UNM senior Julio Romero, a History major, received The Award for Outstanding Supplemental Instruction Leader, an international award for demonstrating extraordinary commitment to the success of UNM’s Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS), which is dedicated to providing academic support for UNM students. Romero will accept the award at the Fifth International Conference on Supplemental Instructors in Orlando, FL in May, 2008. He has been employed with CAPS for three semesters, during which time he has worked both as a tutor and Supplemental Instruction leader for Chemistry and Biology courses.

Supplemental Instruction is a program offered through CAPS that provides academic support for students in key courses at the University. In a series of weekly workshops led by SI leaders, students review notes, discuss readings, develop organizational tools, and prepare for exams. The goal of the program is for students to learn how to integrate course content with reasoning and study skills.
SI leaders are assigned to particular sections of courses. Leaders attend and take notes for the course, both modeling good academic behavior and preparing themselves to facilitate collaborative learning among students who attend SI sessions. The program is designed to increase student success for historically difficult courses. Currently, Supplemental Instruction is offered for courses in Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Math, Physics, Economics, Sociology, and English.

More information about the SI program can be found at the CAPS website, by calling 505/277-7205, or by coming by the Center on Zimmerman Library's third floor.