Ten years ago, the practice of structured approaches to enable students to support their fellow students was only just beginning to emerge within the context of Higher Education within the UK. Since then, many Higher Education Institutions have introduced student to student peer learning and mentoring schemes.
SEDA Special 26 presents five contemporary case studies which showcase different approaches to students supporting students and which emphasise the importance of peer learning schemes. Each example encompasses the deliberative, critical examination and evaluation of each scheme in relation to its purpose or purposes, and the strength of evidence – with particular emphasis on the student voice – from which summary implications are drawn by the authors.
The case studies are positioned within the wider context of contemporary issues which educational developers set at the heart of their work and practice – student retention, student engagement and student success.
This one day workshop will explore why it is important for all HEIs to encourage and develop student – to student support schemes. With its practical focus, it is intended primarily for those who are considering implementing a peer learning scheme and who wish to find out more about planning, implementing, and embedding such projects. The workshop will also be of interest to those who are already running such schemes and are involved in succession planning with staff who may be new to these ideas.
The programme offers considerable scope for small group discussions and interaction, with both experienced practitioners and other delegates, giving participants the opportunity to learn from each others’ experiences and from the case studies in SEDA Special 26. During the morning we will identify why it is important to have such schemes, discuss what peer assisted learning is all about and address the challenges facing student support projects. During the afternoon session, the editors of SEDA Special 26 will examine the lessons from the case studies and present ideas on how to evidence and evaluate peer support schemes.
The workshop leaders/facilitators are:
Hugh Fleming – until his recent retirement he was a senior lecturer at Bournemouth University, and was the University’s Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Manager for 9 years. He is now involved in consultancies and PAL leader training to help other HEIs to learn more about PAL and to implement the scheme.
Daphne Hampton is a Senior Lecturer in Learning Development at the University of the Arts London, specialising in research, staff development and consultancy in mentoring & academic tutorials. She has run mentoring schemes for ten years.
Jacqueline Potter was, until recently, the Academic Development Manager in the Centre for Academic Practice and Student Learning at Trinity College Dublin. She is now working at Edge Hill University as an Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
The cost of the workshop is £95.00 and will include a copy of SEDA Special 26 and lunch.
A member of the International Consortium for Educational Development