Learning Development PAL Leaders as Decision Makers: Physical vs Virtual Learning Spaces Marta Ulanicka Steve Rooney Zoe Enstone

Peer Assisted Learning “... a scheme that fosters cross year support between students on the same course. PAL encourages students to support each other and to learn cooperatively under the guidance of trained students, called PAL leaders, from the year above.” (Bournemouth University,

PAL decision makers: physical vs virtual learning spaces Context Why? How? What happened: – digital learning – PAL leaders’ experience Where next?

Mentoring/PAL at Leicester prior to 2011/12 Small and variable pockets of activity School of Biological Sciences: mentoring scheme (mentors receive training in summer term) Department of Geography: student-run mentoring scheme Law, Psychology, American Studies Medicine: student run societies with quite strong and established traditions of peer-assisted learning Main focus on mentoring providing broader pastoral support rather than PAL as such

Given all this, we wanted to know… Given limited resources, scarce practice and absence of PAL culture, what types of PAL activities could be piloted? What could these pilot experiences teach us about how to build and support PAL in the future? What role might digital learning spaces play in supporting pilot, and future, PAL activities?

‘…the technology tools used in the formal setting of the university are often different from those being used in the everyday world of the student (Ipsos Mori, 2008). The Ipsos Mori report highlighted the fact that technologies that might be used for learning, such as wikis, podcasts [etc.]… were unfamiliar to students and they were uncomfortable in using them...’ (Currant, Currant and Hartley, 2011: ) Digital spaces for a ‘digital generation’?

PAL decision makers: physical vs virtual learning spaces Context Why? How? What happened: – digital learning – PAL leaders’ experience Where next?

PAL works!

PAL works! Mentees: – felt that PAL helped them to integrate more quickly into university life, gain a clearer understanding of programme direction and expectations, understand the subject matter and prepare for examinations and assessments (PAL Evaluation, Bournemouth University, 2007/8) – benefitted from having a more experienced student to talk to, obtained additional departmental advice and academic help, social aspects (Transition Programme Evaluation, UCL, 2010/11) – PAL appears to improve students’ academic performance (Ody and Carey, University of Manchester 2009)

PAL works! Mentors: – felt that being a PAL leader had enhanced their self confidence, leadership, team working, listening, questioning and communication skills (PAL Evaluation, Bournemouth University, 2007/8) – felt that they had developed their communication skills, leadership skills, empathy, facilitation and academic skills. They also appreciated the chance of meeting diverse people and the feeling that they were doing something worthwhile. (Transition Programme Evaluation, UCL, 2010/11)

Content Specific Mentees Generic Mentors Skills

PAL decision makers: physical vs virtual learning spaces Context Why? How? What happened: – digital learning – PAL leaders’ experience Where next?

Departments

Training and Support

PAL decision makers: physical vs virtual spaces Context Why? How? What happened: – digital learning – PAL leaders’ experience Where next?

How far did the students embrace digital learning? SubjectGroupFormat of peer activity Biological SciencesDISHFace to face, Google+ page H and PGoogle+ and Tumblr accounts Biological Sciences 101Face to face, Google+ MedicineDoc-to-DoctorFace to face InsightFace to face, website: Facebook group, Twitter account

Biological Sciences 101: “The positive aspect of this was that the questions were open to all the fellow students as well as the peer mentors, therefore allowing students to help one another, for it to be a group learning group, where everyone is facilitating everyone else’s learning. Another positive aspect of this was the fact that we were able to learn from and with the students as well as just teaching them or guiding them.”* Biological Sciences, 3 rd year *(corrected for spelling and grammar)

Leicester Insight

Leicester Insight website “It was a great resource for students on outblock.” “website has proved very popular...” “This proved very popular and the download rate of many of the materials was very high.” (Insight committee members) “I feel that the website still needs improving as it could be so much more than it currently is, but the approach I will take with it will be a different one, asking for feedback and what can be improved on the current version...” (Insight committee webmaster)

% Perceived effectiveness of methods

Perceived effectiveness of methods “face to face was most effective. Get instant feedback and is easier to discuss problems.” (Biological Sciences, 3 rd year) “The group meetings with the team were effective as we got to discuss ideas more personally compared to doing so online. “ (Biological Sciences, 3 rd year)

as supported by the literature “An online discussion forum might prove more difficult to orchestrate than face-to-face PAL in a class setting. Consequently, some important forms of interaction might never develop.” (Luckie and Topping 2004: 569) ”...students' responses to and value for...virtual communities have been mixed” (LaPointe, L. & Reisetter, M. 2008: 641)

PAL leaders’ skill development %

PAL leaders’ overall experience Teamwork Communication and presentation skills Organisational skills, time management Facilitation skills Own subject knowledge Flexibility, adaptability

Teamwork “Being part of this society has allowed me to appreciate the value of a team based approach and how the support of others can help not only in the organisation of events but also provide different opinions and views on how to approach certain tasks and how to overcome any obstacles that we may face.” (Medicine, 4 th year) “Everyone working within the team is trying to achieve the same goal and so if my idea is not accepted, it is because there is a better one that is more suited to achieving the goal. I have learned that this is not personal.” (Medicine, 2 nd year)

Facilitation skills “I have definitely learned that a wide variety of resources is beneficial to learning, as we all learn in different ways and by having material presented in different formats (i.e. web based, lecture based, problem solving in small groups)” (Medicine, 4 th year) “At first when I was asked a question I would give the answer but as the weeks progressed I have found myself answering the first years questions with some questions of my own in order to get them to think about what the answer is.” (Medicine, 2 nd year)

Own academic knowledge “On a more academic level repeating the material that we covered a couple of years ago has really helped to refresh my memory and improved my general medical knowledge” (Medicine, 4 th year) “The process also helped me to identify deficits in my own knowledge” (Medicine, 2 nd year)

PAL decision makers: physical vs virtual learning spaces Context Why? How? What happened: – digital learning – PAL leaders’ experience Where next?

Where next? Mentees’ experience? Good model for PAL activity? Institution-wide mentoring working group

References Currant, N., Currant, B. And Hartley, P. (2011) Defining and Supporting the New Digital Students, in P. Hartley, J. Hilsdon, S. Sinfield, C. Keenan and M. Verity (eds) Learning Development in Higher Education, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, LaPointe, L. and Reisetter, M. (2008) Belonging Online: Students' Perceptions of the Value and Efficacy of an Online Learning Community, International Journal on E-Learning, 7(4), McLuckie, J. and Topping, K.J. (2004) Transferable skills for online peer learning, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 29(5), Ody, M. and Carey, W. Demystifying Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS): What? How? Who? Why? (PDF) The Challenge of Learning Development, 6th LDHEN Symposium: Bournemouth University, 2009Demystifying Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS): What? How? Who? Why? Evaluation of the Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Scheme at Bournemouth University 2007/ Feedback report on the transition programme 2010/11, UCL, evaluationhttp:// evaluation

Many thanks! Marta UlanickaLearning Development Steve RooneyLearning Development Zoe EnstoneLearning Development