route into higher education for severely underprepared students. Rather than requiring students to take additional time and spend limited tuition dollars to enroll in remedial courses, students are able to concurrently develop learning strategies while enrolled in rigorous college-level courses.

Eckard, S., & Hegeman, J. (2002). Breaking the rules: Mandatory SI for developmental readers. Conference Proceedings of the National Association for Developmental Education, Orlando, FL.
This article describes the use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) for developmental readers at Frostburg State University (MD). The students enrolled for a block of three courses: Reading, a choice from several general education course that are reading-intensive (history, psychology, or sociology), and a section of Freshmen Orientation that emphasized the development of study strategies. These students participated in a mandatory SI laboratory session each week to develop successful reading and study skills. Final course grades favored the SI participants in the history and sociology courses, but not in psychology.

Elder, B. L., & Jacobs, P. (2015). Identification and support of at-risk students using a case management model. Journal of Professional Nursing, 31(3), 247-253. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2014.10.003.
This study evaluated a program to identify and support students at risk for failure in nursing courses or NCLEX-RN. A case management model (CMM) was implemented to provide assessment of and support for 183 Bachelor of Science in nursing students; 83 were identified as at risk by the CMM criteria. The CMM involved student self-evaluation and grade assessment of prerequisite and nursing courses. Science course grades were all found to be significantly higher for those students who passed NCLEX-RN on the first attempt than those who did not. Admission GPA was significant (t = 2.443, P = .018). Using a Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire for self-evaluation, at-risk students rated their performance in nursing courses higher in every area than the non-at-risk student group, significantly higher for self-efficacy (t = 2.829, P = .005) and metacognition (t = 2.426, P = .016). Neither task value nor critical thinking scores were significant. Graduation rate was 100% with 158 students passing NCLEX-RN on the first attempt (64 of 83 at risk and 94 of 100 non-at risk). The CMM was effective in identification and support of at-risk students.

Ewing, D. J., Unite, C. M., Franco, M., & Hickman, K. (2021). Evaluation of a Peer-Led Team Learning course designed to increase underprepared students success in engineering. Conference Proceedings of the ASEE 2921 Gulf0Southwest Annual Conference, Waco, TX. www.peer.asee.org/evaluation-of-a-peer-led-team-learning-course-designed-to-increase-underprepared-students-success-in-engineering
Several years ago, the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), and specifically the College of Engineering, created a first year engineering course in order to address student’s deficiencies in solving engineering related problems. This class is called Engineering Problem Solving and teaches in-depth problem solving methodology and programming in an active and collaborative environment, shown to benefit the most diverse preparedness levels of student groups. Since its inception, however, students placed into Pre-Calculus, instead of being Calculus ready, have suffered from higher failure rates than any other student grouping. While UTA has devoted many studies to programs and techniques that aid these underprepared students, a few strategies have emerged as being most effective. These strategies, shown in previous papers, were the implementation of Supplemental Instruction (SI), separate sections devoted specifically to Pre-Calculus co-enrolled students, peer-based instruction, and active learning activities as opposed to additional lectures. Therefore, in the Fall 2020 semester, UTA combined all these strategies into a learning course combining these best practices into a required learning lab with problem-based activities and studying practices. The goal is to aid in increasing this group’s success rate in this class, which has been shown to increase student retention in the College of Engineering. The students engage in effective “study habits” and problem-based learning practices with a Peer Led Teaching Learning (PLTL) leader. What we have found is these practices, which will be shared in this paper, have taken the best parts of our previous effective strategies that have helped this particularly at risk population. The students receive college credit hours, so they are able to spend the required amount of time studying the material and are guided by peers rather than their professors, encouraging more interactivity. This paper will show the effectiveness of this learning course by comparing success rates, defined as an A, B, or C in Engineering Problem Solving, of this student group this semester versus the other singular implementations from previous fall semesters. This paper will show that this learning course is even more effective in its forced implementation (lab learning) than the singular components for all students in the Pre-Calculus entry level.

Fleet, T. (2017). The relationship of locus of control and social learning on academic achievement in a Supplemental Instruction program. (Ph.D. dissertation), Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX. www.digitalcommons.acu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1055&context=etd
A large number of high school students entering college are arriving academically unprepared. Abilene Christian University’s newly founded Bridge Scholars Program seeks to help and support academically at-risk students based upon low ACT/SAT scores and low high school GPA averages. This research utilizes the Supplemental Instruction program, (based upon Bandura’s social learning theory), as its academic intervention. The research questions are 1) How does Supplemental Instruction contribute to an at-risk student’s college readiness (knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors and strategies)? And, 2) Does a student’s internal or external locus of control predict academic performance? A pretest and posttest using Rotter’s (1966) Internal-External Locus of Control Scale measured students’ overall academic confidence. Class test scores, class final grades, and semester GPA were used to measure Supplemental Instruction program effectiveness. Although Locus of Control proved insignificant, test scores, final class grade, and overall semester GPA indicate that the Bridge Scholars program and Supplemental Instruction are highly effective interventions in better preparing at-risk students for the rigors of college level academia.

Fredriksson, J., & Lindberg, E. (2014). Does SI belong in lower secondary school? An exploratory pre-study in a Swedish socially challenged area. Supplemental Instruction Journal, 1(1), 54-71. www.info.umkc.edu/si/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/siJVolumeOne.IssueOne.ConferenceProceedings.pdf.
Supplemental Instruction has worked very well in various settings all over the world. It should be of interest to see if SI works at earlier stages than tertiary education. There are examples of successful SI programs at upper secondary schools, but no reports from lower secondary schools. This study evaluates a pilot SI program in a 7th and a 9th grade class in a socially challenged area with regards to the general impression of SI, development of study strategies and general skills, motivation for further studies, and whether lower secondary school students would be interested to be SI Leaders themselves and, if so, why. Overall, questionnaires and student interviews indicate that SI seems to work in all evaluation areas. However, further extensive research is needed, and the authors suggest future areas to focus on.

Ganter, S. L. (1991). Improving the achievement of minorities in mathematics: A formative evaluation of a community college program [Dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1990]. Dissertation Abstracts International, 52(05), 1673.
The following is a dissertation study from the University of California, Santa Barbara. By 1980, the interest for improving mathematics education at the post-secondary level had become so great that a committee was formed by NSF to discover the needs of the mathematics community as seen by educators in the field. The results indicated that a lack of guidance in developing math courses has led to discontinuity and a general state of confusion for many math programs and for the students in them. The Professional Development Program (PDP) is one post-secondary program that has been developed and implemented across the country. This program was conceived by Uri Treisman at UC Berkeley in response to the low completion rate of Black students in freshman calculus. Treisman developed a workshop program that would provide peer support for minority students, as well as other students, in lower division undergraduate mathematics courses. Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), a two-year community college, implemented the workshops developed by Treisman during the 1989-90 school year in first semester pre-calculus. This study examined the initial implementation and effects of the SBCC program. The major goal was to examine the program's success in increasing the persistence and performance of students in mathematics. It also examined how well the program was implemented, since faulty implementation can jeopardize intended outcomes just as much as a faulty program design. In order to assess the degree to which the program was implemented, each student involved in the workshops was involved in a brief interview to obtain student impressions of the workshops. In addition, weekly observations of the workshop sessions were made and compared to the UC Berkeley workshops. To assess student performance, comparisons were made between workshop and non-workshop students. These comparisons could not be made through random assignment since students volunteered to participate in the workshops. Therefore, it was necessary to make comparisons that utilized matching, a within-subject design. The workshop effect on student performance was then obtained by comparing the student matches in five areas: attrition rates, attitudes toward math, course grades, scores on a posttest, and mathematical understanding as determined by individual interviews. Although the program appears to be successful at UC Berkeley, it was not true that this apparent success was easily transferable to a community college. The major difference in this new setting was that the program was working with an entirely different student population than would be found at most four-year institutions. Many students wanted to, and did, commit to the program only to find that the workshops were very difficult to attend on a regular basis because of job and family commitments. This greatly influenced the effectiveness of the program.

Gardner, J. F., Moll, A. J., & Pyke, P. A. (2005). Active learning in mathematics: Using the Supplemental Instruction model to improve student success. Conference Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon.
Boise State University (Boise, ID) adapted the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program for use in mathematics called Active Learning in Mathematics (ALM). ALM was used to support courses in pre-calculus and Calculus II that serve as foundations for engineering programs. After starting as a program similar to the traditional SI model, ALM has added some new features: interact with students via Internet discussion rooms in addition to face-to-face group sessions; extensive training throughout the academic term; and interactions between ALM session facilitators and students via e-mails and phone calls. The results have been positive. While the academic preparation level of the entering students are lower than average, the academic achievement of the students is among the highest in the U.S. for engineering programs.

Guinane, J. M. (1991). The impact of Supplemental Instruction on the academic performance of "at-risk" students. (Master's of Arts in Education thesis), Gratz College, , Melrose Park, PA.

Hafer, G. R. (2001). Supplemental Instruction in freshman composition. Journal of Developmental Education, 24(3), 30-32, 34, 36-37.
In the past, Supplemental Instruction (SI) has been underutilized in freshman composition courses particularly because of misperceptions regarding the nature of composition and the notion that the writing laboratory provides the only needed assistance programs. This article examines those assumptions and explores how success is measured in the composition classroom. It argues that the goals and method of freshman composition and SI are complementary. The conclusion outlines a pilot SI program, modified for a freshman composition classroom, that supports writing strategies and appropriate behaviors for students.

