Supplemental Instruction leader Justin Beaudrot works with Dawit Guta during Dr. Lauren Curtright’s English class. (Photo by Bill Roa)

From left, Clarkston Campus students Aishat Bishi and Kwaku Bonsie discuss lessons, while Supplemental Instruction leader Vatis Fongang, second from right, assists Adisu Adane. (Photo by Bill Roa)

by Kysa Anderson Daniels

Georgia Perimeter College’s Supplemental Instruction (SI) program is off to a strong start, thanks to ongoing support from the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation.

SI is an academic assistance program that uses peer-led study sessions involving SI leaders who also attend class with students.

Georgia Perimeter launched a Supplemental Instruction pilot a year ago with good results, says SI coordinator Justin Swisher.

For example, data show the number of students on Decatur Campus who withdraw from or receive a D or F in entry-level chemistry typically hovers around 44 percent. That rate dipped to 5 percent for a cohort of Decatur students receiving Supplemental Instruction for Chemistry 1211 this past summer.

“It’s focusing in on areas of difficulty to help them pass and succeed,” Swisher says.

A typical SI cohort is managed by a current GPC student who is assigned to sit in on a particular course. The class ideally is one the leader has taken and mastered. The Supplemental Instruction leader then is responsible for scheduling weekly review sessions with fellow students, during which students receive tutoring, study skills and time management tips—among other aids that will help them excel in the class.

Swisher says about 12 SI leaders are serving students on Clarkston, Decatur and Dunwoody campuses this fall.

Swisher’s position and the SI program is funded through a $1 million gift to GPC from the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation. Since 2014, the four-year funding agreement has enabled Georgia Perimeter to expand tutoring and other academic support services for students.