Supplemental Instructors Help BU Students Excel in the Classroom
Bluefield University students looking for a little extra help with a class or learning subject material can get just that through supplemental instructors (SI).
Supplemental instructors lead interactive study sessions outside of the classroom to assist students in understanding course material, getting ready for tests, and developing efficient study techniques.
Students from Bluefield University are employed by the SI program, an academic support program, to lead peer-facilitated study sessions outside of class in order to help students excel in particular courses.
A few of BU’s professors host SI leaders in their classes, such as Dr. Irene Rieger (English), Dr. Meghan Wilson (biology), Kathleen Buterakos (math), and Sarah Ballance (biology).
Wayne Pelts, assistant director of the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), shared how he thinks supplemental instruction is just “pure genius.”
“You take those college courses that have the reputation of being a bit challenging,” he said. “The professor identifies students who have succeeded in the course and recommends them. From there, a dialogue begins to see if the student is willing and if the course will fit with their own college schedule. Then something kind of strange happens. The SI sits in the same course all over again. Not getting duplicate credit, but serving as a model student and hearing that it is fresh content again and so that any specific examples and assignments are crystal clear for the SI, who then leads regular study sessions with students in that particular class. Is that not pure genius?”
Pelts also shared that SI has been around since 1973 when it debuted at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Pelts explained that he had never heard of it until about four years ago when the former director of ACE and the late Ruth Blankenship, former BU vice president, were talking about how Blankenship had experienced the benefit of SI when she had been a student at Emory and Henry. It wasn’t long until BU joined in on the benefits of supplemental instructors.
This semester, fall 2024, there are SI’s in general Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Anatomy, Human Biology, Intro to Writing, Fundamentals of Math Concepts, Foundations of Algebra, and College Algebra. Below is the list of SI’s:
- Brock Halsey – General Chemistry
- Macy McBride – Organic Chemistry and Anatomy
- Mollie Bolton – Human Biology
- Sydney Horton – Intro to Writing
- Delli Babu – Fundamentals of Mathematics
- Caroline Crotts – Fundamentals of Mathematics
- Allyson Clark – Foundations of Algebra
- Cameron Richter – College Algebra
Dr. Rieger, who serves as chair of the Department of English, teaches Intro to Writing and has Horton as her SI this semester. Horton is an English major, so Dr. Rieger has had her in many courses, including the one she is now an SI for.
“The supplemental instructors are really useful because sometimes students feel more comfortable asking questions of their peers than talking to the professor or asking a question in front of the class,” Dr. Rieger said. “Sydney has been in the students’ shoes, so she can probably foresee some of the problems they are likely to have.”
Dr. Rieger said the SI’s can also provide students with more personal attention, help address individual questions, and assist students having difficulty with technology.
“These questions are often easier for another student to answer because they have recently learned to use it,” she said, “and this leaves the professor available to address more content-specific subjects.”
Dr. Rieger said she encourages students to take advantage of the SI program.
“Attending extra study sessions can only help you in your classes,” she said, “and you may be able to learn more than you thought through other students.”
Horton shared how being an SI has impacted her by helping her get to know students she may have never gotten to know otherwise.
“The in-person aspect of study sessions and tutoring are what challenge me to be better,” Horton said. “It’s like that saying, ‘you don’t really know anything unless you can teach it to someone else.’ What’s cool about being a student instructor is that I can look at a course that I’ve taken before with a different perspective than when I took the class. I learn more about that subject right along with the students.”
Dr. Wilson, who chairs the Department of Biology, said she wished there could be two SI’s per course so both SI’s could share the responsibilities needed and it wouldn’t land on one individual. McBride, who is an SI for Dr. Wilson, commented on how “rewarding” it has been for her and how it has impacted her in many ways.
“I have been able to see the students get so excited about getting good grades and have just been able to interact with them and get to know them,” McBride said.
McBride added that she thinks students who come to out-of-class sessions with an SI should receive extra credit.
“If students are taking their free time and trying to get involved with the SI for their class, they should be recognized for it,” she said.
Professor Buterakos, an associate professor of mathematics, also has an SI and says, “In math classes, it is crucial for students to master the material to prepare them to succeed in future coursework, and supplemental instructors play a vital role.”
She also shared that she had a fun experience one semester where an SI was in a class full of his teammates and therefore the class was “lively” and more “connected.”
From that experience, she said, “If this could be planned for freshmen, then the SI could meet with them during mandatory study halls. This might help with attendance, getting assignments in on time, developing good study habits, and the general adjustment to college life.”
To become a supplemental instructor, a student must possess the following qualities: integrity, availability, dependability, patience, leadership abilities, and a desire to see others achieve. Professors also have to give the recommendations for an SI at the end of the semester to Pelts. Students interested in becoming an SI, should ask a professor for a recommendation.