Does supplemental instruction really work and what is it anyway?

Supplemental instruction (SI) has been in existence in the USA since the late 1970s but too many institutions still do not realize the range of academic benefits for students from this program. The researchers describe an SI program in the USA at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 1987 to 1990. They present inferential statistical data on the impact of this form of assistance on student academic performance as a measure of learning. The results indicate that students attending SI sessions earn higher final grade averages and receive fewer low grades and withdrawals than non-attendees. These favorable results are so in spite of the fact that SI attendees enter college with lower predicted academic potential and indicators of industriousness.