IVAN HILTON SCIENCE BUILDING INFORMATION

ARMAS: History of Supplemental Instruction

History of Supplemental Instruction

​The basis for the Supplemental Instruction program at New Mexico Highlands University is predicated upon the world-wide international model as developed at University of Missouri-Kansas City more than 40 years ago. ARMAS staff has been trained at the Kansas City site, and are constantly evolving and trying to improve the Supplemental Instruction experience for students served by Supplemental Instruction Leaders (SIL) through the ARMAS Center.

Supplemental Instruction through the ARMAS Center began in Fall 2009, initially funded by a Department of Education grant to provide services to Hispanic students in the STEM disciplines from entry through graduation. The program was begun with 5 initial SIL students, and we were all literally stuffed into one large room as the ARMAS Center was under construction.

To serve the greatest number of students during the hours we are open, each semester the SILs in the classes conduct a survey of times when most students most likely might be able to attend a one-hour structured group study session.  The SILs provide three one-hour structured group study sessions per week, along with office hours for drop in students. Each SIL tries to provide one session in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening to accommodate as many students as possible. The SIL schedule provides the basis for an organized program that serves STEM students.