PASS/PAL Leader Exchange Conference

Transcription

1 PASS/PAL Leader Exchange Conference 20 th November 2013, University of Bath Oliver Schofield, Peer Support Coordinator Summary The University of Bath Students Union hosted the first PASS/PAL Leader Exchange Conference in November 2013 as part of a new collaboration formed between the universities of Bath, Bristol and UWE. As part of the collaboration we hope that PASS/PAL Leaders will be able to network with Leaders from other universities as a way of sharing good practice whilst working together to form new ideas and perspectives of the PASS/PAL model implemented at their home institution. This short report aims to give an account of what happened at the conference at Bath, what the Leaders felt about it and also future plans of the collaboration between the three South Western universities. 1

2 Introduction The universities of Bath, Bristol and UWE all run PASS/PAL schemes that support learning in Higher Education. The three institutions are similar in that they promote the overall ethos of peer led learning but are very different in the way the PASS/PAL model is operated. Despite these differences, the collaboration between the three universities was formed in September 2013 with an intention to bring together PASS/PAL Leaders across the institutions on a regular basis whereby each institution will play host to an event which PASS/PAL Leaders from Bath, Bristol and UWE can engage with. The University of Bath Student s Union hosted the first conference for 40 PASS/PAL Leaders from Bath, Bristol and UWE on 20 th November The event was supported by supervisors from both the University of Bristol and UWE, who were key figures in helping to formalise ideas for the event as well as contributing funding for the event which helped to contribute to its overall success. What did we do at the University of Bath? The conference began with an opportunity for Leaders to get know each other and find out about individual experiences with PASS/PAL. This was followed by a whole group version of pass the parcel which involved PASS/PAL Leaders and staff revealing interesting things about themselves as a way of building team morale and creating a relaxed environment. 2

3 The conference began with three institutional talks from selected PASS/PAL Leaders; Leaders that had previously attended the National PASS/PAL Leader Conference at Plymouth University earlier in November The purpose of these talks was to describe how the PASS/PAL model operated at their home institution and the subject areas that the model had been implemented on. After thee institutional talks, the selected Leaders took the opportunity to share aspects of the National PASS/PAL Leader Conference with the other Leaders who were unable to attend. The Leaders provided reviews of the workshops they attended at the National Conference as well as their overall thoughts and opinions. All Leaders were then given some time before the main activity to talk through any challenges they have been facing in their role as a PASS/PAL Leader and talk through any questions they had surrounding the information from the institutional talks. The main activity of the conference saw Leaders working together to create a new facilitation activity which would be suitable for use in a PASS/PAL session. Leaders were asked to be creative and incorporate an object into their activity. Leaders were responsible for writing down instructions for their activity and then they had to pitch their ideas to the rest of the group and staff members. The Leaders came up with lots of creative ideas and since the conference their instruction sheets have been typed up and made into activity cards which have been circulated to all of the Leaders that attended. The conference concluded with a buffet which provided an additional networking opportunity for PASS/PAL Leaders and members of staff. Throughout the conference, students and staff were encouraged to tweet their thoughts and feelings using the hashtag #PASSPALSW and there were lots of opportunities to win prizes. It is hoped that Leaders will stay in contact with each other either through Facebook or Twitter as a means of sharing good practice and as a source of support whilst in their role as PASS/PAL Leaders. 3

4 Feedback what did the students think? Feedback from the PASS/PAL Leaders that attended the conference was gathered using an online survey after the event which gave PASS/PAL Leaders some time to reflect upon the event. Participation in the survey was quite low as only 13 out of the 40 students completed the survey. 1. Please state whether you agree or disagree with the following statements. 1.a. The conference was enjoyable. Strongly agree: 70.0% 7 Agree: 30.0% 3 Neither agree nor disagree: 0.0% 0 1.b. The conference helped me develop my skills as a PASS/PAL Leader. Strongly agree: 10.0% 1 Agree: 50.0% 5 Neither agree nor disagree: 40.0% 4 1.c. The conference helped motivate me as a PASS/PAL Leader. Strongly agree: 30.0% 3 Agree: 50.0% 5 Neither agree nor disagree: 20.0% 2 1.d. The conference allowed me to network with Leaders from other universities. Strongly agree: 40.0% 4 Agree: 30.0% 3 Neither agree nor disagree: 30.0% 3 1.e. The Facebook group and Twitter feed got me involved. Strongly agree: 20.0% 2 Agree: 10.0% 1 Neither agree nor disagree: 40.0% 4 Disagree: 10.0% 1 Strongly disagree: 20.0% 2 4

5 The feedback from students has been very positive. All students agreed or strongly agreed that the conference was enjoyable. Most agreed that the conference helped them to develop their own skills as a PASS/PAL Leader and helped to motivate them in their role. Students agreed that the conference did allow them to network with other PASS/PAL Leaders from other institutions. There were mixed opinions surrounding using social media as a way of engaging with the students attending. Students were asked identify what part of the conference they enjoyed the most and the least. One student commented that they enjoyed the group activities as it helped to come up with some ideas of what to do in future PAL sessions whilst another felt Being able to network with other students was the most useful part of the session. Students felt that the conference could have been improved if it was longer and some students felt that the Twitter feed excluded those who did not have a Twitter account. Students were asked whether they would like the three universities to do more events and the general consensus was yes. Students added that I think all in all, it's a brilliant way to share experiences and ideas as well as stating that I believe these events will really improve the future of PASS/PAL. Also, the collaboration is an amazing idea, which must continue. Future collaborations and things after the conference After the uptake of students wanting to attend the first event and the positive feedback there are future plans for further collaborations between the three universities. In February 2014 it has been decided that the University of Bristol will host the next collaborative event. The focus on this event will be on employability in relation to the PASS/PAL Leader role and the personal development of Leaders. After the event at Bristol we will explore possibilities of doing a third event at UWE. In addition to events, Coordinators from Bath, Bristol and UWE are hoping to attend the next national meeting for trained PASS/PAL Supervisors at the PASS Centre for Excellence at 5

6 University of Manchester to talk to colleagues in similar positions about the partnership we have formed and what we have been doing. Finally, representatives from the University of Bristol and UWE will be attending the 8th International Conference on Supplemental Instruction in Chicago in May 2014 to talk to colleagues internationally about the partnership formed. A poster session proposal has been submitted with an aim to outline how the three universities are working together and to describe the activities undertaken and the benefits for the PASS/PAL Leaders involved. 6