Introduction to Training Peer Leaders Workshop-Style at the University of Houston-Downtown

Abstract

The training of Peer Leaders at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) differs from other institutions that have implemented Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL). For over a decade, peer leader training has been treated as its own kind of workshop. This requires the position of a training coordinator, an experienced peer leader whose job is to prepare incoming peer leaders in how the workshop is supposed to be conducted, as well as to consider possible scenarios that may occur and other considerations that peer leaders may encounter when working with other students. Facilitating the preparation of peer leaders in the same workshop style that they would use helps to build camaraderie between the novice peer leaders and lets them experience the group learning environment firsthand before running workshops on their own.