What is Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)?
PAL derived from Supplemental Instruction (SI) which was originally developed by the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1975 (http://www.umkc.edu/cad/si/). The aim of SI is to improve retention and is typically used on courses with difficult content and that experience higher withdrawal and failure rates. It is a method of targeting ‘high risk’ courses (due to retention difficulties or to the complexity of the material) rather than targeting ‘at risk’ students.
PAL schemes appear to be more flexible and student-centred than SI. They
grew out of a UK funded project that aimed to promote awareness and encourage the implementation of PAL as a means for supporting student learning (http://www.peerlearning.ac.uk).
In a PAL session, the focus is on facilitating student learning - while subject content is crucial, the interaction tends to be less structured than SI and the session content is usually determined by the students. Student leaders (sometimes referred to as tutors) are trained in how to redirect questions, promote active learning, encourage effective study strategies and work with groups. In addition to helping students with their course, another purpose of PAL is to provide a comfortable place for students to adjust to the transition from second level to university life.
PAL is now widely used in higher education in a variety of formats in the UK, Australia and Ireland. It promotes active co-operative learning among students with a variety of asserted benefits including improved academic performance, retention and skills development as well as improved learning and study strategies.
In Ireland, several different forms of PAL exist. Typically, PAL groups meet once a week and attendance is voluntary. The sessions can be viewed as a bridge between teaching contact hours and self-directed study time. However, some PAL schemes operate as assigned groups that meet on a regular time-tabled basis whereas others offer scheduled sessions that students may drop into. Due to the benefits of PAL, even courses that are not considered ‘historically difficult’ or experiencing attrition offer PAL to their students; some even promoting it throughout the years.
Please see Information and Resources for further information on setting up a PAL scheme and for references on the effectiveness of this method.