Hardee, T. (2013). Exploring student experiences in developmental education at a four year higher education institution. (Ph.D. dissertation), California State University.
In the United States, the most commonly used method for developing an incoming freshman's math and English skills is through remedial education courses. Depending on the 4 year institution and the student's level of need, these remedial courses will be taught in conjunction with varying other forms of support programs, such as supplemental instruction, mandatory tutoring, and advising sessions. Once a student has taken a placement test to assess that level of need, he or she will then enter into college participating in developmental education. The purpose of this study was to explore student experiences participating in developmental education during their first year in college. This study gives voice to developmental education students' perceptions of their experiences in the first year, provides insight into how non-cognitive variables may aid in student persistence through their developmental education coursework, and examines the importance of students experiencing validation during their developmental education program. In this basic qualitative inquiry, interviews were used as a way to gain understanding into how students experience developmental education. The constant comparative method was employed as a way to gain deeper insight and meaning into each participant's shared experiences. The study sample contained 14 (12 female and two male) students who had participated in three developmental education courses in their first year at Barkley University (pseudonym), a large 4-year public university in Southern California. Additional criteria for participants were that they must have completed all of the developmental education courses with a Cor better, and enrolled in courses at Barkley University for their second year. Since participants required three developmental education courses in their first year, they were subsequently part of the Sun Learning Community (SLC; pseudonym), a mandatory community that required participants to take their courses in a cohort model, participate in advising, supplemental instruction, and were provided with extra tutoring services. Five themes emerged from the data regarding how students experience their first year participating in developmental education coursework: (a) Reflection, (b) Connection, (c) Before, (d) During, and (e) After. These themes were influenced by Laura Rendón's validation theory, along with William Sedlacek's concept of non-cognitive variables. Implications for developing a conceptual understanding of the relationship between validation and specific non-cognitive variables and what this relationship may mean for students who participate in several developmental education courses are also highlighted. Recommendation are given to faculty members, advisors, and higher education administration with the goal of encouraging these stakeholders to understand the complexities of being a first year college student who participates in several developmental education courses and to understand how students may feel about membership to a learning community. This understanding would lead to an awareness of how various constituencies' behavior could influence a student's ability to successfully pass all coursework and persist to the next year.

Hayes, F. R. (2021). Embedded tutors for remedial math. (Ph.D. dissertation), Sam Houston State University, Houston, TX.
Community college systems across the US have impacted the higher education goals and purposes in American education in profound ways. The mission of the community college is often seen as an opportunity for underprepared students to earn a degree or obtain a certification. The National Center for Educational Statistics (2014) reported that 60% of community college students are placed into a remedial course during their first year of college. As a result, these courses often delay completion of gateway courses that create the pathway to degree completion. According to Boylan, Bonham, and Bliss (1992), through developmental education, underprepared students are provided the necessary interventions and skills, such as tutoring, needed to pass gateway courses and complete their degree programs. Embedded tutoring is characterized as a program where a tutor works in the classroom under the instructor's guidance to help students understand course concepts and enhance student engagement (Calma & Eggins, 2012). This study focused on a remedial math intervention program developed for students in a community college located in rural Alabama during the academic year of 2018-2019. Specifically, this study will evaluate the impact of an embedded tutor program for remedial math students.

Hickman, K., Unite, C. M., & Franco, M. (2021). Launching PLTL for math: Building on the foundation of Supplemental Instruction. Advances in Peer-Led Learning, 1(1), 12-24. doi: doi.org/10.54935/apll2021-01-03-12. www.doi.org/10.54935/apll2021-01-03-12.
The paper describes the launch of Peer-Led Team Learning for Precalculus Engineering and Math at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and the results that PLTL has had on pass rates. Historically, students placed into Precalculus, instead of being Calculus ready, have experienced higher failure rates than any other student grouping. While UTA has invested in many studies, programs and techniques that aid these underprepared students, a few strategies have emerged as being effective. These strategies have included the previous implementation of Supplemental Instruction (SI), with separate sections devoted specifically to Precalculus co-enrolled engineering-course students, peer-based instruction, and active learning activities as opposed to additional lectures. As a result of these findings, in the Fall 2020 semester, UTA combined all these strategies into a learning course integrating these best practices into a required PLTL learning lab with problem-based activities and studying practices for the engineering course and a self-selected PLTL option for the math course. The goal was to aid in increasing success rates in these classes. The students engaged in effective “study habits” and problem-based learning practices with a Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) leader. What we have found is the positive impact that PLTL has on pass rates for at-risk populations in addition to positive satisfaction surveys. This paper will show the effectiveness of PLTL by discussing success rates for the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters versus the other singular implementations from previous semesters, in this case Supplemental Instruction.

Hodges, R., & White, W. G. (2001). Encouraging high-risk student participation in tutoring and Supplemental Instruction. Journal of Developmental Education, 24(3), 2-4, 6, 8, 10, 43.
The study investigated the effect of high-risk students' use of self-monitoring strategies and instructors' use of verbal prompts on high-risk students' participation in tutoring and Supplemental Instruction (SI) and one their academic achievement. Subjects consisted of 103 conditionally admitted contract students at a large state university in the southern United States enrolling approximately 21,000 students during Fall 1996. The study employed an experimental posttest-only control-group design. Results indicated no significant group differences in mean semester GPA between attendees and non-attendees in tutoring but did find a statistically significant difference between mean semester GPA of attendees and non-attendees in SI. One of the challenges with high risk students is that they may not accurately perceive their own need for academic assistance. Possible solutions to this challenge is to make SI attendance mandatory.

Hodges, R. B. (1997). The effect of self-monitoring strategies and verbal prompts on high-risk students' attendance in tutoring and Supplemental Instruction and their academic achievement (Ph.D. dissertation, Grambling State University, 1997). Dissertation Abstracts International, 59(02), 0429A.
The study investigated the effect of high-risk students' self-monitoring (SM) strategies and instructors' use of verbal prompts on high-risk students' attendance in tutoring and Supplemental Instruction (SI) and on their academic achievement. Subjects consisted of 103 conditionally admitted contract students at Southwest Texas State University during fall 1996. Using an experimental posttest-only control-group design, instructors in four freshman seminar classes implemented different combinations of treatment. In Treatment 1, subjects were required to self-monitor their attendance in tutoring and SI, and they received verbal prompts from their instructors to attend free tutoring and SI. In Treatment 2, subjects were required to self-monitor their attendance in tutoring and SI but were not given verbal prompts. In Treatment 3, subjects received verbal prompts to attend tutoring and SI but were not required to self-monitor their attendance. In the control group, subjects were not required to self-monitor their attendance in tutoring and SI and were not exposed to verbal prompts. A validation analysis of the effectiveness of tutoring and SI compared subjects attending one or more tutoring sessions and one or more SI sessions to those not attending. Using independent t-tests, the results indicated no significant group differences occurred in semester GPA between attendees and non-attendees in tutoring but did find statistically significant group difference in semester GPA for attendees in SI. Three hypotheses examined the relationship between subjects' use of SM strategies and instructors' use of verbal prompts on subjects' attendance in tutoring and SI. Two ANOVAs failed to reject the three null hypotheses which indicated that there was no increased in subjects' attendance in tutoring and SI between groups. SI attendance for this subpopulation of students was low (mean=2.27 with S.D.=3.37) when compared with national SI data studies. The researcher suggested the following reasons for low SI attendance based on student surveys and interviews: SI sessions scheduled at time in conflict with other student commitments; high-risk students have unrealistic positive perceptions regarding their own academic skills and may not seek help; and high-risk students need stronger external influences to change their behavior including the requirement of mandatory SI attendance. The researcher suggests increased attention to the affective domain and its possible impact upon student learning and the use of mandatory attendance in academic enrichment programs such as SI and tutoring.

Hoffelder, A. M., & Hoffelder, R. L. (2003). Evaluation of the Peer-led Learning (PLTL) approach to General Chemistry, CHM 137 for Fall Semester, 2002. Unpublished manuscript. Miami University. Oxford, OH.
This report provides a detailed examination of the impact of Peer-led Team Learning in a chemistry course at Miami University (OH). The 65-page report carefully compares the performance of the students in the course with PLTL support and another course that did not have the support. The students enrolled in the PLTL-supported course were slightly less prepared academically than the other course. All the students were studied regarding final course grades and performance in the next course in the academic sequence. In addition, interviews and surveys were conducted with the students in the PLTL-supported course. The PLTL students slightly outperformed their counterparts but not to the degree of statistically-significance. Considering that they began slightly behind, the researchers theorize that this could be considered a minor success. The qualitative interviews with the PLTL students revealed a strong belief that the program supported their academic success in the course and reinforced their persistence in the science degree program.

Hrabovsky, P. (1998). Math Supplemental Instruction at Indiana University of Pennsylvania: A short and sweet first report. Conference Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Pennsylvania Association of Developmental Educators, Hershey, PA. ERIC database. (ED428632).
Math Supplemental Instruction (SI) was initiated at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) during the summer session of 1996 through the developmental math course, LC 095: Introduction to College Math II. Improved grades and scores were noted and SI was integrated into all LC 095 sections beginning with the summer session of 1996. With the cooperation of the Mathematics Department and support from administrators, SI was piloted in select sections of developmental math courses. The pilot program was continued and expanded in the spring semester of 1998.

Hurley, M., Patterson, K. L., & Wilcox, F. K. (2006). Video-based Supplemental Instruction: Serving underprepared students. In M. E. Stone & G. Jacobs (Eds.), Supplemental Instruction: New visions for empowering student learning (pp. 43-54). New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 106. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
This chapter discusses Video-based Supplemental Instruction (VSI), a variation of the SI model that presents options for students who, barring a serious academic intervention, will not be successful in college. Rather than enrollment in developmental-level courses, students enroll in a traditional introductory college course such as Western Civilization or General Chemistry. SI sessions are embedded inside of the lectures rather than waiting until after the lecture periods. Concurrent development of learning strategies along with mastery of rigorous academic content reduces the need for enrollment in prerequisite developmental-level courses.

