PARC Supplemental Instruction (SI) Program

Institution:

California State University-Sacramento

State:

California

Academic Level:

Baccalaureate

Issue Area:

Support Services

Program Focus:

First Year Support

Website:

https://www.csus.edu/student-affairs/centers-programs/peer-academic-resource/

Key Personnel:

Tina Jordan

Contact Info:

jordant@csus.edu

Overview

The mission of the Peer and Academic Resource Center (PARC) is to support the scholastic achievements of students through peer-led learning programs that strengthen the pathways to degree attainment. Within PARC, the International Certified Supplemental Instruction (SI) Program offers undergraduate students with consistent academic support in historically high fail-rate, large-lecture General Education and/or major courses at Sacramento State. The overall goal of the SI program is to reduce the rate of students receiving a D, F, or W, and to help students develop the necessary skills and study strategies to ensure that they pass difficult courses the first time that they are enrolled.

Program Description

The SI program specifically serves the Latino student population in two ways: (1) by hiring Latinx student leaders to facilitate weekly, peer-to-peer 1-unit courses in their majors, and (2) by enrolling over 43% of Latinx students in the 1-unit courses so that they are successful in their large lecture courses. Students enrolled in SI meet twice weekly and attend the large-lecture course. Student leaders work at least 10 hours weekly and meet with professors to discuss testing/assessment and the academic performance of students in SI courses. Robust training is embedded to support student leaders in facilitation skills to support participants in high fail-rate courses. Students were trained in positive culture identity as well as learned about others’ cultural identities.

Outcome

In Fall 2019, 87% of Hispanic students who enrolled in SI did better in passing the large lecture compared to 75% of Hispanic students who did not enroll in the SI program. In Spring 2020, 83% of Hispanic students who enrolled in SI did better in passing the large lecture compared to 79% of Hispanic students who did not enroll in the SI program.
Students enrolled in SI have an overall higher passing rate in their GE courses than their non-SI counterparts. Data from 2015-2020 academic years show passing rates of SI students between 80-90% compared to their non-SI counterparts that ranged from 71-81%.
Across the years, the average GPAs for students who took the 1-unit course were above 2.5 and were higher (by .25 - .50 points) than students who did not enroll in the 1-unit courses attached to the GE courses.

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