Transcript PEER ASSISTED STUDYING - University of Saskatchewan

PEER ASSISTED
STUDYING
An Untapped Resource for
Student Success
Presented By Susan Easton
[email protected]
Building Bridges to a
Student’s Success by
Partnering with
Knowledgeable Peers
PASS – Peer Assisted Study Sessions
Also referred to as Supplemental
Instruction (SI)
 Put into place to increase student
performance, as well as student retention.
 Designed to have peers helping peers.

Can play a vital role in a student’s
success.
 Helps to build bridges between what
students know and what they don’t know.
 Builds relationships between the students,
their peer leaders, their instructors, and
Learning Assistance.

Students
who have a
support system are more
successful.
Encourage students to access all the
resources that are available to them.
 PASS well received
allows students to learn in a
safe, comfortable and nonjudgmental
environment.

Who Are PASS Students?
Not only for at-risk students.
 Open to all students enrolled in the course
who would like to increase their grade by 5
– 10%.
 PASS attendance - voluntary.

Which Courses?
Target at-risk courses.
Must meet the following criteria:
 High
withdrawal rates
 High failure rates
 Low averages
PEER LEADERS
Will have mastered the course content
with at least an 80% average.
 Will have an aptitude to be a peer leader.
 Recommendations from applicants’ former
instructors.

SIAST Programs & PASS

Anatomy & Physiology – Nursing Education
Program of Saskatchewan (degree) (4 semesters)

Statistics 120 – various programs require this
course (3 semesters)

Anatomy & Physiology – Practical Nursing
program (1 semester)
Looking Ahead to 2007/08 AY

Anatomy & Physiology
 Nursing
Education Program of Saskatchewan
 Practical Nursing
 Health Information Management
 Dental
Statistics – various programs
 Nutrition – Nursing Education Program of

Saskatchewan

Child and Adolescent Development – Early
Childhood Education
Facilitator’s Duties
Consult with course instructors
 Recruit student leaders
 Consult with program heads (mine &
programs we target)
 Work with peer leaders
 Book rooms

Attend PASS sessions periodically
 Mentor peer leaders
 Troubleshoot any issues peer leaders may
encounter
 Market PASS to students in targeted
courses
 Develop postings

Gather stats for semester end reports
 Review student evaluations
 Solicit feedback from instructors & peer
leaders
 Write reports

Peer Leaders’ Duties
Take attendance
 Encourage students to take an active role
in their learning through discussions
 Collect study materials/aids
 Clarify concepts, etc.
 Share strategies they found useful


“The brain that does the work is the brain
that learns.”
David Sousa
Training of PASS Leaders
Emphasis will be placed on the following:
Encouraging students to be active learners
rather than passive learners by facilitating
group discussions rather than offering
lecture style sessions.
2. Keeping in contact with Learning Assistance
instructors as well as course instructors – at
least biweekly.
1.
3.Leading discussions on what to learn in
relation to the peer leader’s experience of
the course.
4.Keeping the study session on track and
clarifying any misconceptions or
misunderstandings of course content.
5.Assisting students to focus on important
aspects of the course.
6. Rephrasing content in less technical terms.
7. The peer leader is part of the collaborative
process.
8. Creating an atmosphere where students will feel
confident in posing questions as well as
contributing to the discussions.
9. Modeling the behavior of a successful student.
ISSUES
Begin PASS at the very beginning of the
semester.
 Fall semester challenge - the job posting
goes up quite often when the students are
done their program for that winter or spring
session and are no longer on campus.

SUCCESS OF PASS
Comments by Students
“I found PASS sessions incredibly helpful.
It gave a second way of doing things and
more examples.”
 “Thanks for the PASS sessions. I would
not be passing this class without the
regular PASS sessions.”
 “Very impressed/happy PASS sessions
were available.”

“Good program, worth the time. Very
helpful in reinforcing class
content/concepts.”
 “Valuable resource.”

Comments by Instructors
“PASS is VERY important for students. I
really appreciate your help with this.”
 “I completely understand that Statistics is
one of the most difficult subjects for SIAST
students and PASS helped a lot.”

“Thanks for setting up the sessions. I
think they are a great help to those that
take part!!”
 “We noted that some students were
‘regulars’ at her sessions, and overheard
some positive comments from students
about how helpful the sessions were.”


“Any effective teacher will tell you that if
you share your knowledge with others, the
very act of trying to help someone
understand a new concept will increase
your own understanding. The teacher
generally learns more than the student.”
Hyrum W. Smith
Comments by Study Group Leader

“I really enjoyed working as the Peer
Assisted Study Session Leader, both
personally and professionally. The
position was flexible, fun and most of all
educational for both the students and
myself.”

“I thought it was a good experience. Not
only did it help me review my A&P, but I
thought it was good for the students to
have another peer share the material
because I understand what to focus on
and how to study because I’ve been there
myself.”


“I think being a group leader helped me gain a
deeper understanding of Statistics as it is much
harder to convey concepts to others than it is to
understand them. I highly recommend this
experience to anyone with a math background
as it will help to reinforce their understanding
and will improve their communication skills.”
“Great overall experience and I thank you for the
opportunity!”
PASS Considerations:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Hiring a student who is well-versed in the
subject area.
Meshing the peer leader’s schedule with the
students’ schedules.
Booking rooms.
Keeping in contact by phone &/or email with
leaders about any issues that may arise.
5.
6.
7.
Making sure leaders have any
equipment, supplies, etc. they might
need to run the study sessions.
Keeping instructors informed of what is
happening with PASS.
Having instructors keep Learning
Assistance and PASS leaders abreast of
what is happening in the class.
Statistics
Without exception, each semester where
we offered PASS to Statistics 120 and
NEPS A&P, the students who attended
PASS had a higher grade average than
the class average.
 In only one instance, did the PASS
attendees have a lower average (72.6%)
than nonPASS attendees (74.2%).

Average Grades
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
PASS Avg
NonPass Avg
Class Avg
A&P 1
A&P 2
A&P 3
Stats 1
Stats 2
Training for Supplemental
Instruction

University of Missouri-Kansas City
www.umkc.edu/cad/SI/index.htm
Questions?