Hurley, M. A. (2000). Video-based Supplemental Instruction (VSI): An interactive delivery system that facilitates student learning [Ph.D. dissertation, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1999]. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61(04), 1317.
The study focuses on the cognitive and affective results of a small-group learning model called Video-based Supplemental Instruction. There are two hypotheses examined in this study: Students who participate in a Video-based Supplemental Instruction history class will have higher final course grades than a comparable group of students in the same course in a lecture-format class with the same professor. Students who participate in the Video-based Supplemental Instruction class will have greater self-efficacy, self-confidence and mastery of learning strategies than they had before taking the class. Video-based Supplemental Instruction is an interactive informational delivery system that helps students master course content as they develop and refine reasoning and learning skills. Instructors record their lectures on video tape and enroll students in a video section of the course. A trained facilitator uses the taped lectures to regulate the flow of information to the learner. The lectures are stopped and started as needed, allowing the facilitator to verify that students have comprehended one idea before moving on to the next. Students develop essential reading, learning, and study skills while they master content. The major conclusions from the study were the following: A group of 185 Video-based Supplemental Instruction students received a higher percentage of A's and B's than a comparable group of 185 Non-Video-based Supplemental Instruction students in the same history class over 14 semesters. A group of 185 Video-based Supplemental students received a lower percentage of D's and F's than a comparable group of 185 Non-Video-based Supplemental Instruction students in the same history class over 14 semesters. A larger number of first-year students and African-American students were enrolled in the Video-based Supplemental Instruction history class than was expected. Video-based Supplemental Instruction students learned a variety of strategies which provided them with the academic tools to be successful on their history exams in that class. Video-based Supplemental Instruction students developed a greater sense of self-efficacy in the class. Students developed greater personal confidence because of the Video-based Supplemental Instruction experience. Some Video-based Supplemental Instruction students were unable to sufficiently articulate mastery of course concepts after completing the class.

Kirchner, J. (2014). Student experiences of the community college developmental writing classroom. (Ph.D. dissertation), University of Nebraska.
The low success rate of students in community college developmental education classes has caused not only institutions and their instructors but also those outside of the classroom to search for alternative programs and delivery methods to improve student outcomes. As college completion rates become increasingly tied to state funding, many community colleges are re-thinking their programs, considering acceleration of coursework, learning communities, and Supplemental Instruction as replacements for the traditional developmental sequence. While these programs have shown success in some community colleges, much of the research is quantitative in nature and based on completion rates. The purpose of this study is to lend an instructor's and students' voices to the conversation on developmental education. The study focuses on one community college developmental writing classroom for one term. Through student stories, the study reveals community college students' challenges and strengths, adding to the understanding of what causes some students to succeed while others fail. The study is a narrative inquiry, with data drawn from field notes, interviews, student writing, and instructor journal writing. Chapters include stories of racial and social tension in the classroom, challenges of overcoming previous negative schooling experiences, resistance to classroom procedures and requirements, difficulties in shifting from refugee camp schooling to college expectations, and student determination despite overwhelming challenges. The student stories reveal a changing population in one suburban Midwestern community college and help provide a context for conversations about curriculum and program revisions.

Koch, E. (1997). Lecturing between hope and despair: Lecturers' perceptions of academic development needs of students and lecturers at the University of Port Elizabeth. Unpublished manuscript. University of Port Elizabeth, Centre for Academic and Organizational Development. Port Elizabeth, Republic of South Africa.
This report assessed the perceptions of lecturers of the success of academic development at the University of Port Elizabeth in the Republic of South Africa. The problem which emerged from the discussions was the growing number of underprepared and unprepared students who desire to attend tertiary education. Supplemental Instruction (SI) is regarded as a good program, but lecturers do not think that it reaches the targeted group of student effectively and deals adequately with the underlying problems. Since SI is voluntary, not all students who should come do so. Additionally, lecturers believe an increase in the structure of SI sessions may raise academic performance of the underprepared students who they believe need this. Additional solutions offered by the lecturers include: extended curriculum to provide more time-on-task; alternative learning methods by inclusion inside the class the use of collaborative learning, computerized self-paced instruction, and other methods.

Koch, E., & Mallon, P. (1998). Evaluation of Supplemental Instruction: A performance assessment approach. South African Journal of Higher Education, 12(3), 173-178.
This article about the use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) was originally presented at the South African Association for Academic Development Conference in Bloemfontein, Republic of South Africa. This research investigation assesses the performance of the SI program in terms of efficiency, quality, and effectiveness. Three concern areas were identified: voluntary attendance in SI sessions, unstructured approach in science courses, and ineffectiveness in increasing the pass rate of very under-prepared students. Key factors associated with positive program outcomes included: skill and ability of the SI leader with both facilitation but also knowledge/enthusiasm for the subject; involvement and support of the course lecturer; type of work covered in SI sessions; training both initially and ongoing of SI leaders; and more structure in SI sessions in science and other problem-solving areas.

Koch, E., & Snyder, J. (2001). The effect of Video Supplemental Instruction on the academic performance inmathematics of disadvantaged students. South African Journal of Higher Education, 15(1), 138-146. doi: journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/EJC36799. www.www.ajol.info/index.php/sajhe/article/view/25389.
This article examines the effect of Video-based Supplemental Instruction on the performance in mathematics of students whose matric marks did not enable them to be directly admitted to the Science Faculty at the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa. Fifteen students who received VSI in mathematics were matched with 14 students who received adapted lecturing directed at students at this level. The two groups were then compared in terms of their pass rates and mathematics performance in a mathematics special first semester course. The VSI student first semester performacne was also compared to their performance in a mathematics pre-test at the beginning of the course to assess their progress. The progress of some VSI students was satisfactory. The comparison between the VSI and lectured students indicates the ossible usefulness of this programme in ares where access to education is limited. The students who will probably benefit most from this intervention are students with a minimum level of pre-knowledge in mathematics and who study in a consistent and responsible manner.

Kornblum, S. L., El, Z. K. A., Menezes, G. B., Won, D., & Allen, E. L. (2017). Enhancing engineering first-year experience through Supplemental Instruction. Conference Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education. file:///C:/Users/Owner/AppData/Local/Packages/Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe/TempState/Downloads/enhancing-engineering-first-year-experience-fyre-through-supplemental-instruction%20(1).pdf
The College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology (ECST) at Cal State LA recently introduced the First-Year Experience (FYrE@ECST) program that focuses on building a more academically focused engineering mindset in freshmen engineering majors during their first year of college. While FYrE@ECST consisted of a number of proven practices integrated into the freshmen experience, the goal of this paper is to present the benefits of implementing a supplemental instruction (SI) model, adapted from the UMKC model to enhance student learning in Calculus and Physics, which are pre-requisite courses for most core upper division engineering courses, but have very high attrition level. In 2014 leading up to the development of FYrE@ECST, we examined 6-year graduation rates of the most recent 5 years, and thus we had data from the Office of Institutional Research for the Fall 2007 through Fall 2011 first-time freshmen cohorts. Out of those total 1052 students, only 567 even took Calculus I, and out of those who took Calculus I, 203 failed the course on the first try, yielding 35.8% of students needing to repeat the course. Historically, very few (~6%) of our freshmen completed their Physics I requirement within their first 2 terms. Therefore, FYE@ECST interventions focused on effective learning pedagogy and practices in these traditionally challenging but foundational courses. In particular, we wanted to demonstrate the benefit of SI workshops in a majority first generation, underrepresented minority, and predominattly academically unprepared student population. The peer-led workshops are mandatory for FYE@ECST students and designed to promote inquiry-based and collaborative learning environment and increase students’ mathematics self-efficacy. Supplemental Instruction was assessed using self-efficacy surveys, physics and math grades, pre- and post-tests, and focus groups. FYE@ECST students were compared to concurrent (CG-2) and historical (CG-3) control groups. The math average GPA for FYE@ECST students at the end of the first year was 2.9, compared to 2.2 and 2.45 for CG-2 and CG-3, respectively, and completion rate of Physics I within the first 2 terms for FYE@ECST students was 81%, compared to 9.4% for CG-2 and 6.3% for CG-3. Results from focus groups and surveys indicated that students had a very positive experience in the SI workshops.

Kowal, P., & Shaw, G. (1998). Academic support: The bridge and catalyst for academic success and student development. In P. L. Dwinell & J. L. Higbee (Eds.), Developmental education: Meeting diverse student needs (pp. 29-34). Morrow, GA: National Association for Developmental Education
Many learning support professionals consider themselves developmental educators. The process of facilitating the academic growth of students is grounded in developmental theory. This chapter discusses how academic assistance programs such as Supplemental Instruction, tutor training, freshman experience programs and collaborative efforts promote the cognitive and personal development of participating students.

Langan, M. B. (1999). The effect of Supplemental Instruction on the grades of college students. (Master's of Arts thesis), University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI.
This study of Supplemental Instruction at the University of Detroit Mercy focused on conditionally admitted students in the University College Program during 1997 concerning their grade point average. These students were enrolled in one or more of the following courses: Principles of Human Anatomy, Principles of Chemistry II, General Chemistry I, Elementary Algebra, College Algebra, Mathematical Analysis I, and Elementary Functions. SI attendance was broken into four categories: 0-25%, 26-50%, 51-75%, and 76-100%. While SI attendance was statistically significant in relation to higher final course grade, there was not a perfect corresponding relationship with increasing rates of SI attendance: 0-25%, 1.83 GPA; 26-50%, 2.07; 51-75%, 1.83; and 76-100%, 2.37.

Lazari, A., & Simons, K. (2003). Teaching college algebra using Supplemental Instruction versus the traditional lecture method. Georgia Journal of Science, 61(4), 192-198.
This article describes the use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) at Valdosta State University with a college algebra course. Students with predicted weaker entry level math skills, as measured by the SAT, who participate in SI will achieve similar final course grades with students who have average math skills. More often students with weaker entry math skills chose to voluntarily participate in SI sessions.

Liou-Mark, J., Villatore, M. L., Masuda, A., Ikramova, M., Shati, F., Rivera, J., & Lee, V. (2021). Peer-Led Team Learning in mathematics: An effort to address diversity and inclusion through learning and leadership. In M. Voight, J. E. Hagman, J. Gehitz, B. Ratliff, N. Alexander & R. Levy (Eds.), Justice through the lens of calculus: Framing new possibilities for diversity, equity, and inclusion: Mathematical Association of America.www.arxiv.org/abs/2111.11486.
The Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) model has shown to be an effective instructional method to support females, underrepresented minorities, and first-generation students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The collaborative problem-solving setting, led by a peer leader, fosters learning that engages all the students. There are six critical components that are vital to the PLTL model: 1) The PLTL Workshop is integral to the course; 2) Faculty is actively involved; 3) Peer Leaders are well trained; 4) The PLTL Workshop modules are challenging; 5) PLTL workshops are allocated time and space; and 6) There is institutional support. City Tech has implemented the PLTL workshops in selected foundation mathematics courses over the past five years because of the dismal pass and withdrawal rates. Overall results have shown that females, underrepresented minorities, and first-generation college students who actively participated in the PLTL workshops have higher course grades and lower withdrawal rates. Students are also afforded the opportunity to participate in the PLTL Leadership program. Through the PLTL Leadership program, females, underrepresented minorities, and first-generation college students (107 peer leaders in total) who have successfully completing their STEM degrees, are either in the STEM workforce or pursuing advanced STEM degrees. The PLTL model supports students who are academically disadvantaged, and provides students with an opportunity to build their leadership skills and to create a pathway to graduate school.

