best practice essentials in peer led learning programs · university of texas at arlington •...

Best Practice Essentials in Peer Led Learning Programs

Sally Rogan, University of Wollongong

& Catherine Unite,

University of Texas Arlington

FYE Conference, San Diego February 15 – 18, 2014

University of Wollongong, Australia

• 30,516 students • Ranked in the Top

2% of universities in the world

• Globally ranked as one of Australia's best modern universities

• 5 Star Rating • Top 100 in the world

for global graduates

University of Texas at Arlington • Situated in the Dallas-Fort Worth

Metroplex • 4 year, public institution founded

in 1895 • 33,311 students (Fall 2013)

• 25,678 undergraduate • 7,633 graduate

• Ranked #7 by the Chronicle of Higher Ed nation’s fastest growing public research institutions

• US News and World Report ranks UT Arlington as the 5th most diverse university in the nation

Peer led programs at a glance PASS @ UOW

• Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) commenced at UOW in 2002

• Most awarded peer learning program in the world!

• Mainstream and voluntary • 4 FT PASS staff members • Over 100 PASS Leaders • Flagship FYE Program

UTA • Housed within Academic

Affairs • Division - Academic

Programs and Curriculum • 1 FT Coordinator – SI and

Tutoring • 2 FT Learning Specialists • 100 peer educators • Situated in UTSI within

University College Learning Center

Transferable elements Other Peer Led Programs

Start Strong Spanish Lab Athletics Lab Library Tutor

Center ARC

Supplemental Instruction

Online SI

E-Tutoring

TRiO Student Support Services

At UOW: • Global

Communicators Program

• UOW Wellbeing

At UTA:

Outline for the Workshop Best practice within:

– Marketing

– Recruitment of Leaders

– Training and Supervision of Leaders

– Evaluation and Reporting

Best Practice: Marketing “Thinking Outside the Box”

PASS@UOW: • Has traditionally had high attendance / awareness:

• Staying Connected survey for FY students recorded PASS@UOW had the highest awareness & usage for services / support on campus (2011-2013)

• 29,000 contact hours in 2012 • But we thought we could do better!! Conducted a

comprehensive marketing review in 2013 • As a result:

• Level of participation – 35,000 contact hours in 2013 • Contact hours for Semester One 2013 increased by 25%

Best practice: Marketing A case study – PASS@UOW, 2013

Best practice marketing includes: 1. Establishing a strategic marketing plan:

• Conduct a marketing review/audit of all activities • Outline clear outcomes and objectives/KPIs • Analyse the timing, target audience, costs/benefit and key

message of each marketing activity • Measure all outcomes/KPIs where possible

2. Weekly monitoring of attendance 3. Incorporate Leader involvement in marketing:

• Ongoing collaboration/communication between staff and Leaders

• Can provide incentives for Leaders

Best Practice: Marketing A case study – PASS@UOW, 2013

Example of a marketing strategy snapshot

Example of a marketing

matrix. Used to

complement the marketing plan and to identify

the ideal time to implement a marketing

activity

Examples of successful marketing activities: • Incentives to encourage regular attendance to maximise

benefits: • 10 + times competition for participants • Additional Exam Prep Study Sessions (7+ times) • Leader buy in via attendance competition

Direct communication to encourage engagement: • All to be timely and targeted • Sending ‘no show’ emails in week 3 • Discreet individual ‘at risk’ emails in second

semester



Examples of awareness building marketing activities:


…2013 end of year marketing review: • Identified gaps for improvement to further increase

attendance for 2014

Best Practice: Marketing Most successful marketing practices

at UT Arlington • Referrals:

• Faculty & current peer educators (prizes for most referred)

• Students who have utilized SI • Innovative displays:

• Sandwich boards (outside UCOL/UTSI building)

• Display case (central locations – student center)

• Chalk writing on pavement

• Information sharing: • Creative peer educator presentations in class

& online • Blackboard announcements • Information tables (orientation, events,

library, res, etc.) • Campus newspaper and radio • Customized e-mails

Best Practice: Marketing Most successful marketing practices

at UT Arlington

Examples of Marketing Activities

In groups discuss: • Whether you have a strategic

marketing plan?

• Your most effective marketing activity.

