San Jose City College Peer Leaders Share Peer-to-Peer Observation and Feedback Processes

Abstract

San Jose City College offers a comprehensive Certificate of Specialization in Peer Leader Training for students who are gainfully employed in Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) and/or Supplemental Instruction (SI) programs. Led by veteran Peer Leaders (PLs), faculty and support staff, newly hired PLs begin their intensive training at two biannual orientations scheduled during summer and winter intersessions. PLTL & SI PLs are also expected to concurrently enroll in one of three 0.5 unit training courses over three semesters and attend monthly one-hour meetings with faculty coordinators and staff, while facilitating weekly PLTL and/or SI workshops. Additionally, PLTL PLs enroll in a 0.5-unit directed studies course and meet weekly with their Lead Faculty PLTL Practitioner to ensure course material and workshop activities are aligned. Among their employment responsibilities, PLs are expected to also engage in Peer-to-Peer (P2P) observations, both as observees and observers. Their active participation in P2P duty plays an important role in maintaining the quality of student participants’ experiences in workshops while simultaneously furthering their professional development and is the focus of this paper.