The University of Canterbury’s new peer-to-peer learning program has shown great results. Students who attended at least two sessions had a higher grade point than other students in the class, following a semester of the program’s piloting.
The Peer Assisted Learning Sessions (PALS) is under the university’s Student Success program, which offers a peer-to-peer program that involves regular study sessions aligned with a course facilitated by successful past students of the course. The peer-to-peer program was also designed to support students in their transition to their first year at the university and help them excel in their academic journey.
Key Takeaways:
- The University of Canterbury piloted a new peer-to-peer learning program for students.
- Results from the pilot semester showed that students’ grades and study skills improved.
- The Peer Assisted Learning Sessions (PALS) is under the university’s Student Success program.
Results from the pilot revealed that 96 percent of students who attended at least one session were able to better understand their course materials, while 88 percent said that PALS has helped them keep up with their courses.
A student from the PALS survey said that it was nice to have information from someone close to their age as it allows them to freely ask and share ideas, which leads to better interaction.
The results from the pilot are a manifestation of UC’s peer-to-peer tutoring program as a valuable tool in building confidence and improving study skills.
UC provides students with the opportunity to learn from the first-hand experiences of former students who have already accomplished the same course, which could also serve as an inspiration for them to be confident as they commence their university careers.
The program focuses on providing students with a relaxed and relatable environment to learn about relevant study skills such as note-taking, reading academic materials, and navigating university resources such as the student portal.
The sessions offer an opportunity for students to learn study tips and tricks from students who have already aced the course, review lessons through group study, learn how to navigate university life more generally in a safe, student-only environment, and make connections with their fellow students.
Aside from the peer-to-peer learning sessions, UC also offered the UCMeXL outreach program to boost students’ results in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) levels 1, 2, and 3.
The PALS pilot will be continuing alongside a first-year statistics paper for semester two as the program aims to become more established at the university, supporting another cohort of first-year students in 2022.
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