SI orientation for new hires aims at preparing SI Leaders to walk into their classrooms for the first day with confidence. Oftentimes, getting through the first day of class is the most stressful aspect of being an SI.
On the first day, SI Leaders must introduce themselves to the class and the instructor, survey the class for appropriate session times, and complete the subsequent paperwork. At training, new SI Leaders practice introducing themselves to the class and the best ways to determine SI session times are discussed.
Students learn about best practices on orientation day.
Students also learn best practices for conducting an SI session by listening to presentations and engaging in group discussions that cover:
- Learning Styles
- Conducting Successful Sessions
- Organizing Sessions
- Handling Disruptions
Recently, SADC implemented a new aspect of training in which experienced SI Leaders join the new SI Leaders to share their experience.
Experienced employees Christine, Genae, and Melanie join New SI Leaders at orientation.
This practice places experienced SI Leaders in a mentoring role while building a cohesive group atmosphere. Experienced SI Leaders and Supervisors also work together to address past issues efficiently and uniformly.
Experiential Learning
New SI Leaders learn leadership and group work through fun and engaging experiential learning activities. After working together to accomplish a task, new SI Leaders reflect on the challenges they faced and what they learned from them. They also get the chance to experience life in their students’ shoes–trying for the first time to complete challenging and difficult tasks.
New SI Leaders build a structure to practice problem solving in groups.
| SI Leader Orientation | Small Group Meetings with Supervisors | Observation/Assessment |
