Peer Assisted Study Sessions

Peer Assisted Study Sessions or PASS is a voluntary academic assistance program that utilises peer-led group study to help students succeed in traditionally difficult subjects—those with high unsuccessful completion rates (Fs, PCs and withdrawal). PASS targets tough courses which over time have demonstrated their difficulty regardless of the staff who teach them or the material that is used. These subjects are difficult for many students, with some struggling more than others and, as such, are deemed “high risk”. At UOW and other institutions, PASS is also sometimes attached to subjects for other reasons, such as the establishment of learning communities or the development of discipline-specific academic/learning skills.

What is PASS?

PASS builds upon the work of social constructivists such as Piaget (1958) and Vygotsky (1978) to establish a peer learning environment. For a detailed educational framework that describes what happens in PASS, see Martin & Arendale (1993). Tinto (1987) places PASS in a First Year Experience (FYE) context and describes it as a way of linking a learning community to a subject, an approach that has a role in increasing student retention. PASS is differentiated from remedial approaches as it targets "high-risk" subjects rather than "high-risk" students, thus avoiding the stigma attached to remedial programs and students' reluctance to self-refer to such programs: "whether through denial, pride, or ignorance, students who need help the most are least likely to request it" (Martin & Arendale 1993). Claims of PASS' effectiveness at raising student grades, lowering failure rates and improving retention rates have been verified by the US Department of Education.

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Why does PASS emphasise collaborative learning?

Collaborative Learning is an instruction method where students of various performance levels work together to achieve a goal.

Collaborative learning is integral to PASS. Learning theory suggests that students who collaborate with their peers and take an active approach to their learning not only earn higher grades, but also have a stronger ground up understanding of course material (Arendale, 2005). It is for this reason that PASS is usually applied to first and second year core subjects.

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What do students gain from the PASS environment?

Students will...

Improve learning techniques applicable to their subject within the context of university study. The aim of this is to provide students with skills to become effective independent learners
Improve understanding of subject content
Be a valued member of their PASS group
Improve their communication skills
Have the chance to ask questions that may seem trivial, in a supportive environment
Have access to more study materials, such as past exams or mock exam questions
MAKE MATES & HAVE FUN!

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What is the role of the PASS Leader?

A PASS Leader...

Is an experienced student, well versed in the content of their course
Operates as a model student and relays tips on their effective study skills for their discipline
Will assist students in working out what to learn as well as how to learn it
Will plan and facilitate activities which aim to encourage collaborative learning
Will model relevant critical thinking and problem solving techniques
Will empower students to become independent learners

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What is happens in a PASS session?

A typical PASS session is an hour-long meeting in a classroom on campus and might include a review of lecture and assigned readings, group work and discussion, problem-solving and critical thinking activities, or a mock exam. The PASS Leader’s primary focus is to assist students in understanding the course material while helping them to develop effective study skills that are applicable to the content. The PASS Leaders will never structure PASS sessions as a forum to re-lecture to students who missed lectures. Indeed, Leaders regularly emphasise to students how important it is to attend lectures and tutorials.

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What are the benefits of PASS?

PASS has multiple purposes which include:

Reducing rates of attrition within targeted subjects
Improving student grades in targeted subjects
Increasing the graduation rates of students
Assisting students to make a successful transition to tertiary study and life at university
Development of transferable study skills and independent learners

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Why is PASS so popular?

Over 250 000 students from more than 30 countries attend PASS each year. But why? The most obvious result of PASS is that students who attend PASS regularly earn a higher grade than those who do not attend, making it very popular with students. Apart from this PASS also benefits students as it:

Gives students an opportunity to evaluate their performance against their peers
Is scheduled in time slots which will fill gaps in students timetables
Improves students' communication skills
Provides student employment. This not only provides leaders with a chance to improve their leadership and teamwork skills, but it also provides a source of income.

PASS is also popular with employers. This is because PASS targets the development of many graduate attributes such as communication and team work skills.

Students also regularly comment that just one hour in PASS can be the same as several hours of private study - giving students more free time

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How do I become involved?

At the University of Wollongong

PASS does not require an extra effort on behalf of the lecturer; however they are more than welcome to contribute toward the program. For example, some lecturers have provided exercises to leaders to use in their sessions and actively promoted PASS in each lecture. Some lecturers have also commented that PASS decreased their workload on the subject as PASS provides another avenue for students to get assistance.If you wish to implement PASS on a subject at the University of Wollongong please contact us