IAPL Webinar Series
IAPL Webinars 2023
30th March, 2023. 11:00 – 12:00 (BST)
Online Peer Support Communities: Tools and Techniques
The past few years have seen a massive shift in the environments where peer support happens. Even as peer support schemes move back into the ‘real world’, elements of ‘online’ persist as many have seen the benefit of online training, support sessions and meetings with students. This webinar will explore the blurred boundaries between spaces, explore ‘what engagement looks like’ in online communities, and provide practical examples of digital tools that can help develop community in both physical and online spaces.
Presenters: Dr Tim Worth, Academic Study Skills Coordinator, University of Bristol and Neil Ford, Principal Teaching Fellow (Academic Development), University of Southampton, UK
19th April, 2023. 13:00 – 14:00 (BST)
Running PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) in two-year postgraduate courses for international students at Teesside University
This session will discuss the introduction of PASS into two-year postgraduate courses, primarily aimed at international students. In recent years, Teesside University has introduced two-year postgraduate courses, aimed at international students. These courses include either a paid year in industry or an internship.
Lecturers have been concerned that students on these courses have struggled with UK study as many have only been assessed via exams through school and undergraduate courses in their home countries. PASS was seen as a good way to support these students as the PASS Leaders are second years who have already studied the relevant modules, something that prevents the traditional PASS model in one-year courses.
Presenters:Yvonne Cotton, Head of Learning and Development, Teesside University, UK and student co-presenters
27th April, 2023. 15:00 – 16:30 (BST)
Unlocking the secrets to scholarly publishing
*This session is also to launch a new Special Interest Group for Research and Scholarship in Peer Learning and Support
When looking to publish your work in peer-reviewed journals or practitioner outlets, there are two sets of rules. The first is the written rules that are set out in the aims and scope of the specific publication outlet, and related information such as layout formats, word count limits, and reference style. The second is the unspoken rules that informally pass from individual to individual whereby this form of social capital offers a competitive advantage over your peers. In this session, I plan to share some insights that will help you to a) identify suitable outlets for your work, b) increase your chances of passing the desk review phase, and c) highlight some common pitfalls to avoid within your manuscript. I draw on my experience as a member of the Editorial Board for Personnel Review, Career Development International, and Journal of Management & Organization - as well as previous experience as the Managing Editor of the GiLE Journal of Skills Development and Editorial Board member for Career Matters, the practitioner magazine of the Career Development Institute. I have also published 19 peer-reviewed journal articles in 13 different journals, and peer-reviewed over 50 articles across 14 different journals. The session will begin with a presentation, there will then be break-out sessions for group discussion, and then a Q&A to conclude the session.
Presenters: Dr William E Donald, Associate Professor of Sustainable Careers and Human Resource Management, Ronin Institute (USA) & Southampton Business School, University of Southampton (UK)
15th May, 2023. 14:00 – 15:00 (BST)
Associate Fellowship HEA (AFHEA) in Peer Support at the University of Exeter
Link to webinar: https://youtu.be/-gDdEwXSyW8
In 2021/22, the Peer Support team at Exeter introduced the opportunity for students to use their work as a Peer Mentor towards becoming an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA). The aim of this was to help students gain recognition for their Peer Mentor role that they could use beyond their studies to apply for jobs or further study. This opportunity was run for the first time in April 2022 in conjunction with other colleagues at the University, and will shortly be offered again to Peer Mentors for April 2023. This talk will discuss what went well in 2021/22, the lessons learnt for 2022, and how AFHEA will be offered to Peer Mentors this year. This presentation will be delivered by the Peer Support team at the University of Exeter.
Presenters:Emma Norman, Amanda Pocklington, Fatuma Mohamud, Academic Skills and Student Engagement, University of Exeter, UK
12th June, 2023. 14:00 – 15:00 (BST)
Link to webinar: https://clipchamp.com/watch/o1NtoBYNHZQ
Relationships matter: Addressing the challenges of PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) expansion across a university
The growth of the PAL scheme at Aston University has been a steep learning curve during the exceptional times of Covid 19.
Now, with PAL schemes running in each College, we are seeing the benefits and have been demonstrating its impact. However, there is still a need to grow PAL provision to support the diverse preparedness of students for HE and to fulfil the university-wide strategy of building community and student voice.
