Supplemental instruction: Students helping students’ learning at university college London (UCL) and university of central Lancashire (UCLAN)

Abstract

The Supplemental Instruction (SI) programme aims to provide an untapped learning resource for academics interested in developing first year students' cognitive capabilities alongside their personal skills. This study examines whether the pilot SI programme meets the needs of first year students in their academic and personal development within the Law faculties of UCL and UCLAN. Whereas the US model places prime emphasis on increasing grades, the UK model develops more holistically to include both cognitive and affective aspects of learning, in which the benefits to the second year Leaders become as important as the outcomes for first year students.

Students helping students: Evaluating a pilot program of peer teaching for an undergraduate course in human anatomy

“…Regarding the nonattendees in the current study, the most common stated reason for not attending was that the session times clashed with their scheduled lectures and laboratories. This also reflects what has been reported previously (Lockie and Van Lanen, ; Van Lanen and Lockie, ; Donelan and Kay, ; Hughes, ). Since SI programs are often offered for courses with large enrolments and attendance is voluntary (i.e., students do not register for a specific session time), it is usually very difficult to coordinate session times that would meet the needs of every student in a course.…”

“…In addition to the potential effect on their final grades, students in the current study also described several additional benefits to participating in the program. Many of these mirror benefits that have been expressed by students taking part in SI programs associated with a range of courses: e.g., being exposed to a variety of teaching methods and approaches to learning the material (Lundeberg, ; Donelan and Kay, ; Youdas et al, ); gaining a better understanding of the material and being more prepared for examinations (Lundeberg, ; Price and Rust, ; Warren and Tonsetic, ; Donelan and Kay, ; Youdas et al, ; Sole et al, 2012); and having the opportunity to take part in sessions that were comfortable and inclusive (Lundeberg, ; Sole et al, 2012–2013). Several authors have also suggested that SI attendance may improve affective variables (e.g., self‐efficacy, self‐esteem) and help students bond with each other and their institution, thereby potentially having an impact on long‐term retention and persistence in postsecondary education (Visor et al, ; Commander et al, ; Ogden et al, ; Terrion and Daoust, 2011–2012).…”

“…As suggested by McCarthy et al () and Congos and Schoeps (), collecting such feedback, particularly qualitative feedback, is crucial to understanding the means by which SI programs have their effect and contribute to the learning process. A number of researchers have asked students to rate the perceived benefit of the sessions on their academic performance using Likert scales (Lundeberg, ; Fjortoft et al, ; Donelan and Kay, ; Youdas et al, ). However, only a few studies have systematically collected and analyzed qualitative data from students and SI leaders; of these, Youdas et al () is the only study to have done so for an anatomy course.…”

A Call for Expanding Inclusive Student Engagement in SoTL

“…The ultimate aim, through reciprocal dialogue and participation, is to help transform education from the 'bottom up' through the co-construction of the learn-ing experience between students and faculty (Little, 2011;McCulloch, 2009). In SoTL, this may involve student participation through vari ous approaches to inquiry into and experimentation with teaching and learning, such as course, curriculum and assessment design (Bovill et al, 2011a;Bovill, Bulley, & Morss, 2011b;Delpish et al, 2010;Mihans et al, 2008;Neary & Winn, 2009), students supporting one another through peer assisted learning and peer mentoring (Capstick & Fleming, 2001;Donelan & Kay, 1998), and students partnering with faculty as teaching and learning consultants (Cook-Sather, 2011;Cook-Sather, & Alter, 2011).…”

Can peer assisted learning be effective in undergraduate mathematics?

“…PAL has been evaluated in a variety of studies and attendance at PAL sessions has been found to correlate with increased academic performance in disciplines including nursing [14], medicine [15][16], law [17], accounting [18][19], economics [20], English [13], microbiology [21], and chemistry [22][23]. Although some studies have focussed on the use of PAL in mathematics courses [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30], these have been in the context of service courses (mathematics modules taught to non-specialists, such as engineering students).…”