Supplemental Instruction program earns international reaccreditation

The International Center for Supplemental Instruction (SI) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City has granted Accredited SI Program status to Northwest Missouri State University through Nov. 30, 2023.

Northwest’s SI program offers peer-led collaborative study groups for traditionally challenging courses. Regularly scheduled group review sessions outside of class times are open to all Northwest students enrolled in the targeted courses. Attendance is voluntary, and the sessions are free.

“What makes our program successful is directly tied to the accreditation,” Dr. Ashley Strickland, Northwest’s assistant director of academic support for academic success and retention, said. “We provide robust training and support to our student leaders, and that empowers them to lead their peers. We have a culture of working together as a team and require that of our leaders in their interactions with their assigned faculty member as well.”

Northwest’s SI program is a component of its Student Success Center, located in the B.D. Owens Library, which provides a one-stop, centralized hub to support student learning and contribute to students’ growth and development from orientation to graduation. The center focuses on transitioning, advising, supporting and connecting students to academic resources.

Northwest’s SI program received accreditation in 2017 and needed to meet four key components to be reaccredited. The criteria consisted of training by the International Center for SI at UMKC, providing SI leader training and support, committing to a strong focus on planning, and recording strong class attendance and program evaluations.

The quality of Northwest’s SI program also plays a factor in the University’s freshman retention rate of 76 percent – a percentage that continues to place Northwest in the top tier of its national peer group. Additionally, Zippia, a career website, has named Northwest, which boasts career placement rates of 96 percent for undergraduates and 99 percent for graduate students, the best college in Missouri for getting a job.

“Students who attend an SI perform at a half to whole letter grade higher compared to their peers who don’t attend,” Strickland said. “SI is very collaborative and offers an opportunity for students to meet and connect with other Bearcats. SI leaders are trained to incorporate study skills into their sessions that can help students in all of their courses as they progress through their degree.”

For more information about Northwest’s SI program, visit call 660.562.1695 or 660-562.1726, send a text to 660.235.3362 or an email to studentsuccess@suzhuan-sh.com, or visit r8l.suzhuan-sh.com/StudentSuccess/support/si.htm.