Each year 75-100 students enroll in Norwegian language courses to fulfill their language requirement, which for Norwegian is a 3-semester sequence of courses. The overwhelming majority of these students have not studied Norwegian previously. There are two options to complete the language requirement, the regular paced option over one and a half years or a fast paced option over one academic year.
Our first year courses (NOR 111 & NOR 112) also utilize Supplemental Instruction (SI). SI is an academic support program offered through CAAS. SI is a peer-facilitated, collaborative learning process. SI is a long-standing and internationally recognized program that assists students in learning and retaining course information, is statistically proven to increase student grades by one letter grade, and enhances course retention and persistence.
All students enrolled in SI supported courses are strongly encouraged to attend any and all SI sessions throughout the semester. SI Leaders are St. Olaf students who are trained to help other students learn and retain course material. SI Leaders are also students who have previously taken and excelled in the course. SI sessions for Norwegian are an hour in length and happen six times a week. SI Leaders collaborate with faculty and CAAS staff to create session strategies and assist students.