Timer

http://timer.onlineclock.net/

Best Practice: Recruitment A case study – UT Arlington

UTSI SPECIFIC - Post peer educator positions online Check Qualifications/Recommendations Screen applicants Interview schedules Select interviewers & venues Targeted interviews Submit CBC’s to HR Compile short list & referrals for SSS Notify successful applicants

SSS SPECIFIC - Post peer educator positions online Check Qualifications Screen applicants Interview schedules Select Interviewers & venues Targeted interviews Submit CBC’s to HR Compile short list & referrals for UTSI Notify successful applicants

RECRUITMENT COLLABORATION Marketing = Strengthen Outreach & Build Pool Peer Educator Qualifications = Ensure Quality

Applicants Standardized Interview Questions = Consistency Selection Panel = Sharing of Peer Educator Lists &

Referrals

Best Practice: Recruitment A case study – UT Arlington

Application Guidelines: • Only online applications are accepted through the

UCLC website • Applicants complete:

• University SNAP Job Application • UTSI Application (preference of peer educator position must

be indicated) • Professors complete:

• Professor Reference/Online Recommendation Form (upon applicant’s request – information card)

• All completed application packets are screened, and qualified individuals are contacted for interviews.

Best Practice: Recruitment Applicant Checklist

A current student at institution Completed at least one semester at institution Completed course (preferably the course with the

current professor) High performing student (studied at UT Arlington, an

overall GPA of 3.0 and an A or B in the respective course is required)

Fluent in English with demonstrated exceptional communication skills

Available to attend program-specific required training

Best Practice: Training & Supervision A case study – UT Arlington

Three tiered approach: 1. Pre-online training 2. Peer Educational Conference (2 days)

• Co-facilitation with departments & mentors 3. Ongoing training

• Mentorship of session plans • Bi-weekly seminars presented by mentors • Observations & Peer Observations • Online Portfolios • Mentor Training & Virtual Meetings


Pre-online training: • Repository of online modules and

resources • Mass e-mailing • Announcements • Discussion board • Introduction of Blackboard Collaborate

platform – online session

Peer Educator Conference Example: Day One


Three documents:

• Observation Form (Observer completes) • Observation Code (Information on how to complete

obs.) • Feedback Review (Improvement plan)

Observation Form - 7 Sections: • Beginning of the session • Frequency count of behaviors during the session • Checklist of strategies used • Session interaction diagram • End of the session • After the session summary • Additional comments

UOW Resource

Best Practice: Training & Supervision PASS @ UOW Professional

Development Model PASS

Participant

PASS Leader

PASS Senior Mentor

PASS Leader

Leaders facilitate PASS for students

Participants are recruited as leaders

Leaders are promoted to senior mentors

Mentors support and develop new leaders

Best Practice: Evaluation and Reporting Checklist

Strong data collection: Strong attendance record keeping process UOW example – PASS Information Management

System (PIMS) UOW example - Performance Cube

Evaluation of: Leader performance via mentoring Level of student engagement via surveys/ regular

attendance and retention Performance of students via analysis of grades Contact hours

Best Practice: Evaluations and Reporting

Checklist

End of semester reports provided to: Faculty Other key stakeholders Leaders

Continuous review and improvement of processes and procedures

Ongoing research: Example - Journal of Peer Learning UOW current research – Randomised Encouragement Design

Best Practice: Evaluations and Reporting Analysis of data – UOW examples

Average Final Marks – FY Accounting, S1, 2013

n=541


Year

Num

ber o

f par

ticip

ants


*This chart illustrates the retention rates of regular PASS participants (those that attended 5+ times for a single subject) vs non-PASS participants (0 attendances).

Schools Schools

Fina

l Mar

k

Ret

entio

n R

ate

n= 59,027 n= 58,891

Best Practice: Evaluations and Reporting UT Arlington

―Fall 2012 over 11,400 contact hours ―82% first-time, full-time freshmen returned in Fall 2012

SPRING 2013

SECTIONS SUPPORTED

56

STUDENTS SERVED

2,043

TOTAL CONTACT HOURS

10,719

Surveys ─ Mid/End of semester Student Surveys: Spring 2013 ─ 93% agreed/slightly agreed that the SI sessions were helpful, while 91.4%

agreed/slightly agreed they would recommend SI to other students. ─ Faculty Surveys: Spring 2013 ─ 94% indicated that they would like SI to continue in their

respective course.

Critical Reflections • Streamlining practices – “doing more with

less” • Capacity building – peer leadership • Sustainability – systemic, “no single shot

interventions … in the water supply” • Learning Communities – integrated support • Quality driven – “pruning the rose bush” • Accessibility and availability – geographic

location “go to the students” • Students as partners in change process

(PASS Model - University of Manchester)

Questions or Comments.

Thank you for attending!

Contact Information Sally Rogan: Director Peer Learning and The National Centre for PASS, UOW E: [email protected] P: +61 2 4221 5588 Catherine Unite: Director - University College Learning Center, UTA E: [email protected] P: 817-272-2617

mailto:[email protected]



best practice essentials in peer led learning programs · university of texas at arlington •...

Documents