Such methodologies are often synonymous with student passivity. It seems obvious that some other approaches are necessary to provide the opportunity for the student to develop the academic skills necessary to become an autonomous learner. Remedial course teaching skills in isolation from course content ranked lowest on the hierarchy. Learning assistance for individual students ranked second from bottom, since such tutoring was generally provided after the academic failure or difficulty had been experienced. One of the strategies at the top of this hierarchy is Supplemental Instruction.
SI is different from an existing tutorial system in universities.
It provides opportunity for learning to all students in a course. As only those students who wish to make use of this opportunity attend, the potentially destructive influence of non-participative students is avoided. Tutorials are located in the bottom left quadrant, i.e. active trainer-controlled methodologies. SI is located in the bottom right quadrant, i.e. active learner-controlled methodologies. Methodologies such as open questions, group discussions, self evaluation and role plays are commonly used in SI sessions.