In this paper, we reflect on our learning from the current scheme and review how we can make expansion work. In particular, we outline the stages of running a PAL scheme identifying key challenges that highlight the need for us to further define responsibilities and grow relationships with staff.
Presenters: Ellen Pope, Head of Learning Development Centre; and Nicola Allett, Teaching Fellow in Learning Development, Aston University, UK
10th July, 2023. 11:00 - 12:00 (BST)
“So, how do you recruit for your PAL scheme?” – Showcasing a recommendations-based recruitment process for institution-wide PAL schemes
This webinar will introduce attendees to the student-to-student PAL scheme at Kingston University of London, known as 'Academic Peer Mentoring' programme. Introduced in its current form in 2011, the programme is now operating in 45 different courses across all the 4 faculties, with over 300 experienced student mentors providing support for the students in the year(s) below studying on the same course.
Key features of the scheme are its flexibility, enabling different modes of implementation in response to individual course/module needs; the status of mentors as paid student workers and of the programme as paid work opportunity; and a recruitment process based on direct recommendations of student mentors by academic staff, which will be the focus of this presentation. The presenters will showcase the collaboration between professional services and academic staff in recruiting student mentors for the scheme, covering the following aspects: overview of recruitment process; advantages and benefits of a recommendations-based process; disadvantages and barriers, and how to address them; and good practice techniques.
Presenters: Christa Saller and Rahila Mukhtar, Academic Mentoring Advisers, Kingston University London, UK
1st August, 2023. 16:00 – 17:00 (BST)
Supporting Advocacy-Minded Responses on the Frontlines of Student Success
This interactive session is designed to provide student leaders with trauma informed skills designed for the higher education context. Participants will be guided through discussion on the prevalence of trauma and how to support those who exhibit behaviors associated with trauma, as well as reviewing the dos and don’ts of handling disclosures. This session will offer hands on activities addressing the most common scenarios student leaders would encounter while also emphasizing and equipping them with skills to set and maintain boundaries. While this interactive session is designed for student leaders, professionals will also walk away with tangible ideas on how to engage their student leaders in this important training topic.
Presenter: Geony Rucker, President of Value Unconditional, Trauma Skills Institute, U.S
IAPL Webinars 2021
July Webinar: The Meaning Making Journey of Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Leaders in HE
Speaker: Sarah Bailey, Bloomsbury Institute, London
Date: Thuesday 13th July
Time: 2.00 – 3.30pm BST (GMT+1)
Zoom link will be sent to registered participants before the webinar.
Social media: #lovepeerlearning #peerlearningwebinars
The Meaning Making Journey of Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Leaders in HE
This webinar will focus on a recently published study, set in a small UK Higher Education Institution which investigates how 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate students, who facilitate Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) group study sessions and provide pastoral mentoring support to lower year students, make sense of their journey in becoming PAL Leaders. In-depth interviews, including visual data collection, were conducted with six PAL Leaders, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to understand how they made meaning of their experiences. The subsequent analysis and interpretation of the data revealed three super-ordinate themes: social connectedness, self-development, and self-efficacy. The study highlights how student engagement with PAL schemes can increase a sense of belonging, enhance cognitive and communication skills, promote perspective transformation through critical reflection and stimulate personal growth. Gaining competence as a PAL Leader, fostered by encouragement and positive feedback, can also increase a student’s self-belief in successfully navigating and overcoming challenges.
The webinar will be free of charge and hosted on Zoom
Registration closed
June Webinar: "Using Podcasting for Leader Development: Anywhere, Anytime"
Speaker: David Arendale, Univ of Minnesota Twin Cities
Link to webinar recording here
Date: Thursday 10th June
Time: 3.30 – 5.00pm BST (GMT+1)
Zoom link will be sent to registered participants before the webinar.
Social media: #lovepeerlearning #peerlearningwebinars
Using Podcasting for Leader Development: Anywhere, Anytime
This webinar provides no-cost and low-cost ways to reach people during those multi-taking opportunities to deliver professional development and training. When considering the use of some of these technologies, think how you could involve your students to produce the media. That is what David Arendale did back in 2006 when his podcast was produced. The Then and Now podcast was a production of his students in his college global history course. Students taught David how to listen to podcasts as well as produce them. Consider this as a partnership opportunity and a place for students to engage as interns that could include the experience on their resumes.
