Workshop - training faculty to train students in Peer-Led Team Learning

Abstract

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is an innovative active-learning curriculum intervention for improving student success, retention, and leading to more timely graduation in the engineering and science disciplines. dasiaPlus Twopsila PLTL has been successfully integrated into six courses in three disciplines at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). dasiaPlus Twopsila substitutes two hours of Workshop: small-group, active, collaborative learning guided by an undergraduate STEM student (Peer Leader) for one hour of large section lecture per week. Since fall 2000, the C-or-better passing rate in first semester general chemistry here has improved from the historic average near 53% to the current rate above 70%, translating into an additional 160 students successfully progressing each year into their engineering, science, and mathematics majors. Over the past six years the authors have trained many groups of students to become successful peer leaders at their respective institutions. The three-hour workshop proposed is designed for faculty members who want to learn how to train students to adopt the active learning strategies and pedagogical skills to be successful leaders in PLTL Workshops. Participants will become practitioners by dasialearning by doingpsila in this session.