The SI leaders are the key people of the program. As such, they present an appropriate model of thinking, organization and mastery of the discipline.
All SI leaders take part in an intensive two-day training session before the beginning of the term.
The training covers such topics as how students learn as well as instructional strategies aimed at strengthening student academic performance. SI leaders attend all class sessions, take notes, read all assigned material, and conduct at least one 50-minute SI session each week. Student who attend the SI session discover appropriate application of study strategies as they review content material, e.g., note taking, graphic organization, questioning techniques, vocabulary acquisition, and test preparation. Students have the opportunity to become actively involved in the course material as the SI leaders use the text, supplementary readings, and lecture notes as vehicles for learning skill instruction. SI sessions are attended on a voluntary basis and no effort is made to segregate students based on academic ability.