Lipsky, S. A. (2001). Enhancing students' academic performance via Supplemental Instruction and linked courses. The ACT 101 Journal, 8(1), 3-6.
The Learning Center program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a comprehensive freshman-experience program providing academic support services to approximately 400 at-risk freshmen. Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an important component of this program to increase student academic achievement and persistence. Participating students earned a final course grade approximately half a letter grade higher than nonparticipants with nearly two-thirds of students participating in the SI program.

Loh, H. (1997). Multidisciplinary peer collaborative study programs for first year Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Unpublished manuscript. Queensland University of Technology at Brisbane. Queensland, Australia.
This report describes the use in 1995 of Supplemental Instruction (SI) at Queensland University of Technology (Australia) with first year Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (A&TSI) students. Many of these students began postsecondary education with high anxiety (79% student response), low to medium confidence in passing their courses, limited knowledge of study skills, and high to moderate difficulty levels within their respective subjects. A&TSI students had an attrition rate nearly double other students at QUT (32.7% vs. 18.4%). About half the A&TSI students participated in the SI program. Using a four point scale (greatly, moderately, slightly, not at all), data obtained from end of academic term student surveys of SI participants suggests that SI: was helpful for increased learning (70% of students selected "greatly"), lowered anxiety levels (45% greatly and 45% moderately), increased confidence levels (50% greatly, 50% moderately), improved enthusiasm and motivation to perform better (45% greatly, 45% moderately), and helped to create a favorable environment supporting learning (100% greatly). SI participant grades were evaluated on a seven point scale: fail, one to three; pass, 4; credit, 5; distinction, 6; high distinction, 7. When analyzing the grade distribution for all A&TSI students, 22.9% of SI participants earned grades of 6 or 7 as compared with 0% for the non-SI. When examining the failing grades (1, 2 or 3) the SI group had a dramatically lower rate (22.8%) when compared with the non-SI group (78.3%). SI leaders reported that their participation in the program led to the following outcomes: developed facilitation and group organizational skills; improved confidence and self esteem; and developed their own learning skills.

Madyun, N., Grier, T., Brothen, T., & Wambach, C. (2004). Supplemental Instruction in a personalized system of instruction General Psychology course. The Learning Assistance Review, 9(1), 7-15.
At the General College in the University of Minnesota the Supplemental Instruction model was modified to better meet the needs of the TRIO students enrolled in a general psychology course. Rather than the traditional voluntary attendance model, these students were required to attend a college credit course that resembled a mandatory version of SI that meet twice each week throughout the semester. The SI course had six objectives: (a) teach the students to use the textbook as a primary resource; (b) build critical thinking skills; (c) self-regulation, selfing monitoring, meta-cognitive awareness, concentration, and peer support; (d) develop peer support for learning; (e) final exam preparation; and (f) provide explicit instruction and exercise3s geared toward helping students understand the nature and structure of the psychology course. A quasi-experimental evaluation design was used. The TRIO students enrolled in the SI course had higher grades than a comparison group of nonparticipating TRIO students.

Malm, J., Bryngfors, L., & Morner, L.-L. (2011). Supplemental Instruction: Whom Does it Serve? International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 23(3), 282-291. www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/pdf/IJTLHE1025.pdf.
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is today a well-known academic assistance program that provides help for students in “difficult” courses. SI has repeatedly been shown to decrease the percentage of failures in the course as well as increasing course grades for students who attended SI sessions. Although SI is open for all students, its main objective is to come to terms with students’ high failure rates and retention problems. And even if SI has been shown to reduce failure rates and increase reenrollment figures, surprisingly few studies have been devoted to determine how well it benefits students with different prior academic ability. These studies tend to show that “weaker” students benefit from SI. The results for “average” and “strong” students are not as clear. The present study focuses on the benefit of SI for “weak”, “average,” and “strong” first-year engineering students in a calculus course. The results show that all three groups benefit from SI and that the failure rates among students with low prior mathematics achievement who had high SI attendance are almost as low as for students with high prior mathematics achievement who do not attend SI.

Martin, D. C., & Arendale, D. R. (1997). Mainstreaming of developmental education: Supplemental Instruction and Video-based Supplemental Instruction. Unpublished manuscript. University of Missouri-Kansas City. Kansas City, MO. www.arendale.org/storage/pdf-documents/peer/MainstreamingDE97.pdf
This paper describes the development of Supplemental Instruction (SI) and Video-based Supplemental Instruction (VSI) to serve an effective way to mainstream the best features of developmental education into traditional college-level courses. The historical development and modern day implementation of both programs are described

Martin, D. C., Arendale, D. R., & Blanc, R. A. (1997). Mainstreaming of developmental education: Supplemental Instruction and Video-based Supplemental Instruction. Unpublished manuscript. University of Missouri-Kansas City. Kansas City, MO. www.arendale.org/storage/pdf-documents/peer/MainstreamingDE97.pdf
This manuscript was originally delivered as a paper at a special conference in January 1998 on "Alternatives to Developmental Education" that was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education funded National Center for Lifelong Learning based at Stanford University (CA). The conference was convened to deal with the growing concern by some states regarding traditional developmental education credit courses. The conference was designed to identify several alternative ways of accomplishing the same purposes as developmental courses (e.g., linked courses, critical thinking courses, SI, VSI). This paper first provides an overview of SI and VSI. Then it concludes with the pedagogical basis for both. In developmental education, research scholars embrace the reductionist approach by seeking first to identify the separate and distinct skills required for academic success, then to measure the degree to which these are present or absent in the individual, and finally to isolate and teach those skills that are in deficit. Practitioners assume that mastery of a series of independent skills lead to academic competency. SI and VSI break with this view and provide a holistic approach to education. Given sufficient efficiency on task, effective guidance, and the time and opportunity to do so, any serious student can learn.

Martin, D. C., & Blanc, R. (2001). Video-based Supplemental Instruction (VSI). Journal of Developmental Education, 24(3), 12-14, 16, 18, 45.
Developed at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Video-based Supplemental Instruction© is an interactive information processing and delivery system that helps academically at-risk students master rigorous course content as they concurrently develop and refine reasoning and learning skills. Rather than requiring prerequisite enrollment in a traditional developmental course, VSI is a learning system that mainstreams the best practices of developmental education into historically-difficult core curriculum courses. Research suggests the efficacy of VSI for improving academic achievement for students of diverse levels – from elementary school for children studying mathematics through professional school for future doctors studying to pass the first step of their medical license examination boards. VSI is presented as a holistic alternative to traditional approaches of developmental education

Mason, D., & Verdel, E. (2001). Gateway to success for at-risk students in a large-group introductory chemistry class. Journal of Chemical Education, 78(2), 252-255.
This study examined students enrolled at The University of Texas at San Antonio regarding the impact of a special program for at-risk students enrolled in a chemistry course with no laboratory component. Supplemental Instruction (SI) was one part of this special program. The study was carefully controlled regarding the possible impact of variables. At-risk students were enrolled in both a large lecture class and a small one. The results were mixed and the authors postulate on the possible advantages of the heterogeneous large course with students of varying academic abilities who interacted with the at-risk students and the more homogeneous small class with only at-risk students enrolled.

Micari, M., Winkle, Z. V., & Pazos, P. (2016). Among friends: The role of academic-preparedness diversity in individual performance within a small-group STEM learning environment. International Journal of Science Education, 38(12), 1904-1922. doi: 10.1080/09500693.2016.1218091.
In this study, we investigate the relationship between academic-preparedness diversity within small learning groups and individual academic performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) university courses. We further examine whether academic-preparedness diversity impacts academically more- and less-prepared students differently. We use data from 5367 university students nested within 1141 science, engineering, and mathematics learning groups and use a regression analysis to estimate the effect of group diversity, measured in two ways, on course performance. Our results indicate that academic-preparedness diversity is generally associated with positive learning outcomes, that academically less-prepared students derive greater benefit, and that less-prepared students fare best when they are not alone in a group of highly prepared students. Implications for teaching and small-group facilitation are addressed.

Mitra, S., & Goldstein, Z. (2017). Impact of Supplemental Instruction on business courses: A statistical study. Informs Transactions on Education, 1-13. doi: :10.1287/ited.2017.0178. www.pubsonline.informs.org/doi/pdf/10.1287/ited.2017.0178.
Many students in quantitative business courses are struggling. One technique designed to support such students is Supplemental Instruction (SI), which is most popular in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In this paper, we show the positive impact of SI on student performance in two bottleneck business courses in a large university. Our evaluation results establish that (i) SI has a statistically significant effect on students’ likelihood of passing both courses (after controlling for background variables), (ii) SI is more helpful for students identified as at risk than for those who are not, and (iii) it is important to consistently attend SI sessions for greater success. We also present models to predict consistent student attendance based on background factors with 90% accuracy and conclude with a brief qualitative study about students’ self-perception of SI and the professional development attained by SI leaders.