This session will offer a brief overview of podcasting and its potential use for professional development of educators and student study group leaders. Examples of podcasts relevant to peer study programs will be given, such as the Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Groups Podcast, www.palgroups.org and Equity Outcomes Podcast, www.equityprodcast.com. There will be an opportunity to learn about the technologies through a demonstration, and time for Q&A.
The webinar will be free of charge and hosted on Zoom
Please register before June 3rd Registration closed.
May Webinar: "Enhancing New Students’ Journeys through Peer Learning at Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand"
Link to webinar recording here
Date: Tuesday 11th May
Time: 20.00 – 21.30 BST (GMT+1) (this means 12th May 08.00 – 09.30NZDT – if in New Zealand)
Zoom link will be sent to registered participants before the webinar.
Social media: #lovepeerlearning #peerlearningwebinars
Enhancing New Students’ Journeys through Peer Learning at Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand
Speakers: Cindy Wee and Margi Grey, Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand
Unitec Institute of Technology, a large diverse polytechnic, drawing a multicultural cohort with a vast range of qualifications, is passionately involved in using the power of education to positively change the lives of students, their families and wider communities. It delivers a mix of hands-on and classroom-based learning from basic certificate to doctoral level. PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions), a peer mentoring programme, provides valuable support for peers to ‘learn how to learn’ with the use of experienced students, who guide and promote independent learning for new students; this enriches the overall student learning experience (Andrews & Clark, 2011).
At Unitec, PASS leaders work with new students mainly one-one. They firstly check on the students individually how they are doing in their learning before addressing any questions that they have. PASS leaders are trained to use a number of strategies as they help their peers. They use effective questioning techniques and make suggestions to help them find solutions to problems, address issues in content and apply theory; share study skills from their own learning and experience, and provide guidance/perspectives on projects. Students’ feedback has given evidence that having PASS leaders being available as friendly peer mentors in their learning environment has enabled them to enjoy their learning thereby enriching the first step of their student journey at Unitec (Stephen et al., 2011).
The webinar will be free of charge and hosted on Zoom
Please register before May 5th. Registration closed
April Webinar "Utilising a Digital Workflow to Support Mentor's Development and Enhance Peer Learning"
Link to webinar recording here
Date: Tuesday 20th April 2021
Time: 09.45-11.15am GMT
Zoom link will be sent to registered participants before the webinar.
Social media: #lovepeerlearning #peerlearningwebinars
Utilising a Digital Workflow to Support Mentor's Development and Enhance Peer Learning
Speakers: Tom Allars and Amanda Pocklington. University of Exeter
The University of Exeter introduces the workflow, a unique digital checklist allowing the University to monitor the development and progress of each mentor, quickly identify and fix any issues within a programme and ensure each student receives exceptional support. The workflow provides a vital platform for posting training, resources and feedback sessions, collect in registers and allow mentors to enhance their time as a mentor by completing development and networking activities all in one easily accessible place. This efficient monitoring tool also evidences each students’ hard work and dedication to their programme, reflected within their Higher Education Achievement Report.
The webinar will be free of charge and hosted on Zoom
Please register before April 13th. Link to registration here
March Webinar on Student Peer Mentoring by Gavin Jinks
Link to webinar recording here
Date: Wednesday 3rd March 2021
Time: 14.30-16.00 GMT
Zoom link will be sent to registered participants before the webinar.
Social media: #lovepeerlearning #peerlearningwebinars
Student Peer Mentoring: The crucial importance of cultivating student self-belief and of a compassionate approach.
Speaker: Gavin Jinks, Senior Lecturer in Applied Social Work, The University of Derby
This presentation will explore specific approaches to student peer mentoring that help foster student self-belief. It will involve the discussion of work undertaken by Gavin concerning student-self-belief and highlight the very key role that student peer mentoring can play in achieving this. It will also outline a clear link between student self-belief and student outcomes. The presentation will draw also on a joint piece of work undertaken to look at the impact of cultivating self-belief in primary school children and in non-professional actors involved in community theatre.
Gavin Jinks is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Social Work at The University of Derby. He has won awards from the Union of Students for his contribution to education at Derby and also for the student peer mentoring scheme on the BA Social Work.
The webinar will be free of charge and hosted on Zoom.
Please register before February 24rd. Registration closed.