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Hi, Jeffrey. At my previous institution, the opposite happened: we had had SI for more than 10 years, and then we added a Tutoring Lab that offered 1:1 tutoring. It went very well. The Lab reached 85% utilization the third semester. If SI had a small decrease it was more likely due to other factors (mostly understaffing). It rarely happened that an SI leader also worked as a tutor, but when it did happen, it didn't cause any particular issues. I'll be happy to talk with you on the phone about the details. I would like to hear opinions on embedded tutoring as well. Best, Ira On Fri, Feb 21, 2020 at 1:22 PM Sharon Jacobsen < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > From Rebecca’s email below, I’d like to hear folks input on -- the third > and distinct option of *embedded tutoring*--which is not the same as SI! > > > > ________________________________ > > Sharon Jacobsen > > Dean of Instructional Support Services > > > > 3301 N. Mulford Road *|* Rockford, IL 61114 *|* 815.921.3121 *|* > [log in to unmask] > > > > > > *From:* Open Forum for Learning Assistance Professionals < > [log in to unmask]> *On Behalf Of *Debbie Malewicki > *Sent:* Friday, February 21, 2020 9:40 AM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: Adding SI to an historically tutoring-only program > > > > Hi Jeff, > > > > I introduced it at my last institution. > > · How did SI impact the utilization of tutors in the SI subject > areas? How did it impact your tutor budget? > > Like other people, we saw an increase in tutoring for the subject area as > people became more aware of our services. Our initial forays were funded > externally by a grant for the Engineering program in one case and with > assistance from another College in another. Once we started picking up the > tab, it did impact our budget because we paid about $5/hour more for the SI > leaders plus preparation time. It worked out well for some classes, but we > quickly (within a semester) dropped others that weren’t seeing a good SI > turnout because it did become about one service vs. the other for us. > > · Did SI leader labor come out of your own budget or other > department or program budgets? > > Initially it came out of a grant in one case and funding from the College > in question in another, but eventually we were required to cover it out of > our budget without an increase in said budget. In actuality, they were > cutting our budget around that time. > > · How did SI impact your non-tutor staffing? > > I’m not sure what you mean by this question. All of our SI leaders were > already experienced tutors with us. Each of them chose to work in both > capacities moving forward. It was a pain in the neck to update on our > scheduling system as it would show the SI leaders as simultaneously > available for tutoring until we created separate accounts and hours for > each of them. That part cost us numerous hours of staffing time. > > · What collaborative partnerships did you develop to be able to > introduce SI? > > The first effort was prompted by a grant one of our colleges received. > They actually approached us about it. For future sessions, we worked with > the faculty teaching the class to the greatest extent possible. One lesson > we learned is that it’s incredibly important that the announcement > introducing the program comes from someone supervising the faculty vs. us. > Someone dropped the ball in that infrastructure at one point, so the first > faculty in a program heard about it was from me. Some of them interpreted > it as trying to insert an unwanted TA in their class who didn’t report to > them, and things quickly escalated until their supervisor stepped in Monday > morning after a long weekend of angry emails and explained that he had > initiated the program and how he wanted it to work. There remained a lot > of resistance in that program until we shut it down because of how it was > introduced. With the other programs, which were introduced well by faculty > administrators, we saw excellent faculty support. Engineering remained the > best one because they actually paid for a preterm meeting each semester in > which the faculty, SI leaders, and our administrators could meet, talk, and > ask questions while faculty expressed their concerns about how to optimally > integrate it in their classes. > > · What led to the addition of SI? > > We had used an embedded tutoring model for a summer boot camp > successfully. At the same time that I was reading up on it, my assoc. VP > was encouraging us to come up with new ways to address high D/F/W courses. > The College that piloted it with us had just received a grant to cover > multiple new strategies towards certain objectives, and an SI variation was > one of them, so everything kind of aligned. > > · Who championed the introduction of SI on your campus? > > Holistically it was a combination of me, someone on the committee who was > overseeing the grant, and simultaneously one of the Chemistry faculty. > However, in the last case, it wasn’t SI in the way most