Since 2007, Supplemental Instruction (SI) has been implemented in STEM courses at California State University Fullerton (CSUF) and has resulted in significant improvements in grade point average and passing rate in key gateway STEM courses. Previous reports have focused on readily available measures of student achievement through grades and D/F/W rates; critics argue these measures do not necessarily reflect student learning. We propose that conceptual understanding, and disciplinary attitudes and beliefs about their ability to learn are not only clearer measures of the effectiveness of SI but also factors that may explain how student participation in the program improves academic success in the STEM disciplines. Using measures of conceptual understanding and attitudes about learning, and institutional data, we examined the relationships between participation in the SI program in organic chemistry  and outcomes (GPA, content learning, beliefs) using analysis of covariance and regression-based statistical models.<br/><br/>

Impact of supplemental instruction on conceptual understanding and learning attitudes in organic chemistry

251st National Meeting (2016)

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