The PAL (Peer-Assisted Learning) program provides weekly learning sessions throughout the academic semester for participating courses. Rooted in cooperative learning theory, the goals of the PAL program are to improve academic performance and persistence to graduation of the participants. Research has shown that collaborative learning strategies increase persistence and strengthen academic performance.

PAL sessions are facilitated by undergraduate students who have demonstrated excellence in the course content and have completed the PAL training. PAL facilitators do not teach, but rather lead small group learning sessions to engage students in discussions and activities that promote a deeper understanding of course concepts. PAL is structured so that students learn to see their peers as resources for their own learning.

Every week, PAL facilitators attend one lecture, read the assigned material, and conduct PAL sessions that have been prepared in collaboration with the course instructor. To foster an active learning community, PAL facilitators:

• address students by name;
• use small group/pair work;
• encourage students to verbalize and expand on their thinking;
• redirect questions back to the group
• pose challenging questions to connect course concepts with students’ experiences;
• create activities that help students break down complex issues into smaller parts;
• allow time for students to think before responding with the answer or another question;
• encourage students to search in their notes or textbooks for information or clarification;
• motivate students to record and share the outcomes of small group discussions;
• focus on sharing study strategies, predicting exam questions, and preparing outline answers to questions from past lectures;

PAL sessions begin the first or second week of the term. Students receive training in August at a two-day workshop and throughout the year to develop and refine their facilitation skills. During this training, facilitators create a detailed first session plan, which is important in setting expectations about PAL for the rest of the semester and helps the students to get to know each other and the group to cohere.

Course instructors and PAL facilitators are expected to meet at various times during the semester to suggest activities or topics to focus on in the PAL sessions.  Evident faculty support is critical to the success of the program as students generate even more commitment and effort when they perceive that the time spent in PAL is valued by their professors.