Workshops – Key Issues in the PASS Community

These concurrent workshops will explore several key issues within the PASS Community. Each workshop will incorporate a presentation of the key issue, followed by facilitated discussion. All attendees (both Staff and Leaders) are invited to decide which session they would most like to attend.

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Innovative Leader Training

Adrian Devey

Monash University

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The time available to PASS Supervisors for the training of new leaders is limited, and leaders need to leave their training program with not only a clear understanding of how peer facilitated supplemental instruction works, but also with the confidence to plan and deliver PASS sessions in practice.

The purpose of this workshop is twofold. The first objective is to make suggestions for ways in which the ‘theory’ of PASS can be presented in a practical way through activities the leaders will later actually use. The second objective of the workshop will be to describe the method used at Monash for organising practice PASS sessions to be delivered by the trainee leaders as the culmination of their training program.

PASS sessions are expected to be engaging, student-focused, group-based and communicative, and it is important, therefore, that the leader training is conducted in such a way as to reflect and demonstrate these ideals. This workshop will be an opportunity for participants to share practical ideas for the effective and efficient training of new PASS leaders.

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Retention and Professional Development of PASS Leaders

Jane Skalicky

University of Tasmania

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Challenges are presented for the retention and development of PASS Leaders as they may often be only employed for a short period of time. Providing PASS leaders with explicit opportunities for developing their own learning and leadership skills within the context of the PASS role is therefore important. In addition, considering the organisational structures within the PASS Programs, that are either school based or coordinated centrally across multiple faculties, can impact significantly upon the retention and professional learning of leaders and therefore ultimately, upon the quality of the PASS sessions themselves.

This workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to consider ways to effectively retain and support PASS Leaders to continue their own professional learning beyond the initial two day training program.

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Generation Y & Peer Learning

Kylie Austin, Steve Viselli & Alice D’Souza

University of Wollongong

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Generation Y are defined by their sociability, their need for a relational connection and trusted guidance and their affinity to technology.

PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) has appealed to this new generation of students, as evidenced by the large number of students attending and succeeding with PASS at the University of Wollongong. PASS, underpinned by prominent education theory, encompasses social interaction, trusted peer guidance and appeals to all students desiring to improve their marks, all attributes which define Generation Y.

As current research has established that generational change has a significant impact on higher education, this workshop will explore how PASS can be used as a tool to continually engage Generation Y. It will take a practical approach, exploring how social interaction, technology and group relationships can be incorporated into individual PASS sessions to enhance the engagement of Generation Y. Further, it will also highlight the need for learning environments to become flexible in order to accommodate generational change.

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How is PASS Marketed to Stakeholders?

Jessica Morr & Co

University of Sydney

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To establish and maintain a successful program, it is important to market PASS to funding bodies, Faculties, staff, students and facilitators. In the spirit of the PASS model, in this workshop we will focus on sharing ideas and experiences to generate a shared knowledge of the marketing of PASS.