of us would > consider it as there was a mandatory “SI session” (her phrasing) for her > students once a week that she often led and with her TAs running it. The > program did see some good results and I think should be recognized, but it > doesn’t fit in with my understanding of the traditional SI model. The > professor in question was using the approach and outcomes as part of her > doctoral research for another degree, so I suspect she modified it for what > she wanted to prove. (It worked, though!) > > Our bottom line is that SI worked well for us when there was faculty buy > in but was a flop when faculty felt pressured into doing it. They would > conveniently “forget” to announce it to their classes, physical ads we > asked them to distribute were “lost,” and students we talked with had never > heard of it. Attempts to visit the class were declined as well. When > faculty felt consulted or there was simply a directive from their admins. > to try it, we saw some excellent results and grew the relationships and > respect between the departments. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > Debbie Malewicki, President > > Integrity 1st Learning Support Solutions, LLC > > *Chosen as one of “The Best of New Haven’s 2019 Businesses”* > > 446A Blake Street – Suite 101 > > New Haven, CT 06515 > > (203) 800-4100 > > [log in to unmask] > > https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.Integrity1stLSS.com&d=DwIFaQ&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=tkAACBgX69zH9b8QGasKbhgWu8w0Arh-QhL0xf_Y95k&m=ddIIVbyLBn4jsschlA6wB2dL0xm31Qs_ncQwqbhfILo&s=j0KYFgzyIfMwU2-m_H9vLRMjAGWJyE6V2tcgMOhdKuY&e= > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.Integrity1stLSS.com&d=DwQGaQ&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=tkAACBgX69zH9b8QGasKbhgWu8w0Arh-QhL0xf_Y95k&m=ctv-NcLIdEaQzjQaqSCyuYr7Vsd20uNHOlMvV7hRU0o&s=0yHqMrdPhIzuPUAC_OQjtQYcCwmGU1xPIh6ReHFLUZw&e=> > > Facebook: @Integrity1stLSS > > > > *From:* Open Forum for Learning Assistance Professionals < > [log in to unmask]> *On Behalf Of *Rebecca Tedesco > *Sent:* Thursday, February 20, 2020 4:26 PM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: Adding SI to an historically tutoring-only program > > > > Hey Jeffrey, > > > > Hi from San Diego! Hope all's well up in Portland. > > > > In my experience, from the students' perspective, adding SI to your > learning assistance program is unlikely to decrease tutoring usage; in > fact, a high-quality SI program can *increase* the likelihood that > students will seek tutoring. At least, this was the case for us at San > José State and seems to also be the case at Southwestern College, where I > am now working. > > > > There are some key considerations, however, from the perspective of your > tutors and SI leaders and the tutor / SI coordinator's perspective. These > are some quick takes based on what I have observed coordinating the > tutoring program in a learning assistance department that also had SI and > in my current role as both a writing center tutor and SI leader: > > > > *Tutors' / SI Leaders' Perspective* > > - *Natural Limitations.* Tutoring and SI each have their strengths > and limitations. Most notably, a tutor working with students in individual > sessions cannot help students make friends (with each other) or form > support groups the way an SI leader can in weekly sessions. (*The > ability of SI leaders to help students form social groups that will enable > the students to persist and pass their historically difficult courses is > the core mission of the SI model.*) On the other hand, an SI leader > is dependent on the students helping one another in a group setting, and > occasionally interjecting their own advice, rather than being able to > devote sustained attention to a single student for a substantial period of > time the way that I tutor can. > > In other words, when I am working as an SI leader, I have different tools > that I can and can't use to assist students compared to when I am working > as a tutor. (This can be challenging to accept, because I know that I have > the skill set to help the student, but, due to format and time constraints, > I might not be able to use the tool in that moment.) > > > > *Tutor / SI Coordinators' Perspective* > > - *Hiring. *You're increasing the number and variety of positions you > are hiring for and this can impact your hiring pool (especially if it is > small) and your interview process. > > > - *Training. *While there is some overlap, tutor training and SI > training needs are distinct, so you are doubling your training demands as > well. > > > - *Challenges of Having Staff in Dual Roles.* This is where it gets > the stickiest. I highly recommend, if possible, *not* to hire current > students as both peer tutors and SI leaders. If you must do this, it is > vital to spend a substantial amount of time in training distinguishing > between the roles and simulating scenarios peer educators will encounter in > which the lines might be blurred. It is hard to break the dependency > cycle, as the SI literature talks about so much, if students see one person > as fulfilling all of their academic support needs. > > > - *Assessment.