Johanna Dvorak, PhD. Educational Program Director

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Using Peer Leaders & Peer Tutors To Improve College Students’

Academic Success

Higher education has increasingly turned to student leaders to help their peers adjust to

college and to succeed academically.

Johanna Dvorak, Director of Educational Support Services at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has used peer leaders for over 25 years to ensure academic success.

Who is attending?

• Post-secondary Learning Center Managers: Colleges and Universities, Community Colleges, and Technical Colleges

• Post-secondary Learning Center Professionals with an interest in management

• New professionals in the field of college learning assistance who aspire to become program managers

Overview: Peer-led Programs

This webinar will focus on four aspects of organizing a peer-tutoring program to improve student learning and retention, and is applicable to other peer leader programs.

Participants will be able to improve tutoring program practices in the following areas:

Overview: Peer-led Programs

• Choosing the most effective peer tutoring program service components for your campus

• Interviewing strategies to find the best peer tutors• Evaluating and improving the quality of peer tutor performance• Understanding various models of tutor training and modes of delivery

Define your Program within your Institution

• What is your Mission Statement?• What are your college’s mandates?• What is your/their vision?• Set goals and objectives• What are your resources to accomplish your

mission/goals?

• The goal of PASS is to help students achieve academic success

• We work with programs, departments, schools and colleges across campus to build partnerships and collaborations• We target students who are taking 100- and 200-

level courses (and some 300-level)• We serve all students taking these courses but

especially freshmen and sophomores

Example: UWM PASS Mission

Strategic Planning Framework*• Structural Frame: Formal Division of Responsibilities• Human Resources Frame: Needs of Staff and Students• Political Frame: Political Interests and Coalitions• Symbolic Frame: Organizational Culture*Bolman and Deal, Reframing Organizations, 4th Ed. (2008)

Structuring your Center: Formal Responsibilities

• Organizing/Planning• Budgeting• Promoting• Staffing• Evaluating

Structure: Staffing with Peer Tutors/LeadersTerms and responsibilities for peer leaders vary depending on title and role (peer tutors, peer educators, Supplemental Instruction leaders, mentors or academic coaches). For any of these roles, peer leaders can be a valuable and cost-efficient way to improve student academicsuccess.

Staffing with Peer Tutors/Leaders

Pros• Cost Effective• Providing Leadership

Opportunities• Students relate well to

their peers• Peers are “in tune” with

students’ questions• Develops culture of

success

Cons• High Turnover• Recruitment: Can be

harder to find peers• Quality can vary• Continual training

needed• Staff motivation can

wane with constant rehiring

» Some Interview questions• Tell me about yourself and briefly describe your school/work experience. • How did you find out about the tutoring position?

• Why do you feel qualified to be a tutor/SI leader for this course? • Please describe any previous tutoring experiences, either formal or informal,

that you have had. • Give an example of a study tip/study strategy that you would encourage a

student to employ in your subject area. • What do you feel is one of your strongest abilities as a student/worker? What

is something you continue to work on? • Describe your experience with online classes or other instruction; tell me

about your ability with computer technology. • Please choose a short topic and demonstrate a tutoring session, with me as

your student. • What questions do you have for me?

Your Turn

• What are your interviewing strategies to hire peer tutors or peer leaders?

• What interview questions have you found to be effective?

• What is your staffing process? When and how do you staff?

Choosing the Most Effective Peer Tutoring Service Components

• Peer Tutoring Program• Online Tutoring Services• Supplemental Instruction• Mentoring• Other Learning Assistance Models

• Peer Led Team Learning • Structured Learning Assistance• Teaching Teams• Study Groups

Panther Academic Support Services (PASS) Services

• Weekly tutoring available individually or in groups

• Supplemental Instruction sessions: group reviews offered four times a week for large lecture courses

• Walk-in assistance available at the help desks

• Online tutoring: weekly, exam review sessions, blended review sessions

Organizing a Tutoring Program

• Types of Tutoring– Scheduled•Weekly or by appointment

– Individual or Group Tutoring–Online Tutoring–Walk-in Tutoring– In-Class Tutoring–Residence Hall Tutoring

Organizing Online Tutoring

Overview of UWM’s Online and Blended Tutoring Service

• Our center has conducted online tutoring in our center for 15 years in various formats.

• We use a synchronous online web-conferencing system to allow for real- time online sessions using a whiteboard, documents and the Internet.

• Our peer tutors are trained to use web conferencing and Smartboard technology and to conduct active learning strategies

• Tutors and students were surveyed to assess the impact of the service

Types of Online Tutoring Services

• Weekly Tutoring Sessions • Tutoring for Online Courses• Exam and Finals Review Sessions• Archives available for review• Evening/Weekend Tutoring provided by

NetTutor• Online Academic Support on the PASS D2L

sites

The Newest Service: Blended Tutoring

• The online environment is becoming a preferred means of communication, especially for Generation Y

• Students taking online courses at a distance cannot come in person to sessions

• Most on-campus students prefer to see a tutor or SI leader in person

• Students take online, on-campus and blended courses• Both types of students can use either mode or a blended

format

Factors We Considered for anOnline and Blended Tutoring Service

• Cost: Received an Educational Tech Grant• Staffing: Tutors are already hired for F2F• Training: Grant funded a grad student• Online courses: Campus commitment to growing number

of online course conversions• Student population: 2000+ online-only students • Technology: UW-System pilot project ( 2010-11): using a

webconferencing system; Year 2: funded• Time: Staff time, grad student 20 hours per week, work

study student support, tutor training

Training Program

• Tutors attend 4 one-hour training sessions conducted by our graduate student program assistant

• Tutors have to complete 30 training objectives

• Incentives

• New Tutors had to conduct one session

• 2-hour online exam reviews are the most popular

• Sessions are archived for review

• Key concepts were captured for future semesters

Your Turn

• Do you offer online tutoring?

• Do you use your own tutors or a tutoring service?

• How can you use peer tutors in an online tutoring program?

Supplemental Instruction and other Peer-led Support

• SI, a national program, which began in 1972 at University of Missouri Kansas City, has demonstrated a significant difference in student retention nationally

• Courses are selected in which freshman enrollment is 25% or more

• We select difficult courses, often large lecture classes or core courses with 20%+ DFW rates

• SI leaders attend course lectures & hold four review sessions per week plus desk hours

• SI leaders support professors• SI leaders also focus on study strategies

Supplemental Instruction (SI)

• Began in 1995 with four courses• Has now expanded to 50 courses because it has been

shown to enhance achievement • UWM’s Access to Success initiative lists SI as one of the most effective interventions for first year students• Both grade in class and retention are improved

PASS SupplementaI Instruction Program

Other Services

Use peer leaders for:• Class visits• Academic coaching• Share academic

resources• Lead study groupsHow else can you use

peer leaders in your program?

Training and Evaluation

Training• Develop a credit course• Pay tutors for meetings

throughout the semester• Provide an orientation at

the beginning of the semester

• Develop a course training site

• Develop online and print resources

Evaluation• Use a survey feature like

Survey Monkey • Use a paper survey to

distribute at various points of the semester at tutoring tables

• Use email surveys after sessions

• Have tutors/SI leaders evaluate the program

Thank You!

Johanna Dvorak, PhDEducational Program DirectorPASS/Bolton 180University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeePO Box 413Milwaukee, WI 53201