Need study help?
UOW College Australia delivers an in-house Peer Learning Program, to enhance the overall student learning experience. Peer learning support is attached to specific subjects in the University Entrance Program, Foundation Studies Program and the Diploma Programs. It is also provided for selected Vocational courses.
The help is given by current university students who have already successfully completed the subjects, or equivalent subjects. There are three types of peer learning support: Peer Assisted Tutorials (PAT), Peer Assisted Learning Sessions (PALS) and Peer Assisted Consultations (PAC). A brief description of each follows:
- PAT learning support is embedded directly into the tutorials and/or computer labs of selected subjects. It provides students with a second person to consult in class, in addition to their regular teacher.
- PALS provide students with support in a groupwork environment, facilitated by PALS Leaders. The course content is reinforced and revised, usually on a week-by-week basis. Also, where possible/appropriate, some PALS sessions are aimed at breaking down assessments into manageable steps with the guidance of the PALS Leader. It is important to note that the leader does not do the assessment work for the students but can provide generalised feedback on student assessment work in progress. Attendance at PALS is optional, but highly recommended.
- PAC provides students with individual one-to-one academic consultations with the peer learning staff. The PAC consultation may be a one-off, or can be weekly, dependent on the student’s requests and peer learning staff availability. PAC consultations occur outside of normal class times, at time(s) suitable to the student. A student may request an individual PAC consultation by speaking with their PAT Leader in the tutorial, or by asking their teacher, student mentor, or student advisor to pass their request on to the Peer Learning Program Co-ordinator.