Practices to enhance peer program implementation integrity to safeguard peer leaders and learners

The powerful influence of peers on fellow students’ learning engagement and their ability to foster self-efficacy is well recognised. A positive learner mindset can be fostered through establishment of guided meaningful relationships formed between peers. Recognising the value of peer connections in shaping the student learning experience, peer programs have been widely adopted by universities as a mechanism to facilitate these connections. While potentially beneficial, a lack of knowledge and inexperience by program implementers can lead to program outcomes being compromised. To mitigate this risk, QUT has established university wide systems and benchmarks for enacting peer programs. These measures aim to promote program implementation integrity by supporting and developing the knowledge and capabilities of peer leaders and program coordinators. This paper describes a range of measures that have been instigated to optimise the quality of programs and ensure outcomes are mutually constructive and beneficial for all stakeholders

The QUT Training Model for Peer Leader Capacity Building

QUT has enacted a university-wide Peer Program’s Strategy which aims to improve student success and graduate outcomes. A component of this strategy is a training model providing relevant, quality-assured and timely training for all students who take on leadership roles. The training model is designed to meet the needs of the growing scale and variety of peer programs, and to recognise the multiple roles and programs in which students may be involved during their peer leader journey. The model builds peer leader capacity by offering centralised, beginning and ongoing training modules, delivered by in-house providers, covering topics which prepare students to perform their role safely, inclusively, accountably and skilfully. The model also provides efficiencies by differentiating between ‘core competency' and ‘program-specific’ modules, thus avoiding training duplication across multiple programs, and enabling training to be individually and flexibly formatted to suit the specific and unique needs of each program

A student-centred approach to support, reward and recognition of student peer 'learnership'

The benefits for university graduates in growing skills and capabilities through volunteering experiences are gaining increased attention. Building leadership self-efficacy supports students develop their capacity for understanding, articulating and evidencing their learning. Reward and recognition is fundamental in the student’s journey to build self-efficacy. Through this research, concepts of reward and recognition have been explored and articulated through the experiences and perceptions of actively engaged student peer leaders. The research methodology has enabled a collaborative, student-centred approach in shaping an innovative Rewards Framework, which supports, recognises and rewards the learning journey from beginning peer leader to competent and confident graduate

The peer leader capacity building model: A student learning journey

The benefits of peer leader experiences in building graduate skills and capabilities, is well documented and recognised in the higher education sector (Ender & Kay, 2001; Lindsey, Weiler, Zarich, Haddock, Krafchick, & Zimmerman, 2014; Shook & Keup, J., 2012). While benefits are acknowledged, responsibility for identifying, structuring and recording the learning experiences and learning outcomes is charged to the student. This poster describes a framework ‘The Peer Leader Capacity Building Model’ that purposefully structures the peer-leader’s learning journey providing: timely training, moments of critical reflection and goal setting. The model articulates the fundamental interplay of learning and peer leader service which forms the peer ‘learnership’. The journey begins with the ‘aspiration’ phase where students come to understand their leadership opportunities, progressing through ‘enabling’ and ‘mastering’ phases where students shape their learner-leader experience, and finally, to the ‘contributing graduate’ phase where students emerge as competent graduates able to confidently participate in their communities and workplaces. In shifting from a program centric approach that priorities the needs of the mentees, the Peer Leader Capacity Building Model focuses on the individual as a peer leader encouraging the student to shape their individual ‘learnscape’ through consciously navigating both their curricula and co-curricular learning experiences

Help! No-one's saying anything! - enhancing peer leader training to improve learner engagement in online help-seeking environments

Robust training programs have long been recognised as critical in preparing leaders to deliver safe and effective peer support programs within universities. (Espin, Seabold & Pinnegar, 2012). The subsequent transition of peer programs online, necessitated by the global pandemic, challenged the relevance and effectiveness of the mature peer leader training model of one institution (Menzies & Tredinnick, 2017). This paper reports on an enhancedapproach to training that assisted peer leaders to think differently, creatively and playfully in achieving a welcoming and conducive online environment for students seeking help with their learnin

10 Elements for Effective Peer Program Design and Planning

10 Elements for Effective Peer Program Design and Planning is an evidence based guide to peer programs design and planning. The essential basis for delivering a high quality peer program is the design, development and implementation of a clearly articulated program plan. This guide outlines a logical design and planning process that enables the launch of a peer program with the necessary elements put in place to maximise its opportunities for success

Practices to enhance peer program implementation integrity to safeguard peer leaders and learners

The powerful influence of peers on fellow students’ learning engagement and their ability to foster self-efficacy is well recognised. A positive learner mindset can be fostered through establishment of guided meaningful relationships formed between peers. Recognising the value of peer connections in shaping the student learning experience, peer programs have been widely adopted by universities as a mechanism to facilitate these connections. While potentially beneficial, a lack of knowledge and inexperience by program implementers can lead to program outcomes being compromised. To mitigate this risk, QUT has established university wide systems and benchmarks for enacting peer programs. These measures aim to promote program implementation integrity by supporting and developing the knowledge and capabilities of peer leaders and program coordinators. This paper describes a range of measures that have been instigated to optimise the quality of programs and ensure outcomes are mutually constructive and beneficial for all stakeholders

Navigating learning success- a collaborative inquiry model for effective peer learning facilitation

Peer Programs at QUT are integral to the services and support available to students to assist them to succeed in their studies. Through organised, community focused peer programs, volunteer peer leaders foster student success by adopting a social, constructivist approach to share tips, strategies and experiences that assist their peers to make connections, develop skills and grow in confidence as learners. Critical to this, is the preparedness of peer leaders to enact skillful, safe, and mindful peer leadership (Bunting, 2014). QUT has developed a comprehensive training program (Menzies & Tredinnick, 2017; Van Ryt, 2015) for all peer leader roles. However, the role of peer learning facilitator (PLF) has garnered particular attention in peer leader training design, due to the higher risks associated with the role’s academic focus. The QUT Collaborative Learning Structure (CLS) has been designed to assist effective and safe peer learning facilitation that buildshope, confidence, and learner empowerment

From peer leader to capable graduate: professional identity construction in ‘contributing graduate’ peer leaders

While there is extensive data detailing the transformation of neophyte peer leaders, few studies have considered the reward and recognition of maturing peer leaders through their continued growth in leadership capacity. Although underrepresented in the literature, these maturing leaders extend the benefits of peer leadership beyond the first-year experience, potentially pollinating life-long learning facilitators and leaders within their university, workplace, and/or communities. Our initiative aimed to understand the process and motivations that transform a student from volunteer peer leader to capable graduate as characterized in the QUT Peer Leader Capacity Building Model. Incorporating learnings from our AFHEA peer leader pilot project, we designed a self-reflection tool through which graduating peer leaders can articulate, evidence, and leverage their leadership capacities as emerging professional practitioners