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Academic Support - Peer Assisted Learning
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The FDTL3-funded PAL Project

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Peer Assisted Learning: a definition

Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) is a scheme that fosters cross-year support between students on the same course. PAL encourages students to support each other and to learn co-operatively under the guidance of students from the year above.

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The PAL Project

The PAL scheme has operated at Bournemouth University since 2001. Originally we obtained funding of £150,000 from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) between 2001-2004 under Phase 3 of the Fund for Development of Teaching and Learning (FDTL3).

Original Project aims

The aims of the Peer Assisted Learning Project were to promote awareness, enhance understanding, and encourage effective implementation of Peer Assisted Learning as a scheme which fosters cross year support for students. Furthermore, we aimed to produce materials that would support a workable, systematic, high quality, transferable and sustainable scheme.

Project outcomes

The outcomes of the Peer Assisted Learning Project were:

  • a web site to provide an information resource on PAL and assist dissemination;
  • a manual to provide guidance to staff who wish to plan for and implement PAL within their HEI;
  • a manual for use by PAL student leaders;
  • case studies from Universities running schemes similar to PAL;
  • a 3-day workshop for staff, organised in conjunction with the UK and Ireland Supplemental Instruction Network, to disseminate good practice in PAL;
  • two national conferences for students who had been PAL Leaders to share their experiences;
  • an end-of-project conference to disseminate findings and outcomes throughout the sector;
  • publications and conference papers to further disseminate findings.

Following the successful completion of the Project, Dr Paul Martin, Senior Advisor at The Higher Education Academy (HEA) wrote:

“Though a comparatively small project it has demonstrated that a well conceived, managed and supported project can be really successful in researching, compiling, developing, trialling, adapting and embedding good and useful practice into HE institutions. … The ideas, materials, and processes were carefully introduced with interested staff and the whole PAL system was gradually developed and has converted much of the institution through demonstrated success.”
“The project materials have been well trialled and are of high quality …”
“This has without doubt in my experience been one of the most successful FDTL projects across all phases. For a modest sum it has successfully developed and embedded PAL within the institution and provided well tested materials and processes for others to use and adapt to the needs of their institutions.”

Access the Final Report on the PAL Project (PDF 131kb).

Access the Evaluation Report (PDF 38kb) written by the Project’s External Evaluator, Professor Paul Light.

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PAL Transferability Project

In August 2005 we obtained further funding of £15,000 from the Higher Education Academy and successfully transferred project outcomes to two other universities – the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Plymouth and Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College (BCUC). This was important because it clearly demonstrated that, what has worked very successfully at Bournemouth University, can be successfully transferred to other universities.

It appears that, for both BCUC and Plymouth, PAL generated very positive comments from staff. There was also a high level of interest from other Schools or Faculties not initially involved with PAL and there is a desire to grow and develop PAL more widely within each University. Additionally, very positive feedback was obtained from both year 1 student recipients of PAL and PAL Leaders.

At BCUC the most pleasing aspect of the programme has been the extent to which PAL has become seen as an integral part of the student offering. Feedback obtained during evaluation provides very favourable comments on their experiences from both level one students and level two PAL Leaders. PAL has enabled BCUC to broaden its support provision with a clear focus on enhancing academic performance. There are ongoing plans to develop PAL further and to transfer the ‘ownership’ of the programme to each of the three remaining faculties.

Access the Final Report (PDF 41kb) on the PAL Transferability Project.

Access the report on the PAL Transferability Conference, 26-27 March 2006 (PDF 101kb).

Any comments or questions contact pal@bournemouth.ac.uk

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