Peer-led academic learning: a global network

Abstract

There is a great deal of evidence to support the view that there are a significant number of benefits to be gained when more experienced students are trained to guide and facilitate less experienced learners. Peer-led academic learning is an increasingly global phenomenon and some UK schemes have been in existence since the early 1990s. In view of this, it was timely for the UK Higher Education Academy (HEA) to commission a report to explore the range and scope of UK schemes, reflect on progress so far, and identify opportunities for future developments. This opinion piece will provide a brief overview of the report findings, and will describe the development of a new world-wide network for practitioners to share their ideas/practice. The new network will also offer opportunities for collaborative research in this exciting area of student experience. ÂÂ

Keywords

• peer-led learning
• student-led peer learning
• student retention
• student experience.