* The format of SI makes for clean assessment data; you > have a built-in intervention group (sections of a course with SI) and > control group (sections without), making for the types of data > administrators love to see. (This is, indeed, another pillar of SI and a > big reason for its growth as a learning assistance model since Deanna > Martin created it in 1973.) Next to this shiny, easy-to-understand data, > your tutoring program data can look inexact and messy (due to the nature of > tutoring not being as tidy); so, it is important to consider how you will > make your tutoring program assessment data more user-friendly in comparison > to your SI data. > > > > There is a lot more I could say about how best to marry tutoring and SI, > including the third and distinct option of *embedded tutoring*--which is > not the same as SI! For example, what I've written above doesn't take into > account faculty, staff, and administrators' perspectives, which are also > vital to consider before adding an SI program to your learning assistance > offerings. I will leave it here for now, however, for the sake of time. I > am happy to keep the conversation going here or off-list. > > > > Rebecca Tedesco > Southwestern College > CRLA Level 3 Master Tutor > Certified Learning Center Professional - Level 2 > She/Her > > > > On Thu, Feb 20, 2020 at 11:30 AM White, Jeffrey <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Hello colleagues, > > We are considering adding supplemental instruction (SI) at my institution > to address DFW rates and to support nursing students who need to maintain > 3.0 GPAs. We’ve only offered tutoring, and I’d like to hear from those of > you who have added SI to a peer learning assistance program that has > traditionally been focused on tutoring. > > · How did SI impact the utilization of tutors in the SI subject areas? > How did it impact your tutor budget? > > · Did SI leader labor come out of your own budget or other department or > program budgets? > > · How did SI impact your non-tutor staffing? > > · What collaborative partnerships did you develop to be able to > introduce SI? > > · What led the addition of SI? > > · Who championed the introduction of SI on your campus? > > Please feel free to respond to me directly at [log in to unmask] > > All the best, > > Jeffrey > > Jeffrey White, M.A., M.S. > > Learning Commons Administrator, Shepard Academic Resource Center > > Instructor of German, International Languages and Cultures > > President, Northwest College Reading and Learning Association > > Buckley Center 163, MSC 184 > > > > University of Portland > > 5000 N. Willamette Blvd. > > Portland, Oregon 97203 > > > > T: 503.943.7141 E: [log in to unmask] > > https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.up.edu_learningcommons&d=DwIFaQ&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=tkAACBgX69zH9b8QGasKbhgWu8w0Arh-QhL0xf_Y95k&m=ddIIVbyLBn4jsschlA6wB2dL0xm31Qs_ncQwqbhfILo&s=Cv2xLEM_-HYsOOAglCHxtFzFblzkKfMGKodxdLPCJWw&e= > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.up.edu_learningcommons&d=DwMFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=tkAACBgX69zH9b8QGasKbhgWu8w0Arh-QhL0xf_Y95k&m=KCI7sy7C5n0x3_q8t2lrsORBGR-rjj2vXzXLC6ztHNA&s=ZhiNHeoKSynXE6dej1x1UzRVwD_GTEfaWdBeTl8k_KM&e=> > > > > *Follow the Learning Commons > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.facebook.com_ConnectLearnSucceed_&d=DwMFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=tkAACBgX69zH9b8QGasKbhgWu8w0Arh-QhL0xf_Y95k&m=KCI7sy7C5n0x3_q8t2lrsORBGR-rjj2vXzXLC6ztHNA&s=NV17ULkAYNqnWI7327PQw8VvvyTbpxXC0Q-XJV4mOOo&e=> > on Facebook* > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to > change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point > your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To > contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask] > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to > change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point > your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To > contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask] > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to > change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point > your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To > contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask] > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to > change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point > your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To > contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask] -- Ira Fabri *Pronouns: She, Her, Hers* Associate Director, Tutoring Services Academic Success Center Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) UMBC Sherman Hall East, 342 1000 Hilltop Circle Baltimore, MD 21250 410-455-3905 [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html Contact the owner of the listserv regarding questions: Rob Bailey ([log in to unmask])