Molina-Gallo, K. D., Teland, N. K., & Lopez-Finn, E. (2022, June 26-29, 2022). The evolution of peer-assisted learning: From SI to PLUS. Conference Proceedings of the ASEE 2022 Annual Conference: Excellence through diversity, Minneapolis, MN. https://peer.asee.org/the-evolution-of-peer-assisted-learning-from-si-to-plus.pdf
This Complete Evidence-Based Practice Paper investigates the impact of academic support programs such as Supplemental Instruction (SI) and Peer-Led Undergraduate Studying (PLUS) on student retention and end-of-semester course grades in first year and upper division engineering courses in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Texas at Austin. In this study we have utilized quantitative data such as students’ SI/PLUS session attendance, students’ pre-semester GPAs, end-of-semester course grades, and the D’s, F’s, W’s and Q drop rates (QDFW rates) for attendees and non-attendees in these programs. Our statistical data analysis shows an improvement in both course GPAs and successful course completion for SI/PLUS attendees vs. non attendees. To account for the voluntary nature of these programs, we compared the performance of students with similar presemester GPAs to control for the level of preparation of the students. The difference in performance and successful course completion for the attendees vs. non-attendees in these programs was even more pronounced for students with lower pre-semester GPAs. From these data analyses we have concluded that these programs have a favorable effect on student performance, especially for lower-performing students.

Molina-Gallo, K. D., Teland, N. K., & Lopez-Finn, E. (2022). The evolution of peer-assisted learning: From SI to PLUS. Conference Proceedings of the Excellence through Diversity ASEE Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN. https://peer.asee.org/41266.pdf
This Complete Evidence-Based Practice Paper investigates the impact of academic support programs such as Supplemental Instruction (SI) and Peer-Led Undergraduate Studying (PLUS) on student retention and end-of-semester course grades in first year and upper division engineering courses in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Texas at Austin. In this study we have utilized quantitative data such as students’ SI/PLUS session attendance, students’ pre-semester GPAs, end-of-semester course grades, and the D’s, F’s, W’s and Q drop rates (QDFW rates) for attendees and non-attendees in these programs. Our statistical data analysis shows an improvement in both course GPAs and successful course completion for SI/PLUS attendees vs. non attendees. To account for the voluntary nature of these programs, we compared the performance of students with similar presemester GPAs to control for the level of preparation of the students. The difference in performance and successful course completion for the attendees vs. non-attendees in these programs was even more pronounced for students with lower pre-semester GPAs. From these data analyses we have concluded that these programs have a favorable effect on student performance, especially for lower-performing students.

Moore, R., & DeLee, O. (2006). Supplemental Instruction and the performance of developmental education students in an introductory biology course. Journal of College Reading & Learning, 36(2), 9-20.
Supplemental Instruction (SI) was analyzed in an introductory biology class at the University of Minnesota with a student population of mostly academically-underprepared students. The findings favored SI participants over non-participants regarding higher final course grades. Other findings were that the SI participants attended class more often, took more advantage of instructor's office hours, and handed in more extra-credit homework. The authors suggest that SI can be especially effective for academically-underprepared students.

Munoz-O'Laughlin, J. (2012). Supplemental Instruction as a remedy for the developmental mathematics university student (Master of Arts thesis), California State University, Dominguez Hills, Dominguez Hills, CA.
Research was conducted at California State University, Dominguez Hills to determine the impact of Supplemental Instruction (SI) on underprepared first-year Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students' successful completion of mathematics remediation. Course completion rates were tracked and a chi-square test was used to examine the relationship between the number of SI courses taken and completion of math remediation. Results indicated that EOP students who participated in the full sequence of SI courses offered completed their remediation at significantly higher rates than students who did not participate in SI. Requiring academic support like SI for underprepared students may be an effective way for universities to increase retention rates. The researcher suggested a follow-up study could include a third group for comparison, non-EOP students who entered the university at the same lowest math levels but did not participate in SI. Another issue was understanding the influence of motivation why the EOP students decided to participate in the full sequence of SI courses and worded hard to complete the developmental math requirements.

Muraskin, L. (Ed.). (1997). "Best practices" in Student Support Services: A study of five exemplary sites. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education. ERIC database. (ED416784).
This report examines "best practices" in the delivery of Student Support Services (SSS), one of the Special Programs for Disadvantaged Students collectively known as the TRIO programs. The study is based on case studies that were conducted in five local SSS projects during early 1996. The five projects were drawn from 30 projects in the National Study of Student Support Services, a longitudinal survey of students begun in 1991. A common theme of academic support at all five institutions was with providing learning assistance for developmental and popular freshman courses. Two of the five sites used Supplemental Instruction (SI) as an integral part of academic enrichment for SSS students. Another site used a variation of SI.

Murphy, T. J. (1986). College mathematics instruction in transition: A study of reform in a college algebra course for 'at-risk' students [Dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995]. Dissertation Abstracts International, 56(09), 3491.
This dissertation study investigates the Emerging Scholars Program. Historically, students from academically disadvantaged and minority populations have experienced disproportionately high dropout and failure rates in college mathematics. These students often place into courses considered remedial at the college level. The current national reform movement includes initiatives designed to address the failure of mathematics education to meet the needs of underrepresented populations. This research examined an effort to make a college algebra course more effective for 'at-risk' students, admitted to a research university through an academic support program. In particular, the study analyzed the extent of reform in this course and the impact of the course on student outcomes, and identified barriers and enhancers to implementing reform in this context. The reform efforts included employing active learning and student collaboration strategies and attempting to create a 'Treisman-style' workshop environment. These strategies challenge instructors to check their impulse to show and tell, and instead, to facilitate and coach; correspondingly, instructors design challenging activities that differ from the standard manipulation exercises often found in textbooks. This study followed an instructor through her first semester of attempting to implement these strategies. A combination of retrospective and prospective data was utilized. Admissions and transcript records enabled the calculation of background characteristics (demographic and academic) and persistence rates (university retention and course and career paths). Prospective data included classroom observations, instructor and researcher journals, a diagnostic pre- and posttest, and student interviews. The results indicated that (a) the academic support program provided a supportive, inclusive environment for both students and instructor; (b) the course employed active learning and student collaboration, but the content presented remained at lower cognitive levels; (c) the instructor experienced frustration in trying to balance content coverage with student involvement, in learning to release control to the students, and in discarding traditional notions of remediation; and (d) the treatment did not adversely affect student skills or attitude, and in some cases the course enabled students to pursue their chosen fields. Recommendations include upgrading the cognitive level of the course content, providing instructor development opportunities, and--most importantly--strengthening partnerships between the units involved (program, department, and instructor) in the conduct of the course.

Ogden, P., Thompson, D., Russell, A., & Simons, C. (2003). Supplemental Instruction: Short- and long-term impact. Journal of Developmental Education, 26(3), 2-4. 6, 8.
The purpose of this study was to assess Supplemental Instruction (SI) for short- and long-term impact on college academic performance and retention at Georgia State University. Data were compiled for students registered in a political science course supported by SI. Four groups were identified according to their university entry status and SI participation: traditional (regularly admitted) SI participants, conditional (Learning Support Programs and/or English as a Second Language entry status) SI participants, traditional non-SI participants, and conditional non-SI participants. All SI participants volunteered for the program. There was no statistically significant differences between SI and non-SI participants in the two comparison groups when preentry attributes were analyzed. Conditional students participating in SI had significantly higher short- and long-term outcomes compared to conditional non-SI participants. Conditional SI participants reenrolled at a higher rate than did the other three student groups included in this study. Traditional SI participants earned higher final course grades than their non-SI counterparts, though the results were not statistically significant. The ESL students were equally distributed among the four comparison groups and did not serve as a statistically significant factor in outcomes studied.

Peacock, M. L. (2008). A program evaluation of Supplemental Instruction for developmental mathematics at a community college in Virginia. (Ph.D. dissertation), Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. Available online www.digitalcommons.odu.edu/efl_etds/184/
With the current emphasis on accountability and the importance of math skills in our present economy, the success of developmental mathematics students at community colleges is critical. How to improve the success of these developmental students has become the impetus for many educational initiatives. One educational innovation in tutoring, called Supplemental Instruction (SI), has been successfully applied to high-risk courses which are defined to have a failure rate in excess of 30%. Mid-Atlantic Community College, in its Title III grant which seeks to improve the success of developmental students, selected Supplemental Instruction (SI) as its initiative. This program evaluation investigated the effects of SI on the learning gains, persistence, course completion, metacognitive and study skills of the developmental math students at Mid-Atlantic Community College. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this research study. The researcher confirmed that the application of SI to developmental math at the community college did positively impact students' learning gains, persistence, and course completion when comparing SI classes to non-SI classes. The MSLQ revealed a positive impact in the areas of help-seeking and organization for SI students. The researcher also found a much larger withdrawal rate during the semester among non-SI students. The program evaluation revealed some aspects of the SI program that were not fully implemented. Near significance suggests that further investigations would be indicated in course completion rates and college persistence in a study with a larger sample size. Also, the MSLQ should be given as a pre-test with the students given feedback on how to improve their metacognitive and study strategies. Additionally, the effect on student performance of scheduling of a mandatory SI session each week should be investigated. While much of the research on SI has been performed at four year colleges and in non-developmental courses, this study confirmed that SI can make a difference in the lives of developmental students at the community college level. The leadership of the community college is interested in the success of their developmental students and their retention, as well as the impact that SI could have on many other high risk courses.

Pelaez, K., Levine, R. A., Fan, J., Guarcello, M. A., & Laumakis, M. A. (2019). Using a latent class forest to identity at-risk students in higher education. Journal of Educational Data Mining, 11(1), 18-46. www.jedm.educationaldatamining.org/index.php/JEDM/article/view/283.
Higher education institutions often examine performance discrepancies of specific subgroups, such as students from underrepresented minority and first-generation backgrounds. An increase in educational technology and computational power has promoted research interest in using data mining tools to help identify groups of students who are academically at-risk. Institutions can then implement data-informed decisions to help promote student access, increase retention and graduation rates, and guide intervention programs. We introduce a latent class forest, a latent class analysis and a random forest ensemble that will recursively partition observations into groups to help identify at-risk students. The procedure is a form of model-based hierarchical clustering that relies on latent class trees to optimally identify subgroups. We motivate and apply our latent class forest method to identify key demographic and academic characteristics of at-risk students in a large enrollment, bottleneck introductory psychology course at San Diego State University (SDSU). A post hoc analysis is conducted to measure the efficacy of Supplemental Instruction (SI) across these groups. SI is a peer-led academic intervention that targets historically challenging courses and aims to increase student performance. In doing so, we are able to identify populations that benefit most from SI to guide program recruitment and help increase the introductory psychology course success rate.

