What does an SI Leader do during Summer Sessions and Winter Intersession?
Supplemental Instruction partners with the First Year Academic Success Program (FYAS) to provide SI Leaders who facilitate guided study sessions for students in prerequisite courses during Summer Sessions and Winter Intercession, helping students achieve greater classroom engagement and academic performance.
The mission of FYAS is to serve students who show the potential to succeed in college but need additional support, provide a solid academic foundation for success in college, and enable students to start college with necessary preparation in math and writing. All students participating in FYAS are required to attend at least one SI Session each week.
FYAS SI Leaders can expect to do the following on a weekly basis:
- Attend and/or watch all lectures for the course they are supporting and serve as a model student
- Plan and conduct collaborative study sessions weekly based on a poll the program will send to students before the start of FYAS
- Provide tutoring ad hoc (as students sign up to meet)
- Communicate with course students in class and through Slack, email, D2L, etc.
- Meet with SI Leader team weekly
- Regularly meet with supervisors and assigned professor(s)
- Complete FYAS SI Leader Training
- During Summer Sessions, attend the Success Series with students weekly
It is important to remember that SI Leaders utilize active learning techniques to facilitate review sessions that promote further understanding of the material; they do not grade, prepare exams/quizzes, or re-lecture course material.
What are the qualifications to be a FYAS SI Leader?
In order to apply to be a leader, you must have a history of academic success in the course you wish to support and a minimum GPA of 3.3. The SI Leader must be available to attend all lectures and facilitate SI and tutoring sessions between 9am and 8pm CST. If you feel you be unable to maintain your availability throughout the summer or winter intercession dates, we ask that you do not apply – FYAS sessions occur in a short amount of time and there is no opportunity to reschedule. It is imperative that there are no SI Leader absences. All applicants must be eligible for student employment. If you are graduating this quarter, you are eligible to work until the end of this upcoming break.
We are looking for someone with the following:
- Strong interpersonal and leadership skills
- Excellent writing and communication skills
- Basic understanding of group facilitation techniques
- Prior leadership experience
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- The ability to work both independently and with a team
- Demonstrates agility and adaptability
When and where do FYAS SI Leaders work?
In addition to attending lectures, FYAS SI leaders will also be expected to work additional hour each week for independently scheduled session preparation, material submission, and professor/student communication. SI sessions are held in the Lincoln Park Campus, Loop Campus, or virtually via Zoom, depending on class location. SI Leaders may return for future quarters pending position availability, satisfactory performance, and class schedule flexibility.
How much are SI Leaders paid?
Leaders receive a stipend of $1,225 per course. They receive an additional $16.25/hour of tutoring responsibilities; SI Leaders will report these house in Bluesky and hour logs. SI Leaders may show interest in supporting more than one course. The position also qualifies for University Internship Program (UIP) credit. If you are interested, the UIP team is available to walk you through the enrollment process and answer any questions you may have.
How do I apply?
For a brief period of time, current SI Leaders will be given priority to apply for open positions. Interviews may be required depending on the number of interested SI Leaders. Remaining positions will then be added to the Campus Job Board. The Campus Job Board also has detailed position descriptions and application instructions. It is possiible for leaders to support multiple courses pending position availability. Open positions are typically posted between mid-quarter and the start of the next quarter so keep checking! Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the positions are filled.
When applying, non-SI Leaders applying on the Campus job Board are asked to please prepare to do the following:
- Upload your resume and cover letter as PDF documents
- Upload your unofficial transcript as a PDF “Supplemental Document”