This adaptation of SI to video lectures has shown considerable promise when used with severely under prepared students. When using VSI, students typically devote as many as three hours to a single one-hour lecture. This same method is being used in a non-remedial application, where key lectures that present difficult but essential course concepts are videotaped. Those who have used this technique report that students typically are not as concerned with video production values as with the accuracy of information presented and whether they can understand the audio. The professor encourages students to attend one of the sessions, stressing the importance of understanding key concepts prior to subsequent lectures or examinations.
Users report higher examination scores and fewer failures.
As medical educators consider a variety of academic programs, they may wish to consider the SI and VSI formats. Medical educators who are extending their reach into the high schools and junior high schools to create pathways that will fulfill the goals of the AAMC's Project 3000 by 2000 can apply the SI and VSI modes of instruction. Finally, those who are dissatisfied with the progress of their students through key courses in the basic sciences can, with the aid of SI or VSI, assist students in their pursuit of content mastery. Bridgham, R.G., and Scarborough, S. Effects of Supplemental Instruction in Selected Medical School Science Courses. In Proceedings of the Thirty-first Annual Conference on Research in Medical Education.