Phelps, J. M. (2005). Supplemental Instruction in a community college developmental mathematics curriculum: A phenomenological study of learning experiences. (Ph.D. dissertation), University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.
This research study used a phenomenological approach at a community college to identify factors that motivated students' attendance and subsequent learning experiences in Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions that supported developmental mathematics courses. Interviews were held with both SI participants and the SI leaders. Additional data was gathered through a Multiple Intelligence Inventory. The data suggested eight themes of motivation for students participating in the voluntary SI sessions and nine themes characterized the types of learning experiences that occurred in the SI session. SI was found to be a significant factor in academic achievement in the developmental mathematics courses. Findings suggest that SI helps create a climate of achievement for learners taking developmental mathematics in a community college setting.

Phelps, J. M., & Evans, R. (2006). Supplemental Instruction in developmental mathematics. The Community College Enterprise (formerly Michigan Community College Journal), 4(6).
After an extensive review of the professional literature concerning Supplemental Instruction (SI), especially among community colleges, the articles focuses on its use at Valencia Community College in Orlando, FL during 2003 and 2004. Results included: increase in completion rate of the course (52% vs. 35%); higher final course grade (2.57 vs. 2.22; SI participants reported a lower level of test anxiety; and SI participants reported a higher level of confidence in their abilities. The article concludes with identifying new avenues for investigation of the SI model, especially with a deeper understanding of student motivation.

Pollock, K. (2005). Tracking D, F, and W students could bring at-risk students, classes to light. Enrollment Management Report.
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is identified as an effective program for increasing academic success of at-risk students.

Preszler, R. W. (2005). Improving student's performance in a challenging biology course: Assessing specific components of Supplemental Instruction. Unpublished manuscript. New Mexico State University. Las Cruces, NM.
This report describes the use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) in a biology course at New Mexico State University (Las Cruces, NM). The students enrolled in the course were provided SI sessions outside of class. In some of these sessions, a traditional SI model was used with it being a student-directed session. Another session was more teacher-driven. Another session used a combination of both student- and faculty-driven sessions. The results for the students depended upon their academic preparation level. Students who were most underprepared did not benefit much from the SI experience, regardless of the orientation of the session. Students who had modest preparation benefited the most from the student-centered sessions. The sessions with students who had the most preparation benefited regardless of whether it was student- or teacher-centered.

Racchini, A. N. (2020). Embedded tutoring: One initiative to help struggling students. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 12(1), 47-55. https://www.holyfamily.edu/documents/embedded-tutoring-one-initiative-help-struggling-students.
This study sought to determine if utilizing an embedded tutor in a liberal studies history course would impact student grades. This course was selected due to its high D/F or W (withdraw) rates; particularly for students who are admitted with an at-risk profile. The researcher analyzed the number of times a student attended tutoring and if there was an impact in the final grade for the course. The researcher discovered that students who utilized the embedded tutoring five or more times earned a higher final grade than students who did not utilize tutoring. This study was conducted in fall 2017 at a four-year, public institution in Western Pennsylvania.

Raica-Klotz, H., Montgomery, C., Giroux, C., Brinson, C., Gibson, Z., Singleton, T., . . . Vang, K. (2014). "Developing writers": The multiple identities of an embedded tutor in the developmental writing classroom. Praxis: A Writing Center Journal, 12(1), 21-26. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/62315.
In her essay “When Basic Writers Come to College,” Patricia Bizzell explains that writers placed in developmental courses “are asked to join an academic community ... united almost entirely by its language” (296). Specifically, students are asked to learn “new dialect and discourse conventions ... [and] the outcome of such learning is the acquisition of a whole new world view” (297), which requires not only a different way of writing and communicating but a different way of thinking. This is no small task. Therefore, some of the problems that developmental writers face “are best understood as stemming from the initial distance between their world views and the academic world view” (297). James Paul Gee further defines these communities as “Discourses” where students can create an “‘identity kit,’ which comes complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize” (7). Many of us would agree that most writing center tutors have successfully negotiated these different communities and Discourses, adapted alternative viewpoints, and even created various identities through their work in our centers, which results in tremendous change and growth. As Hughes, Gillespie, and Kail have demonstrated through the Peer Writing Tutor Alumni Research Project, the work of tutoring has a profound impact, changing the way tutors perceive writing, learn critical thinking, value the power of collaborative learning, and develop a new-found sense of personal confidence.

Ramirez, G. M. (1997). Supplemental Instruction: The long-term impact. Journal of Developmental Education, 21(1), 2-4, 6, 8, 10, 28.
This study addresses two questions about the impact of Supplemental Instruction (SI) on students in a large urban university (California State University, Long Beach): what academic performance benefit is realized beyond the target course supported by SI, and whether SI participation strengthens the persistence patterns of particular student populations. A unique feature of the SI program at Long Beach is that students enroll for a one-unit prebaccalureate class to gain admission to SI sessions. In this way SI becomes a part of the student's weekly schedule and student participation is higher than programs where SI attendance is voluntary. Participants from various student groups were tracked for a period of 8 semesters beginning in Fall 91, and their performance and retention patterns were compared with those of control peer groups of nonparticipants. SI was found to have essentially an immediate impact (grade range: 4.0 to 0.0; target course: 2.86 vs. 2.27 and semester GPA: 2.77 vs. 2.49) on traditional students; however, it has a substantial impact on performance [2.52 vs. 1.82] and retention [70% vs. 51%] for special-admit students and a definite benefit for underrepresented or underprepared students. Low motivated students, as evidenced by their prior college performance, maintained consistent improvement after SI participation.

Ramirez, G. M. (1997). Supplemental Instruction. Conference Proceedings of the Proceedings of the 13th and 14th Annual Institutes for Learning Assistance Professionals: 1992 and 1993. www.lsche.net/?page_id=1201
This article provides a basic overview of Supplemental Instruction (SI). Data is reprinted from a 1983 research study by Drs. Martin and Blanc on the effectiveness of SI. The SI program was customized at California State University, Long Beach to more effectively target first-generation and economically-disadvantaged students for service. Participating students attended SI sessions on a weekly basis and received academic credit. Research studies from 1990 suggest that students from less academically-prepared backgrounds benefitted twice as much as traditional students who attended SI. Results were highest in SI sessions where the SI leader emphasizes both content mastery and development of critical thinking/study skills in comparison with SI leaders who focused primarily on mastery of the academic course material.

Rath, K. A., Peterfreund, A. R., Xenos, S. P., Bayliss, F., & Carnal, N. (2007). Supplemental Instruction in Introductory Biology I: Enhancing the performance and retention of underrepresented minority students. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 6, 203-216.
Supplemental Instruction (SI) was used at San Francisco State University in an Introductory Biology I class. Participation in the voluntary SI program was beneficial and especially so for students who are underrepresented minority students in the sciences. Data was analyzed between 1999 and 2005 consisting of a pool of approximately 1,500 students in the classes where SI was offered. Following national averages, about one-third of the students participated in SI. The SI participants had higher outcomes in comparison with the non-SI participants: (a) proportion receiving a "C-" final courses or higher, 82% vs. 72%; (b) average final course grade, 2.29 vs. 1.99; (c) proportion ultimately graduating from SFSU, 67% vs. 59%. The SI participants reenrolled in the class multiple times by a slightly higher rate, 19% vs. 16%. In comparing the SI and non-SI participants, the SI participants had lower college entrance scores, lower high school graduation rank percentile, and higher rate of underrepresented student population in science majors. When comparing only the underrepresented students in the class, the results favored even more dramatically the SI participants: (a) earned final course grade of C- or higher, 80% vs. 55%; (b) average final course grade, 2.22 vs. 1.49; (c) proportion ultimately graduating from SFSU, 73% vs. 50%. The authors share several theories as to why SI was more beneficial to the underrepresented minority students including that they benefited the most since they had the most disadvantages to overcome in college due to their academic preparation in high school.

Reck, L. (2019). Neural networks for estimating individualized treatment effects in observational studies. (M.S. thesis), San Diego State University, San Diego, CA.
The main goal of this thesis is to evaluate individualized treatment effects (ITE) using neural networks. The individuals are university students and treatment is defined as attendance in Supplemental Instruction (SI). The variable of interest is given by the grade at the end of the semester. So the main question of this thesis is, how much each individual student would improve by attending SI. Even though past data is available, each student can either attend SI, or not. Hence only the grade at the end of the semester for one of the two scenarios is known, such that the true ITE will always be unknown. Therefore statistical methods need to be implemented in order to estimate the ITE. While we consider several methods, the main focus lies on neural networks. A simulation study is used to evaluate the accuracy of the statistical methods developed. The methods are applied on artificially generated data, where the true relationship between th variables is known and the true ITE can be calculated. The simulation study showed that neural networks, along with random forest, performed best in estimating the ITE. Since individual neural networks showed quite a bit of variation, we used an averaging method to derive the final prediction model. The application data for this analysis contains several thousand observations, each describing one student. For each student, more than 20 covariates are available with both university related information, such as major or term GPA and personal information, such as gender and age. The main finding in this analysis is that students with weaker academic background benefit more by services like SI. Furthermore, we may use pre-semester data such as high school GPA, campus GPA, and academic status to create an early warning system to encourage students into the SI program.

Sarquis, J. L., & Detchon, J. C. (2006). The PLTL experience at Miami University. Miami University. Oxford, OH.
In comparison with other sections of general chemistry, the population of the Peer-led Team Learning (PLTL) class has a statistically significant difference in Math SAT scores (588, PLTL; 625 and 620 non-PLTL; p = .005). Students in three sections were given the ACS First-Semester General Chemistry Exam, and it was found that the PLTL section did score lower, but the difference was not statistically significant (44.1, PLTL; 45.1 and 47.0, non-PLTL; F(2, 400) = 2.276, p = .05). Therefore the conclusion of the researchers is that the PLTL model is boosting the performance of the PLTL student to a level almost comparable to their counterparts in the traditional course even though the PLTL students are "at risk" based on their math preparation that has been known to be a predictor for success in general chemistry.

