Participation in peer-led academic support services: One adaptation of a natural sciences peer learning model to enrichment in the humanities

Supplemental instruction (SI) has proven highly effective at improving success rates in high-risk first and second-year courses, in part because peer-led SI sessions inculcate best-practice study skills in a specific learning context which provides opportunities for skill mastery. A successful SI program in the Faculty of Science at the University of Regina, Canada, was adapted to support high-risk classes in the Faculty of Arts. A number of challenges around student participation in SI sessions for arts emerged. This paper provides a brief case study of the adaptation and outlines factors which impact student participation in academic support sessions.