Innovation:
The Use of Peers for Support and Learning
An important lesson from adult learning theory and practice is that adult learners often learn more effectively when drawing on the experiences of and support from their peers (Stroot et al, 1998). There are many ways that instructors can use peer interactions, small group activities, and collaborative learning strategies in the classroom to help reinforce learning (Imel, 1998). In addition, there are also design considerations that can make use of peers in order to improve motivation, retention, and overall learning. Two such approaches to consider are cohort groups and peer assisted learning.
Cohort Groups. Learning cohorts are groups of individual learners who take the same series of courses together, following the same path to a common goal. For example, a number of colleges and universities offer cohort degree programs, where the same group of students takes the same series of courses at the same time to earn associate’s, bachelor’s or even master’s and doctoral degrees.
Adult learning research (as summarized in Imel, 2002) has concluded that cohort members experience many benefits from learning as part of a cohort:
- They have positive feelings about their learning experiences
- They report increased critical thinking skills
- They are motivated to learn more
- They have seen a change in their perspective of their own and others’ learning
In addition, cohort members often provide each other with emotional and psychological support. A study by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy found that the interpersonal relationships that developed in cohort programs were very important to the participants and made a difference to their academic learning, their emotional and psychological well-being, and to the broadening of their perspectives (Kegan et al, 2001).
Some organizations who have used cohort groups for workforce development and other adult learning programs have found that another benefit is improved employment retention of the participants. For example, the University of Chicago Hospitals (UCH) used cohort groups in its company-sponsored nursing programs. Two years after degree completion, UCH found that there was 90% retention of employees who had studied in cohort groups compared to only 50% retention for employees completing their degrees independently. Then-Chief Learning Officer Judy Schueler believed that the cohorts helped to provide individual workers with a network or community of support that helped to tie the workers to the organization (Klein-Collins, 2004).
Cohort programs can be challenging to implement, however, because all students need to attend at the same time, and it may be difficult to serve students with a wide range of needs (Henle et al, 2005).
Peer Assisted Learning/Supplemental Instruction. Another way to use peers to support learning is to formally acknowledge peer leaders and give them responsibilities for assisting learners. Tutoring is one way to do this. Another is to establish “peer assisted learning” groups, where more than one learner meets with a peer instructor. Also called “supplemental instruction,” this system provides an environment where learners can ask questions about the material they are learning in their classes, with a peer providing the answers. One U.S. Department of Education study (1996) found that supplemental instruction with peers resulted in higher grades for the students participating, and another U.S. Department of Education study (1993) found that attrition also declined.
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