Shields, S. P., Hogrebe, M. C., Spees, W. M., Handlin, L. B., Noelken, G. P., Riley, J. M., & Frey, R. F. (2012). A transition program for underprepared students in general chemistry: Diagnosis, implementation, and evaluation. . Journal of Chemical Education, 89(8), 995-1000. doi: 10.1021/ed100410.
We developed an online exam to diagnose students who are underprepared for college-level general chemistry and implemented a program to support them during the general chemistry sequence. This transition program consists of extended-length recitations, peer-led team-learning (PLTL) study groups, and peer-mentoring groups. We evaluated this program's impact on student performance in general chemistry using data from the fall semesters 2007, 2008, and 2009. We found that our transition program helped the underprepared students make significant gains in their course performance relative to other students when controlling for prior content knowledge and experience. PLTL did improve the performance of the underprepared students relative to other students in the lower 40% of the class. Inclusion of peer mentoring resulted in additional gains over the use of PLTL. Via surveys to students in the transition program, students agreed or strongly agreed that extended-length recitations and peer-mentoring groups improved their performance in general chemistry. This is important given the voluntary nature of our program.

Spivey, C. A., Davis, M. S., Rodriguez, J. D., Havrda, M. A., & Chisholm-Burns, M. A. (2021). Effects of peer-led study sessions on first-year student pharmacist performance in pharmacy math. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learningq, 13, 1168-1173. www.www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877129721001623/pdfft?casa_token=z5LTEHiHF0UAAAAA:YQIb_DRtpGPzJT2UzluEa84nQvLCWHJq8v0oBcNHVcQ6vX5KLgVPvhtEnQ8FXq65JKA5PZra&md5=6da31b87deee2687c0cf3b43e785815c&pid=1-s2.0-S1877129721001623-main.pdf.
To evaluate effects of peer-led study sessions on performance in a traditionally challenging course, Pharmacy Math, among first-year student pharmacists (P1s). Methods: Peer-led study sessions were conducted throughout fall 2019 for P1s. Sessions were led by two second-year student pharmacists and focused on study skills and course-related strategies, principles, and content. P1s who attended the majority (at least five) of study sessions were compared to those who attended fewer sessions on student demographics, undergraduate science grade point average, and course outcome (pass/did not pass) using chi-square and independent samples ttests. Relative risk (RR) was calculated. A sub-analysis of students considered at risk of failing was also conducted. Results: There were 200 P1 participants. Twenty-four students (12%) attended the majority of the sessions and 176 students (88%) attended fewer sessions. Of the 24 students who attended ≥ five study sessions, all passed Pharmacy Math, while 12 of the 176 students who attended fewer sessions failed Pharmacy Math. Students who attended ≥ five sessions had a 6.8% reduction in risk of failing compared to students who attended fewer sessions (RR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.895, 0.97). More striking, at-risk students who attended ≥ five study sessions had a 17.1% reduction in risk of failing. Conclusions: Peer-led study sessions contribute to reduced risk of failing Pharmacy Math among students who attend a majority of study sessions. Improvements for the future were identified, including mandatory attendance, group structure, and creative ways to cover concepts. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All righ

Staff. (1995, August 6). Emerging Scholars Program produces success: Students seeking to improve grades get support, guidance, Syracuse Herald American, p. C1.
This newspaper article describes the use of the Emerging Scholars Program (ESP) at the State University of New York-Morrisville to improve student success in math courses by historically underrepresented students.

Stansbury, S. L. (2001). Accelerated Learning Groups enhance Supplemental Instruction for at-risk students. Journal of Developmental Education, 24(3), 20-22, 24, 26, 28, 40. Available from the author at [e-mail].
In order to increase Supplemental Instruction (SI) attendance, Accelerated Learning Groups (ALGs) were developed. A pilot study investigated whether at-risk students who participated in an ALG/SI combination demonstrated higher self-efficacy and SI attendance than those who participated in only SI. Results suggested that at-risk students were more likely to participate in 12 or more SI sessions if they attended an ALG/SI combination than if they attended only SI. In addition, the range of final grades was higher for those who attended an ALG/SI combination than for those who attended only SI. The development of prerequisite skills was essential for the efficacy of SI to serve academically underprepared students who may shun the very academic intervention that would be of most help to them. Additional research is warranted to investigate this area.

Stansbury, S. L. (2001). How to turn Supplemental Instruction nonparticipants into participants. Unpublished manuscript. University of Missouri-Kansas City. Kansas City, MO. Available from the author at [e-mail]
This study investigated the outcomes of the Supplemental Instruction (SI) model with 215 students enrolled in General Biology and 200 students in General Chemistry at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. A variety of preentry attributes were collected from the students including self-reported grade in a previous course of the same academic sequence, mastery goal orientation, performance-approach goal orientation, performance-avoidance goal orientation, self-efficacy, and interest in group study. While the findings were complex, several general statements include: higher SI attendance was correlated with higher final course grades, academically weaker students were less likely to attend SI sessions, academically weaker students reported higher levels of self-efficacy suggesting that they were less likely to accurately assess their strengths and weaknesses. This may also partly explain why these students were less likely to participate in SI sessions. The author recommends that the course professor administer a content-valid pretest during the first class period to provide feedback to all students and hopefully motivate the low scoring students to attend SI sessions. The paper concludes with an overview of Accelerated Learning Groups (ALGs), an intervention designed by the author at the University of Southern California to increase the academic success of at-risk students. The objective of ALGs is to identify students who have below average prerequisite skills for a course and assist them in strengthening these skills while they attend SI. ALGs were designed to work simultaneously with the campus SI program. Procedures for implementing ALGs is provided with data from a study of the effectiveness of ALGs in a chemistry course.

Stephens, J. E. (1995). Supplemental Instruction in developmental mathematics: Inquiring minds want to know. Journal of Developmental Education, 19(2), 38.
Based on the author's dissertation research concerning Supplemental Instruction (SI), the following observations concerning SI in math were made: (1) the developmental math student participants in SI in relationship to their perceived level of difficulty of the course instructor; (2) SI program success is dependent upon the level that students are active in SI sessions; (3) when the variable of repetition is applied to SI and non-SI participant, higher academic success is associated with first-time course students; (4) when the variable of gender is applied to SI and non-SI participant when there has been a high level of vocalization during SI sessions, females tend to increase more highly in academic terms than males; (5) when the variable of gender is applied to SI and non-SI participant when there has been a low level of vocalization during SI sessions, academic achievement will be fairly equal among the genders.

Stone, M. E., & Jacobs, G. (Eds.). (2006). Supplemental Instruction: New visions for empowering student learning. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 106, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
This sourcebook includes the following chapters: 1. The impact of Supplemental Instruction on teaching students "how to learn," Saundra Yancy McGuire. 2. The basic SI model, Maureen Hurley, Glen Jacobs, Melinda Gilbert. 3. Supplemental Instruction at community college: The four pillars, Joyce Ship Zaritsky, Andi Toce. 4. A credit-bearing course for training SI leaders, Sally A. Lipsky. 5. Video-based Supplemental Instruction: Serving underprepared students, Maureen Hurley, Kay L. Patterson, F. Kim Wilcox. 6. Benefits to Supplemental Instruction leaders.M. Lisa Stout, Amelia J. McDaniel. 7. How Supplemental Instruction benefits faculty administration, and institutions, Sandra Zerger, Cathy Clark-Unite, Liesl Smith. 8. New directions for Supplemental Instruction, Sonny L. Painter . 9. TeamSI : A resource for integrating and improving learning, Carin Muhr, Deanna C. Martin. 10. The New vision for SI: Where are we heading ? Glen Jacobs, Marion E. Stone, M. Lisa Stout.

Stone, M. E., & Jacobs, G. (Eds.). (2008). Supplemental Instruction: Improving first-year student success in high-risk courses (Monograph No. 7, 3rd ed.). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition. ERIC Document (ED559247) www.archive.org/stream/ERIC_ED559247#page/n0/mode/2up
This monograph explores the Supplemental Instruction (SI) model through the following chapters: (introduction) 35 years of SI, F. Kim Wilcox and Glen Jacobs; (1) basic SI model, Maureen Hurley and Melinda Gilbert; (2) research on the effectiveness of SI, Maureen Hurley and Melinda Gilbert; (3) theoretical frameworks that inform the SI model, Sandra Zerger; (4) implementing a new SI program, F. Kim Wilcox; (5) recruiting and training SI leaders, Amelia McDaniel; (6) strategies for adapting SI to specific academic disciplines, Sandra Zerger; (7) Video-Based SI, Maureen Hurley, Kay Patterson, Sonny Painter, and Jennifer Carnicom; (8) SI international adaptations and future directions, Glen Jacobs M. Lisa Stout, and Marion E. Stone; (9) Concluding the first 35 years, Amelia McDaniel; (appendix a) glossary of terms; (appendix b) selected annotated bibliography for SI, David R. Arendale

Strozak, V. S. (2003). Peer-led Team Learning: A cooperative learning strategy that works. Conference Proceedings of the 226th American Chemical Society National Meeting, New York, NY. For more information, contact the author at the Center for Advanced Study in Education, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, [e-mail]
Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) was used with introductory chemistry courses of the City University of New York. Research studies suggest that PLTL participants earn higher quality grades (A, B, or C), reducing withdrawal rates, and effectiveness with students with low and moderate ability.

Taksa, I., & Goldberg, R. (2004). Web-delivered Supplemental Instruction: Dynamic customizing of search algorithms to enhance independent learning for developmental mathematics students. Mathematics and Computer Education, 38(2), 152-164.
Supplemental Instruction (SI) was modified for web delivery to increase its use and effectiveness of results for students. The focus was on serving developmental math students at the City University of New York.

