SI Faculty Resources

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• Data from the TXST SI program, as well as SI programs around the globe shows that students who regularly attend SI sessions, approximately 1 SI session per week, on average, earn anywhere from half to a whole letter grade higher than students who do not attend SI sessions.
• SI provides students with a structured support system outside of class for reviewing course material, developing effective study strategies, & fostering a sense of community with classmates.

SI Leaders can be expected to:

• Attend every lecture
• Communicate with you often (meeting with you regularly if you wish to do so)
• Facilitate 3-5, 50-minute SI session every week
• Make monthly in-class announcements
• Communicate with students via email with information about SI, session updates, and study resources

We ask that faculty:

• Add their SI Leader(s) to their Canvas site as "SI Leader" or "TA-No Grades". This allows them to email the class, post announcements, and share resources with students.
  • When adding your SI Leader to your Canvas site, do not pair them with the same section as enrolled students or else Canvas will boot them from the site daily.
• Include information about SI and SI sessions in your course syllabus.
• Allow your SI Leader to make class announcements during the first week of class and monthly thereafter to introduce themselves and the program to students. 
• Encourage students to attend SI sessions throughout the semester.
• Share your thoughts with SI Leaders regarding any topics student tend to struggle with so that they can incorporate them into their lesson plans.
• Meet with their SI Leader(s) weekly or bi-weekly, as time allows, to develop a strong relationship with them and help troubleshoot as needed.
• Share SI data (provided by the SI Coordinators) with students about the positive impact of SI on student grades.

SI Leader must meet the following criteria:

• Earned an ‘A’ in the course they are supporting

• Have and maintain a 3.0 TXST cumulative GPA

• Receive positive feedback from 2 academic references (1 reference must be a faculty member from the department of the course they are supporting)

• Maintain good standing throughout the semester in order to remain on the team

We gladly accept faculty recommendations. We will reach out to any student you recommend and encourage them to apply.

SI session days/times are selected with the schedule of campus course offerings in mind. We are mindful to not schedule sessions in overlapping class time blocks in order to maximize students' access to this resource.  

• We ask that you communicate with the SI Coordinators prior to implementing any extra credit or course credit policies in your class.
• We have several courses/faculty members with extra credit or for-credit models of SI in their classes. If you are interested in learning about such policies, please contact the SI Coordinators.
• SI Leaders do not have access to such information.

(Voluntary / Traditional SI Models)

Supplemental Instruction

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a nontraditional form of tutoring provided by Student Learning Assistance Center (SLAC), the Athletic Academic Center, the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, the Department of History, the Department of Health and Human Performance, the Ingram School of Engineering, and the Office of the Provost and focuses on collaboration, group study, and interaction for assisting students in undertaking "traditionally difficult" courses.

SI targets courses with a minimum 30% rate of students that drop, withdraw, or fail, and then provides a trained peer who has successfully negotiated the course to assist its future students. This peer, called the SI Leader, attends a section of the course, participates as any normal student (takes notes, exams, etc.), and then facilitates 8 one-hour study sessions per week for group study. SI Leaders are trained to help students improve their study skills and model the types of behaviors that make students successful. The hope is that students that attend sessions will be better prepared for other difficult courses they will encounter. On average, students participating regularly in SI sessions score one-half to one whole letter grade better than students who choose not to participate.

For more in-depth information regarding SI including an up-to-date session schedule and the history and philosophy of SI, please visit www.txst.edu/slac. If you have concerns regarding the SI program, please contact Victor Vizcarrondo Velez (victor@txstate.edu ~ 512-245-7735) or bring the issue to your faculty’s attention.

Please understand that SI Leaders do not have administrative authority in this class and that attending session is not in any way a substitute for attending lecture! Specific questions regarding grades or grading standards should be directed to your professor or Instructional Assistant (IA).

(For-Credit SI Models)
The SI Coordinators will provide the appropriate syllabus inset via email before the start of each semester for faculty working in a for-credit model of SI.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have or clarify anything about the SI program. Please contact the SI Coordinators.