Video-Based Supplemental Instruction: Creating Opportunities for At-Risk Students Undertaking Engineering Mathematics

Since its introduction at the University of Western Sydney (UWS), Australia in 2007, the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program has proved a very effective and popular methodology for increasing retention and enhancing student engagement. PASS is based on Supplemental Instruction (SI) which is an international program that provides peer led, interactive study sessions in subjects with relatively high failure rates or which are considered challenging by students (Martin, 2008). Video-based Supplemental Instruction (VSI), which is an offshoot of SI (Martin & Blanc, 1994) provides a more intensive and integrated learning experience based on collaborative processing of pre-recorded lectures for students who lack the prerequisite knowledge to successfully complete subjects. These attributes aptly describe a significant proportion of the students enrolled each semester in a core Engineering Mathematics subject, many of whom fail the subject one or more times. Although the PASS program was offered in this subject, attendance tended to be low, particularly among students who had previously attempted the subject. Therefore, staff from the Student Learning Unit and the Mathematics and Engineering Departments decided to pilot a VSI program as a way of addressing student engagement and progression. This paper provides a case study that details the processes of implementing this pilot in the first semester of 2011. It focuses particularly on the positive outcomes for the attendees who had all previously failed this demanding first year subject. We draw on a range of qualitative and quantitative research data which includes participating students' comments and their results. We recognise the limitations of this study due to the small number of participants and acknowledge that the results are not directly transferable to different contexts. However, we suggest that it offers a pertinent case study which will contribute to the research into VSI as an effective learning modality.