PEER ASSISTED STUDYING

An Untapped Resource for Student SuccessPresented By Susan Easton

easton@siast.sk.ca

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 ratesHigh failure ratesLow 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 & PhysiologyNursing Education Program of SaskatchewanPractical NursingHealth Information ManagementDental

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:1. 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.

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 PASSComments 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. Hiring a student who is well-versed in the subject area.

2. Meshing the peer leader’s schedule with the students’ schedules.

3. Booking rooms.

4. Keeping in contact by phone &/or email with leaders about any issues that may arise.

5. Making sure leaders have any equipment, supplies, etc. they might need to run the study sessions.

6. Keeping instructors informed of what is happening with PASS.

7. 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

010203040

5060708090

A&P 1 A&P 2 A&P 3 Stats 1 Stats 2

PASS Avg

NonPass Avg

Class Avg

Training for Supplemental Instruction University of Missouri-Kansas City

www.umkc.edu/cad/SI/index.htm

Questions?