Tomusko, E. (2018). Anxiety at John Carroll: Why developmental writers avoid the writing center. (Master's thesis), John Carroll University. https://collected.jcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1094&context=mastersessays
his paper describes the underlying issues and attempts to offer a possible remedy John Carroll University’s developmental writing students’ lack of engagement with the campus Writing Center. While developmental writing students across the United States visit their respective writing centers frequently, these students at JCU do not visit at the same pace. In this project, I draw from class surveys of student writers, from class visits, and from tracking student consultations at the Writing Center to learn why developmental writers do not visit as often as their EN 125 counterparts. In doing so, I argue that JCU’s developmental writing students are faced with the following dilemma: JCU’s developmental writing students, who are also primarily JCU’s nontraditional students, struggle academically and emotionally with the enviornment JCU’s traditional and primarily residential four year university provides. Many of JCU’s students come prepared for the academic rigors of college studies, and as such, have little reason to feel that they may be unprepared for the academic rigor of college writing. JCU’s developmental writing students, on the other hand, are typically at-risk students and struggle to feel as competent as their peers. The academic anxiety that many developmental writing students typically experience is only exacerbated by this environment, and the fixed mindset that developmental writing students possess compared to the growth mindset of their EN 125 counterparts only becomes stronger over their year-long progress through the developmental writing classes.

Turner, A. L. (2017). Increasing student performance in Algebrqa through support programs. (Ph.D. dissertation), Northcentral UIniversity.
Due to national criticism of developmental math programs, community colleges have had to identify ways to support under prepared students in the college level math classroom. Developmental math programs have long been costly without producing results that transfer to retention, graduation or transfer credits. Using archived data of college algebra students at the community college of Denver, this study compared student’s performance when in a support course to similar students performance not enrolled in a support course. This study also compared student’s performance when attending Supplemental Instruction sessions to those students that did not attend Supplemental Instruction sessions. The study was a quasi-experimental mixed method study. ANOVA was used to determine if there was a statistical significant difference between the two groups of students. In all groups there was no statistical difference between students that were enrolled in a concurrent support course and those that were not enrolled at all at risk levels. The mean at risk level two and level three was lower with students that were enrolled in the concurrent support group. While supplemental instruction did produce a higher mean in all at risk group levels, the participation in the program was low and did not produce statistically significant results. Recommendations include training advising programs to make sure students are placed in the correct math pathway course and providing professional development to concurrent support course instructors to create a more student centered, active classroom that supports the college algebra course.

Wambach, C. A., Brothen, T., & Dikel, T. N. (2000). Toward a developmental theory for developmental education. Journal of Developmental Education, 24(1), 2-10, 29.
The writers propose a developmental theory to help categorize what developmental educators have been doing for years to assist in student improvement. The theory rests on developmental psychology research that examines developmental outcomes and that encompasses research on schools as caring communities and on students' adjustment to college. In order to explain how developmental students came to be as they are and the things that they may need to succeed, concepts of self-regulation, demandingness, and responsiveness are used. These concepts can also be useful in predicting the results of employing certain institutional structures, educational practices, and teacher behaviors. The writers discuss the efficacy of techniques like Supplemental Instruction, cooperative learning, and the personalized system of instruction.

Wang, F., Toce, A., & Zaritsky, J. (2012). Academic Peer Instruction (API) Program for remedial algebra at LaGuardia Community College. Conference Proceedings of the Peer-led Team Learning International Society Inaugural Conference, Brooklyn, NY. www.pltlis.org/wp-content/uploads/2012%20Proceedings/Wang-2012.docx
In 2011 and 2012, LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York, conducted a large-scale study by deploying highly selective Academic Peer Instruction (API) tutors in about 20 remedial algebra sections to promote collaborative learning and effective use of technology. The research hypothesis was that API tutors would motivate students to spend more time on studying, utilizing the online learning system called “EDUCO,” which in turn would improve their academic performance. The researchers present evidence that the students in the API group consistently show better outcomes in course pass rates and mean exam scores with lower standard deviations, compared to the students in the control group. They also share results of faculty and student surveys, demonstrating the promise and challenge of peer instruction.

Webster, T., & Dee, K. C. (1997, 1997). Supplemental Instruction benefits students in an introductory engineering course. Conference Proceedings of the Proceedings of the Conference on Frontiers in Education, Pittsburgh, PA.
This paper describes the use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) during Fall 1996 in Introduction to Engineering Analysis at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY). The course is generally taken in the first semester of the freshman year and covers vector mechanics (statics), linear algebra, and computer-based matrix methods for solving engineering problems. Of the students in the class, 23 percent participated in SI sessions. Students who participated in SI earned higher mean final course grades (3.13 vs. 2.67, p < .025), higher rate of A & B final course grades (77% vs. 62%, p < .01) and received a lower rate of D, F or withdrawals (0% vs. 18%, p < .01). There was a positive correlation between higher levels of SI attendance and higher final course grades. All students who attended at least four SI sessions throughout the semester received a final course grade of A or B. A subpopulation of students who were designated as "at-risk" or "high risk" were studied. SI participants earned higher grades their counterparts who did not attend SI sessions (At-risk: 2.60 vs. 2.18; High-risk: 2.38 vs. 1.58; p < .01). The researchers reported that unfortunately half of these students did not participate in any SI sessions. Surveys of students suggested the following improvements for the SI program: hold more sessions during the academic term to help reduce SI session size (mean size = 13); hold SI sessions longer than one hour to provide sufficient time to deal with material; and consider more than one SI leader to allow smaller SI session size. SI leaders provided feedback to the course instructor concerning the comprehension level of students concerning the course material. Instructors used the feedback to modify future course lectures. SI leaders the following benefits of the SI program for themselves: deeper understanding of course material, excelled in other courses since they were reviewing basic concepts in the SI course, developed communication skills, improved teaching skills, and enhanced leadership skills.

Webster, T., & Dee, K. C. (1998). Supplemental Instruction integrated into an introductory engineering course. Journal of Engineering Education, 87(4), 377-383.
This article describes the use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) during Fall 1996 in Introduction to Engineering Analysis at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY). The course is generally taken in the first semester of the freshman year and covers vector mechanics (statics), linear algebra, and computer-based matrix methods for solving engineering problems. Of the students in the class, 23 percent participated in SI sessions. Students who participated in SI earned higher mean final course grades (3.13 vs. 2.67, p < .025), higher rate of A & B final course grades (77% vs. 62%, p < .01) and received a lower rate of D, F or withdrawals (0% vs. 18%, p < .01). There was a positive correlation between higher levels of SI attendance and higher final course grades. All students who attended at least four SI sessions throughout the semester received a final course grade of A or B. A subpopulation of students who were designated as "at-risk" or "high risk" were studied. SI participants earned higher grades their counterparts who did not attend SI sessions (At-risk: 2.60 vs. 2.18; High-risk: 2.38 vs. 1.58; p < .01). The researchers reported that unfortunately half of these students did not participate in any SI sessions. Surveys of students suggested the following improvements for the SI program: hold more sessions during the academic term to help reduce SI session size (mean size = 13); hold SI sessions longer than one hour to provide sufficient time to deal with material; and consider more than one SI leader to allow smaller SI session size. SI leaders provided feedback to the course instructor concerning the comprehension level of students concerning the course material. Instructors used the feedback to modify future course lectures. SI leaders the following benefits of the SI program for themselves: deeper understanding of course material, excelled in other courses since they were reviewing basic concepts in the SI course, developed communication skills, improved teaching skills, and enhanced leadership skills.

Webster, T., & Malloch, C. (1997). Supplemental Instruction benefits students in a traditional and non-traditional introductory physics course: A two semester study. Unpublished manuscript. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Available: Thomas Webster, The Advising and Learning Assistance Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180
After a review of the literature concerning physics education, this paper describes the use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY). An introductory physics course (Physics 2) was studied during Fall 1996 and Spring 1997. The fall course was taught in the traditional method. The spring section of the course used the CUPLE Studio Physics Project and was much smaller the fall course. Students who received a D or F on the second exam were classified as "high-risk" and students who received a C on the same exam were designated as "at-risk." Students who attended SI received significantly (p < .01) higher mean final course grade (3.37 and 3.08 for the traditional and non-traditional learning environments, respectively) than those students who did not attend SI (3.09 and 2.44, respectively). Students who attended SI received a significantly (p < .01) lower rate of D and F final grades (1% and 5%, respectively) than the students who did not attend (8% and 37%, respectively). The data suggests that students who began to attend SI early and frequently (at least 6 times throughout the semester) benefitted more than SI than students who attended SI late in the semester or infrequently. Students who were classified as at-risk or high-risk and attended SI earned higher grades than their counterparts who did not attend SI sessions.

Wolfe, R. F. (1988). A model retention program for the community college. Maryland Association for Higher Education Journal, 11, 18-20.
This article describes the implementation of the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program at Anne Arundel Community College (Arnold, MD). In addition to a descriptive overview of the SI program, data from a 1987 research study suggests that SI participants received higher mean final course grades (2.6 vs. 1.9) and lower rates of D, F and withdrawals (24% vs. 44%). Using the same data set, when developmental education students and students of color were studied regarding the impact of SI attendance, the results were more pronounced than when examining the entire class of students. SI participants earned higher mean final course grades (3.1 vs. 1.8).

Wright, G. L., Wright, R. R., & Lamb, C. E. (2002). Developmental mathematics education and Supplemental Instruction: Pondering the potential. Journal of Developmental Education, 26(1), 30-35.
During the Spring, Summer, and Fall 2000 semesters, data were gathered and analyzed concerning the effective use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) in 90 developmental mathematics courses. The study monitored student outcomes in a small pilot program conducted at a southern state university with about 11,000 students. The student outcomes suggested that Supplemental Instruction may have made a positive difference in the performance and retention rates of developmental mathematics students when the instructor was actively involved in promoting the SI group and certain modifications were made to the traditional role of the SI leader in the classroom.

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. www.files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1200705.pdf.
This study examined how Supplemental Instruction (SI) visits help traditionally disadvantaged students reduce the performance gap in their courses. A student is defined as holding a “disadvantaged” status when he or she can identify with the following factors: underrepresented minority status, first-generation status Federal Pell Grant eligible status, and English/ mathematics remedial status. This study revealed that students including both disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged would benefit from an increase of SI participation. The more disadvantaged students gained larger performance improvement than less disadvantaged students with more SI visits, indicating the importance of regular SI participation for disadvantaged students to close the performance gap with nondisadvantaged students.