{"id":1303,"date":"2015-09-08T16:11:52","date_gmt":"2015-09-08T15:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.reading.ac.uk\/engage-in-teaching-and-learning\/?p=1303"},"modified":"2019-10-04T15:36:32","modified_gmt":"2019-10-04T15:36:32","slug":"student-led-peer-assisted-learning-pal-starts-at-reading-by-caroline-crolla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/2015\/09\/08\/student-led-peer-assisted-learning-pal-starts-at-reading-by-caroline-crolla\/","title":{"rendered":"Student-led Peer-assisted Learning (PAL) starts at Reading by Caroline Crolla"},"content":{"rendered":"

Readers of this blog may recall Dr Patricia (Paddy) Woodman\u2019s \u201cHot tip: Student-led peer learning: a win-win for everyone\u201d posted on January 2015.\u00a0 She wrote then that \u201cThe University of Reading is about to appoint a peer assisted learning co-ordinator and launch a number of trial schemes in 2015\/16.\u201d\u00a0 Happily, I am that peer-assisted learning coordinator and I took up post on 22 June 2015. I would like to take this opportunity to describe how the implementation of peer-assisted learning is going so far at the University of Reading.<\/p>\n

What is PAL?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As Paddy explain in her January blog: PAL is a framework that fosters cross-year support between students on the same course. Students work in regularly scheduled groups supporting each other to learn through active discussion and collaboration under the guidance of trained students, called PAL Leaders, typically from the year above.<\/p>\n

Fact-finding visits<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In June and July 2015, I visited other universities and attended national conferences on peer-led learning.\u00a0 I quickly discovered that there exists a vibrant academic peer-learning community who are very welcoming and generous to a \u201cnew implementer\u201d representing the University of Reading.<\/p>\n

I visited three universities where PAL is very well-established across all faculties and schools and who have been running PAL \u2013 sometimes also called PASS (Peer-assisted Study Sessions) \u2013 for decades.\u00a0 Colleagues at the University of Manchester, University of West England and Bournemouth University were particularly helpful in sharing their resources and experiences.<\/p>\n

Reading\u2019s early PAL adopters<\/strong><\/h2>\n

During July and August, I met with colleagues in Mathematics, Psychology, Economics, English Literature and Systems Engineering.\u00a0 I am pleased to say that five academics already would like to \u2018pilot\u2019 peer-assisted learning in specific 1st<\/sup> or 2nd<\/sup> Year modules or units that are cognitively challenging and in which students are known to struggle.<\/p>\n

It has been a real pleasure to start collaborating with Tristan Pryer in Mathematics, Tom Loucas in Speech and Language, Pat Parslow in SSE and Simon Burke in Economics.\u00a0\u00a0 Each of these Academic Contacts is looking at the possibility of setting up regular, timetabled PAL sessions within these modules, as well as inviting successful and willing 2nd<\/sup> or 3rd<\/sup> Year students to agree to be trained as PAL leaders and run the PAL sessions.<\/p>\n

As it is now September, the timing for implementation is tricky in some cases, so some academics like Rachel Pye, Jayne Freeman and Lesley Tranter in Psychology are considering implementing PAL in September 2016 in their Introduction to Neuroscience unit, which allows more time for timetabling, PAL recruitment and PAL Leader training.\u00a0 Additionally, Cindy Becker and Nicole King are discussing how they might incorporate the support of two graduate interns in establishing PAL in English Literature.<\/p>\n

How will PAL work at Reading?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

PAL will be \u201cdiscipline owned, student led, and centrally coordinated\u201d.\u00a0 Different Schools or departments may vary their offer where appropriate, but PAL will have recognisable features which will be consistent:<\/p>\n