Post/Job Title:Peer Assisted Learning Leader

Postholder:

Ref:

Location:

Faculty/Support Services:Academic Services who will provide training, general support, observation and feedback
Your Faculty who will provide course/programme/framework specific advice and support, and payment

Group/Section:Library and Learning Support/ Central PAL Team/PAL Academic Course Contacts in Faculties

Duration if temporary:

Normal hours per week:1.5 (this covers running your PAL session and 30 minutes review/preparation time)

(Some flexibility will be required in order to ensure that key time scales and deadlines are met).

Number of working weeks if term-time only: Up to 22 weeks (Minimum number of sessions is 15)

Grade:

Accountable to:Central PAL Team

Responsible for or supervises

Job Purpose

To plan, publicise and facilitate weekly study support sessions for groups of first or second year students in order to help them:

  • adjust quickly to university life;
  • acquire a clear view of course direction and expectations;
  • improve their learning and study skills to meet the requirements of their course or programme;
  • enhance their understanding of the subject matter of their course or programme through collaborative group discussions;
  • prepare better for assessed course work and examinations.
  • Be part of the BU culture of coaching and mentoring focused on personal development

Main Responsibilities

  1. Offer weekly or fortnightly PAL sessions through the academic year as required by your PAL Academic Course Contact. This may include revision sessions during exam periods.
  2. Plan your PAL sessions so that you facilitate group discussions and use a range of interactive small group learning activities, as outlined in the PAL Central Community (on myBU/Brightspace). A paper based introduction to these activities: the PAL Leader Guide is provided at initial PAL Leader training.
  3. Provide appropriate advice and support on independent learning, good study habits, and other learning strategies to your PAL Group. Support for employability sessions as required by the faculty.
  4. Maintain contact with members of your PAL Group and promote attendance at PAL sessions.
  5. Complete “PAL Session Review” forms after your PAL sessions.
  6. Attend both days of the initial training course for PAL Leaders.
  7. Meet with your PAL Academic Course Contact as required from time to time.
  8. Provide copies of your attendance registers at the end of each month.
  9. Encourage students to engage with their learning including attending lectures, seminars and tutorials.
  10. Gather student evaluation information as required from time to time.
  11. Maintain a professional attitude on issues such as confidentiality, marks, standards and student complaints.

Organisation Chart

Dimensions

You will normally be responsible for running regular, hour-long PAL sessions with one seminar, laboratory or workshop group of approximately 10-20 students. They may occur on a weekly or fortnightly basis depending on your faculty.

Contacts

The Central PAL Team will provide you access to all support materials in the PAL Central Community (on myBU/Brightspace), the PAL Leader Guide, initial training, and other general guidance and support. A member of the Central PAL Team or a member of the LLS Team will observe you running at least one of your PAL sessions and will provide you with feedback on the ways in which you have conducted this session.

Your PAL Academic Course Contact should meet with you at least once a month to discuss how your PAL sessions are running and to provide you with advice and support of a course or programme specific nature.

Additional sources of contact include other PAL Leaders, both from your course/programme and on other courses/programmes within the University.

Challenges

You will need to be responsive to the range of concerns of a group of first year students, with different learning needs and who come from a variety of backgrounds, in a manner that enables these students to learn from and help one another rather than becoming reliant on you. To achieve this, you will need to apply and develop effective group management and facilitation techniques (including those of coaching and mentoring), that encourage the discussion of ideas, specific to your course of study, that are of assistance to students but which do not require you to adopt the position of subject expert.

A wide range of resources and advisory materials to help you run effective PAL sessions are included within the PAL Central Community. You will be expected to read through materials on here, make yourself aware of the strategies and techniques outlined in within it and to use them in your PAL sessions.

You will experience variable attendance at PAL sessions, meaning that you will need to be adaptable to working with small numbers of students as well as larger groups. Should you experience low attendance levels at your PAL sessions you will need to address this situation using a range of promotional techniques which you should discuss with your PAL Academic Course Contact.

You will need to be able to communicate effectively with the Central PAL Team, your PAL Academic Course Contact, other PAL Leaders on your course and your PAL Group to maintain an awareness of the demands of the course. You will need to adapt your approach to PAL sessions to take account of these different demands. On occasion you may need to be assertive when faced with reticent, disruptive, uncooperative or over-demanding students.

Additional Information

Postholder:Date:

Line Manager: Date:

NB: The post holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the University’s Dignity, Diversity and Equality Policy Statement.

The purpose of the job description is to indicate the general level of responsibility and location of the position. The duties may vary from time to time without changing their general character or level of responsibility.

All employees have an obligation to be aware of the Universities Environmental Policy, Carbon Management Plan and associated documents, and to ensure that they carry out their day-to-day activities in an environmental responsible manner.

Page 1PAL Leader Job Description 2018-19