Providing Additional Support To Internet Based Distance Learning By Applying Supplemental Instruction Techniques

Supplemental Instruction (SI) has proven to be an effective tool used to increase student performance in academic courses that have traditionally been labeled difficult. Typically, these courses are characterized by low student success rates and course content that is very analytical in nature, such as the material presented in many engineering courses. During the SI sessions, an SI leader fields questions from students regarding problem areas in their current coursework, prepares sample test questions, and helps the students develop more effective study habits. It is a requirement that the SI leaders have previously demonstrated competence in the applicable course material. All SI leaders are required to attend both preparatory training sessions prior to becoming an active leader and ongoing training sessions throughout the semester after assuming their roles as instructors. These training sessions outline effective means of material presentation, problem solving techniques, test preparation techniques, and note taking strategies. Historical data, gathered primarily from traditional classroom settings, suggests that students can successfully manage difficult courses by attending SI sessions on a regular basis.1 With the increasing popularity of non-traditional forms of education, such as Internet based distance learning, SI faces new challenges. Those same courses labeled as difficult for the traditional on-campus student must now be presented effectively to the distant education student entirely through the Internet medium. Success in these difficult courses hinges on providing additional support to the distance education student in a manner that is well suited for their nontraditional schedules. Electronic SI (eSI) sessions may provide this additional support. Therefore, the demands of distance education have initiated the progression of supplemental instruction from the campus classroom to the Internet medium. This paper will examine the challenges, successes, and shortcomings of an actual engineering distance education course using Internet based supplemental instruction sessions.