Students as teachers: effectiveness of a peer-led STEM learning programme over 10 years

Abstract

Peer-led small-group learning has been used quite extensively in the US to enhance performance and retention of undergraduate students in science, math, and engineering classes. This study presents the results from an evaluation of a peer-led small-group programme at a research university in the US over a 10-year period across five disciplines (biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, and mathematics) and seven courses. Data suggest the programme had a positive impact on participants' grades in five of the seven courses and on retention in the four courses that require students to take a course sequence. Effects of the programme were investigated across gender and ethnic groups. Participants benefited from the programme regardless of their gender or ethnicity. However, effect sizes were often larger for students from underrepresented groups. This was particularly true for course retention, where effect sizes for females were larger than those for males in four courses.

Keywords:

• peer instruction
• small-group learning
• underrepresented students
• STEM education
• retention

Acknowledgements

Success of the programme over the past 10 years has been due largely to the efforts of our extremely talented programme coordinators: Su Swarat, Annette Munkeby, Bettina Chow, Cindy Pederson, Carol Smith, Amy Gould, Louie Lainez, and Sara Woods. We are grateful to the GSW facilitators, senior facilitators, and faculty who have given their time so generously. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the work of Pilar Pazos-Lago in collecting quantitative program data and Jennifer Pickard-Criswell for maintaining and improving the programme database.

Funding

This work was supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation [0525550].

Notes on contributors

Denise Drane is an associate director at the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, Northwestern University. She has published on such topics as small-group learning, undergraduate peer mentoring, nanoscience education, and using clickers in college classes.

Marina Micari is an associate director at the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, Northwestern University. She has published on such topics as student–faculty interaction, dynamics of small-group learning, and undergraduate peer mentoring.

Gregory Light is the director of the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching and an associate professor in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. His research focuses on the theory and practice of learning and teaching in higher and professional education.

Notes

1 Biology 210 sequence (3 courses), the Chemistry 101 sequence (3 courses), the Physics 130 sequence (algebra-based; 3 courses) and Physics 135 sequence (calculus-based; 3 courses), Mathematics (6 calculus courses); the Engineering Analysis sequence (4 courses), and the Organic Chemistry sequence (3 courses).