Laying Firm Foundations: the Long‐term Benefits of Supplemental Instruction for Students on Large Introductory Courses

SUMMARY

This research project investigates the use of supplemental instruction (SI) to support student learning on business modules at Oxford Brookes University. SI is a formalized system of peer supported learning devised in the US that is intended to be used on traditionally difficult courses. Although business at Oxford Brookes is not considered a traditionally difficult subject area, the intention was to explore whether the SI process could also be used to provide additional support for students on very large introductory modules, especially in laying a firm foundation for later study in stage two of the course. Quantitative and qualitative data have been collected and analysed to investigate the benefits of the scheme for students in both the short and long term. Preliminary findings seem to suggest that attendance at some SI sessions has both an immediate effect in improving results on that module, and also sustained and transferable benefits for advanced modules. However the long‐term effect seems to be limited by the similarity of context of the subject matter, the teaching approach, and/or the nature of the task and the skills required. The research also includes consideration of how and why the SI process apparently has this effect.