My experience with SI Study Tables and OSU learning resources
The power of group learning on student success is hard to overstate. Oregon State University offers many different ways to connect with others as you earn your degree online. Supplemental Instruction (SI) Study Tables offer one such opportunity.
What are SI Study Tables?
In Oregon State’s SI Study Tables, student leaders host course-specific interactive study sessions with students every week, starting Week 2 through Week 10.
The leaders have already taken the course and understand the challenges of learning a topic for the first time. This gives them important insights and knowledge before hosting.
Activities in sessions might include practice exercises, whiteboard sessions, mini-quizzes and topic review. With a cap of 10 students per group, personalized assistance and flexibility are available. That increases the appeal.
How SI Study Tables helped me
A few years ago, I joined the Ecampus general chemistry study table, unsure of how beneficial it would be. I felt I had a great understanding of chemistry topics and joined with the goal of learning the class topics from new perspectives and building community. The SI leader and group surpassed my expectations.
Each week, the leader would compile topics to go over, carefully selected from topics the group had struggled with. Topic revision would occur in mini walk-through examples, video suggestions, pop quizzes and games.
Not only did this introduce the information in a new and engaging manner, but it also made interactions with online peers you only talk to via discussion posts and remote assignments so fun.
Now, every term I look through the SI Study Tables schedule and check if any are available for the courses I’m taking.
Other learning resources and opportunities for connection
Not all courses offer study tables, but other options for supplementing online learning exist.
One option that holds the test of time is joining office hours. A virtual meeting gives you the opportunity to talk with the professor (or TA) and clarify confusing course topics. Not only do you have the chance to ask personalized questions; in some types of office hours, you can connect with other students who share your meeting time and likely have the same questions as you.
This leads me to my second recommendation for supplementing online learning while building community. Create your own classroom study group. This differs from study tables, as it only includes students from your section.
My best suggestion for choosing partners for classroom study groups is to monitor early and rich engagement on discussion posts and Q&A boards. I like to study with students who are eager and ready to learn, not just those who can comprehend the material.
It is natural to struggle and have more questions than answers when learning a new subject. It’s helpful to connect with those who complement each other’s struggles and strengths, learning from each other.
Other good choices I’ve used include the following:
- Course-specific tutoring and platforms used for peer and professor communication. Most courses will have their options available at the top of the modules page.
- Some of my courses have utilized Discord to facilitate quick communication between student and professor in between office hours.
- The Academic Success Center has tutoring services held by peers and staff, designed to provide 24/7 assistance.
Simply put, there are a handful of resources available, designed to aid students in their remote learning at Oregon State University. SI Study Tables is just one of the many great resources available.
Do not forget that learning is a journey best traveled in company.
Go Beavers!
Alexa Marroquin-Garcia is a student in Oregon State University’s chemical engineering bachelor’s program, offered online by the College of Engineering. Discover how Alexa and other members of the Ecampus Student Advisory Board impact the online student experience at Oregon State University and read about eligibility and participation requirements.
