LIFE PAL PeerAssisted Learning in the School of

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 LIFE PAL: Peer-Assisted Learning in the School of Life Sciences Eman Hasan, Yuanjun

LIFE PAL: Peer-Assisted Learning in the School of Life Sciences Eman Hasan, Yuanjun Gu, Sophie Atkinson, Pete Alston* (and others) University Learning and Teaching Conference (June 2016)

Overview v. What is PAL? v. Recruitment, selection and training v. Why we chose

Overview v. What is PAL? v. Recruitment, selection and training v. Why we chose to be PAL leaders? v. Our experiences v. Student Data & Feedback v. Challenges Faced v. What next?

What is Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)? v PAL is a student-to-student support scheme, that

What is Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)? v PAL is a student-to-student support scheme, that is overseen by few members of staff and facilitated by higher year students who are known as PAL leaders. v PAL aims to regularly provide newer undergraduates a highly informal, non-threatening environment, that can provide help or guidance in their personal development and academic understanding in a variety of subject areas v Examples of adoption in many disciplines (cf. Sedghi, 2013; Duah, Croft, & Inglis, 2014; El Tantawi et al. , 2014; Shally & Yadav, 2015) v Where is PAL available? § LIFE 109 Quantitative Skills § LIFE 104 Biological Chemistry I want to form a study group of my own, but I don’t know anyone in my class…! I don’t understand this thing at all, but I’m always too scared to ask the teachers. . .

Recruitment, Selection & Training v How we were recruited: § Lecture shout-out by teachers

Recruitment, Selection & Training v How we were recruited: § Lecture shout-out by teachers and Chemistry PAL leaders § Sending out application forms ou ant y We w PAL!!! for v How we were selected: 1. Math Ability 2. Languages Skills 3. Academic Advisor Input v How we were trained last year: 4 -hour Interactive Training with hand books § Had to work in pairs to explain image § Learnt how to deal with different learning styles of students § What makes a good PAL leader, etc.

Why we chose to be PAL leaders? v. Build CV v. Gain transferable skills:

Why we chose to be PAL leaders? v. Build CV v. Gain transferable skills: § Communication § Self-discipline § Time-management v. Revision of previous modules v. To be able to help others v. New experiences § Meeting new people & making new friends

Our experiences v. Extremely Rewarding § Seeing students making progresses § Seeing “regulars” progress

Our experiences v. Extremely Rewarding § Seeing students making progresses § Seeing “regulars” progress § Seeing our own made question being on the question sheet v. Building relationships with students from the year below and above § Bringing School of Life Sciences together! § Not we only have built up a relationship with students, but also with other PAL leaders! v. Impact of previous learning experiences § Increase the awareness of differences between different people § Starting to think in other’s perspective (Student and teacher)

LIFE 109 QS – Questionnaire December 2015; n=255 (63. 8%)

LIFE 109 QS – Questionnaire December 2015; n=255 (63. 8%)

LIFE 109 QS – Questionnaire December 2015; n=255 (63. 8%)

LIFE 109 QS – Questionnaire December 2015; n=255 (63. 8%)

LIFE 109 QS – Questionnaire December 2015; n=255 (63. 8%) v. Is there any

LIFE 109 QS – Questionnaire December 2015; n=255 (63. 8%) v. Is there any association between pre entry grades, confidence & attendance @ LIFEPAL?

LIFE 109 QS – Questionnaire December 2015; n=255 (63. 8%) v. Is there any

LIFE 109 QS – Questionnaire December 2015; n=255 (63. 8%) v. Is there any association between pre entry grades, confidence & attendance @ LIFEPAL? Confident/reasonably confident? Don’t need them! 40% who were “not confident” cited the same reason Why do these student feel like they do not need/want the additional support?

Student Feedback “Being taught by other students is not intimidating. ” “Not as scary

Student Feedback “Being taught by other students is not intimidating. ” “Not as scary as a teacher – there is less pressure to get things right. ” “Optional – only people who need help can go. ” “Helped me to understand where I was going wrong, especially with SI Units. Calm and relaxed – not stressful. ” “It helped me to understand concepts better than some of the lectures. ” “Chance to talk one to one[, ] especially when I don’t have specific questions. ”

Student Feedback “They have all clashed with days that I have to collect my

Student Feedback “They have all clashed with days that I have to collect my children from school. ” “Didn’t feel they were needed as things we explained clearly in the workshops. ” “I don’t like the pressure of not knowing things [and] instead of assuming I’m one of those that struggles alone rather than assuming I’ll know the answer [at] PAL. Please just explain like I’m a kid. ” “Busy with other commitments such as sport and other tests/ embarrassed to ask for help as I find it frustrating when I can’t do it. ” “Our timetable is already very busy [and] I find it hard balancing uni [and] my job already, so can’t always make it to additional sessions. ”

Challenges Faced v. Room Availability § Inconsistency to find a good room for teamwork

Challenges Faced v. Room Availability § Inconsistency to find a good room for teamwork v. Free time slot for all Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 students § Highlighted by both PAL leaders and students v. PAL leader attendance and engagement § Waned contribution after the first session § Some signed up to attend, but did not turn up - why? v. Difficult to balance with workload § Full study load § Impending assignment deadlines! v. Subject content also presented difficulties

What next? v Ensuring that PAL sessions are in the timetable for all students

What next? v Ensuring that PAL sessions are in the timetable for all students v Finding rooms that are suitable v Online Recruitment for new PAL leaders v PAL Leaders moving to PAL ‘Co-ordinators’ v Extending the learning § e. g. creating a Facebook page/group for students § Increase the awareness of PAL as a more informal, relaxed setting for students v Extending to other modules § e. g. Physiology, Pharmacology, Genetics

Any Questions? Duah, F. , Croft, T. & Inglis, M. (2014). Can Peer Assisted

Any Questions? Duah, F. , Croft, T. & Inglis, M. (2014). Can Peer Assisted Learning Be Effective in Undergraduate Mathematics? International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology. 45(4). 552 -565. doi: 10. 1080/0020739 X. 2013. 855329 El Tantawi, M. M. A. , Abdelaziz, H. , Abdelraheem, A. S. & Mahrous, A. A. (2014) Using peer-assisted learning and roleplaying to teach generic skills to dental students: the health care simulation model. Journal of Dental Education. 78(1). 85 -97. Sedghi, G. (2013). Peer assisted learning at the Department of Chemistry for home and international students. NDIR. 9(1). 14 -17. doi: 10. 1111/ndir. 2013. 00005 Shally, S. & Yadav, K. K. (2015). Assessment of the acceptance and effectiveness of peer-assisted learning in paediatrics. International Journal of Applied & Basic Medical Research. 5(Supp 1). S 3 -S 6. doi: 10. 4103/2229 -516 X. 162253