Johanna Dvorak, PhD. Educational Program Director University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Using Peer Leaders & Peer Tutors To Improve College Students’ Academic Success

Higher education has increasingly turned to student leaders to help their peers adjust to college and to succeed academically. Johanna Dvorak, Director of Educational Support Services at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has used peer leaders for over 25 years to ensure academic success.

Who is attending? Post-secondary Learning Center Managers: Colleges and Universities, Community Colleges, and Technical Colleges Post-secondary Learning Center Professionals with an interest in management New professionals in the field of college learning assistance who aspire to become program managers

Overview: Peer-led Programs This webinar will focus on four aspects of organizing a peer-tutoring program to improve student learning and retention, and is applicable to other peer leader programs. Participants will be able to improve tutoring program practices in the following areas:

Overview: Peer-led Programs Choosing the most effective peer tutoring program service components for your campus Interviewing strategies to find the best peer tutors Evaluating and improving the quality of peer tutor performance Understanding various models of tutor training and modes of delivery

Define your Program within your Institution What is your Mission Statement? What are your college’s mandates? What is your/their vision? Set goals and objectives What are your resources to accomplish your mission/goals?

The goal of PASS is to help students achieve academic success We work with programs, departments, schools and colleges across campus to build partnerships and collaborations We target students who are taking 100- and 200- level courses (and some 300-level) We serve all students taking these courses but especially freshmen and sophomores Example: UWM PASS Mission

Strategic Planning Framework* Structural Frame: Formal Division of Responsibilities Human Resources Frame: Needs of Staff and Students Political Frame: Political Interests and Coalitions Symbolic Frame: Organizational Culture * Bolman and Deal, Reframing Organizations, 4 th Ed. (2008)

Structuring your Center: Formal Responsibilities Organizing/Planning Budgeting Promoting Staffing Evaluating

Structure: Staffing with Peer Tutors/Leaders Terms and responsibilities for peer leaders vary depending on title and role (peer tutors, peer educators, Supplemental Instruction leaders, mentors or academic coaches). For any of these roles, peer leaders can be a valuable and cost-efficient way to improve student academic success.

Staffing with Peer Tutors/Leaders Pros Cost Effective Providing Leadership Opportunities Students relate well to their peers Peers are “in tune” with students’ questions Develops culture of success Cons High Turnover Recruitment: Can be harder to find peers Quality can vary Continual training needed Staff motivation can wane with constant rehiring

» Some Interview questions Tell me about yourself and briefly describe your school/work experience. How did you find out about the tutoring position? Why do you feel qualified to be a tutor/SI leader for this course? Please describe any previous tutoring experiences, either formal or informal, that you have had. Give an example of a study tip/study strategy that you would encourage a student to employ in your subject area. What do you feel is one of your strongest abilities as a student/worker? What is something you continue to work on? Describe your experience with online classes or other instruction; tell me about your ability with computer technology. Please choose a short topic and demonstrate a tutoring session, with me as your student. What questions do you have for me?

Your Turn What are your interviewing strategies to hire peer tutors or peer leaders? What interview questions have you found to be effective? What is your staffing process? When and how do you staff?

Choosing the Most Effective Peer Tutoring Service Components Peer Tutoring Program Online Tutoring Services Supplemental Instruction Mentoring Other Learning Assistance Models Peer Led Team Learning Structured Learning Assistance Teaching Teams Study Groups

Panther Academic Support Services (PASS) Services Weekly tutoring available individually or in groups Supplemental Instruction sessions: group reviews offered four times a week for large lecture courses Walk-in assistance available at the help desks Online tutoring: weekly, exam review sessions, blended review sessions

Organizing a Tutoring Program Types of Tutoring – Scheduled Weekly or by appointment – Individual or Group Tutoring – Online Tutoring – Walk-in Tutoring – In-Class Tutoring – Residence Hall Tutoring

Organizing Online Tutoring

Overview of UWM’s Online and Blended Tutoring Service Our center has conducted online tutoring in our center for 15 years in various formats. We use a synchronous online web-conferencing system to allow for real- time online sessions using a whiteboard, documents and the Internet. Our peer tutors are trained to use web conferencing and Smartboard technology and to conduct active learning strategies Tutors and students were surveyed to assess the impact of the service

Types of Online Tutoring Services Weekly Tutoring Sessions Tutoring for Online Courses Exam and Finals Review Sessions Archives available for review Evening/Weekend Tutoring provided by NetTutor Online Academic Support on the PASS D2L sites

The Newest Service: Blended Tutoring The online environment is becoming a preferred means of communication, especially for Generation Y Students taking online courses at a distance cannot come in person to sessions Most on-campus students prefer to see a tutor or SI leader in person Students take online, on-campus and blended courses Both types of students can use either mode or a blended format

Factors We Considered for an Online and Blended Tutoring Service Cost: Received an Educational Tech Grant Staffing: Tutors are already hired for F2F Training: Grant funded a grad student Online courses: Campus commitment to growing number of online course conversions Student population: online-only students Technology: UW-System pilot project ( ): using a webconferencing system; Year 2: funded Time: Staff time, grad student 20 hours per week, work study student support, tutor training

Training Program Tutors attend 4 one-hour training sessions conducted by our graduate student program assistant Tutors have to complete 30 training objectives Incentives New Tutors had to conduct one session 2-hour online exam reviews are the most popular Sessions are archived for review Key concepts were captured for future semesters

Your Turn Do you offer online tutoring? Do you use your own tutors or a tutoring service? How can you use peer tutors in an online tutoring program?

Supplemental Instruction and other Peer-led Support

SI, a national program, which began in 1972 at University of Missouri Kansas City, has demonstrated a significant difference in student retention nationally Courses are selected in which freshman enrollment is 25% or more We select difficult courses, often large lecture classes or core courses with 20%+ DFW rates SI leaders attend course lectures & hold four review sessions per week plus desk hours SI leaders support professors SI leaders also focus on study strategies Supplemental Instruction (SI)

Began in 1995 with four courses Has now expanded to 50 courses because it has been shown to enhance achievement UWM’s Access to Success initiative lists SI as one of the most effective interventions for first year students Both grade in class and retention are improved PASS SupplementaI Instruction Program

Other Services Use peer leaders for: Class visits Academic coaching Share academic resources Lead study groups How else can you use peer leaders in your program?

Training and Evaluation Training Develop a credit course Pay tutors for meetings throughout the semester Provide an orientation at the beginning of the semester Develop a course training site Develop online and print resources Evaluation Use a survey feature like Survey Monkey Use a paper survey to distribute at various points of the semester at tutoring tables Use surveys after sessions Have tutors/SI leaders evaluate the program

Thank You! Johanna Dvorak, PhD Educational Program Director PASS/Bolton 180 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee PO Box 413 Milwaukee, WI 53201