How to Become a SI Leader
SI Leader Job Description & Application Process
What’s a Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leader?
Have you ever wished you could do something over, knowing what you know now? SI leaders are students themselves and are prepared to share with you what they have learned over the years about how to study. They know the course content and are anxious to help guide you through it. They’ll be in class with you every day, hearing what you hear and reading what you read. What they won’t do is lecture; their job is to help you think about the lectures you hear and the books you read, and then put it all together during the SI review sessions. SI can help you learn course material more efficiently.
What benefits come with being a SI Leader?
Those who take on this leadership role are given the opportunity to expand on their leadership and professional skills. As a SI Leader you will be seen as a peer mentor ready to guide fellow peers within the enrolled course through your perspective! Some ways this is achieved are by sharing resources and other methods through fun and collaborative activities, and sharing different ways to tackle a problem together in ways they may not have thought before. SI Leaders are given the following:
- Paid $15 an hour for 5-8 hours per week
- Non-credited internship- shown on transcript
- Opportunity to participate in a wide range of professional development workshops
What does a typical week look like for a SI Leader?
A SI Leaders week typically looks like the following:
- SI Leaders sit in on course lectures 2-3 times a week depending on the course
- Please note that SI Leaders are not re enrolling nor paying to sit in on the course again
- SI Leaders host 2-3 one hour SI Sessions per week
- SI Leaders spend 30 minutes each week preparing a planning sheet full of activities based on the course content that was discussed/reviewed in class
- Attend a one hour meeting each month with the SI Coordinator- held during college hour
- Attend a 30 minute meeting each week with the SI Team Leader- Dates TBD
- Attend at least 2 professional development workshops throughout each semester- held during college hour
- Maintain contact via email or in person with the course professor each week
- Advertise to the class regularly about the availability of SI sessions via email and class announcements
Why do SI Leaders sit in on course lectures?
SI Leaders are tasked to resit on class lectures to better prepare them for their SI Sessions. Sitting back in the course lectures gives our SI Leaders a higher advantage compared to a traditional tutor because they see firsthand what material is being covered and how fast it is being covered by the professor. In addition, they are able to see where students are having the most difficulty. This can be through extra time the professor is covering a particular topic in comparison to other topics throughout the lecture, how many and what types of questions are being asked to the professor, and reading facial expressions and body language. Our SI Leaders then take all this information and create planning sheets filled with different collaboration activities and worksheets so students who attend their sessions can better understand those difficult concepts. Utilizing the planning sheets, SI Leaders can create worksheets, games, and other materials to better break down the confusing materials the course professor is covering and provide better clarity.
How is SI different from tutoring?
SI and Tutoring are both academic assistant programs held at Kean University, but in different ways.
- Tutoring is a free 1-1 peer-facilitated academic assistance program offered in a wide range of undergraduate courses, and focuses on areas in which students most often experience difficulty, including introductory-level through senior-level courses via an appointment.
- SI is a free, peer-facilitated academic assistance program designed to help students succeed in traditionally difficult courses. SI sessions are regularly-scheduled, informal review sessions that involve collaborative learning activities through which students can clarify course concepts and practice the types of study strategies that will help them truly master the information and skills required by the target course.
Can I be a SI Leader for more than one course?
In short no. This is due to SI Leaders sitting in on course lectures. We cannot allow a SI Leader to sit in on multiple courses.
Can I be a SI Leader for more than one semester?
Of course! We have many SI Leaders who continue as returning SI Leaders. Each semester we have continued opportunities to grow their leadership and professions skill sets through workshops and higher mentoring opportunities- ex: SI Team Leaders.
Application Process
If you are interested in becoming an SI Leader, please complete the below application: