Our expectations
- U:PASS sessions are not tutorials
- U:PASS will help motivate me to learn independently
- Learning will involve group activities
- I am expected to participate
- Everyone's input is respected
- I will need to work hard and learn, but still have fun
- I will need to contribute to a productive learning environment
- The leader will not just re-teach the content - they are here to facilitate learning
- The leader will ask me to refer to lecture notes or textbooks, to assist me to find the answer
- The leader will not help with directly assessable material
- The leader does not know what is in the exam and may not be able to answer every question
- The leader is a student like me (and cannot give out their private contact details)
Background
U:PASS is based on the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program developed at the University of Missouri (Kansas City) in 1973. Since its development, SI has spread to over 30 countries with over 250,000 students around the world attending classes.
Research from other universities across Australia and the world indicates that students attending 10 or more sessions in a semester gain significantly higher marks than students who do not attend at all. Subjects targeted by the U:PASS program are known as particularly difficult; in recent years the average mark achieved by students attending U:PASS has been 12-15% higher than those who not attending.
In Australia, SI programs are usually known as PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) or PAL (Peer Assisted Learning). These programs have been successfully implemented in a number of Australian universities including the University of Melbourne, the University of Wollongong, the University of Sydney and Macquarie University.
Theoretical underpinning
The U:PASS program employs cooperative learning methods, which encourage the use of small groups of students who collaborate in order to improve their own learning skills as well as the skills of others. These methods are based on various theoretical perspectives including behavioural learning theory, social interdependence theory and cognitive-developmental theory. For a review, see Johnson, Johnson and Stanne (2000) (opens an external site).
U:PASS leaders
U:PASS leaders are trained senior students who have previously performed well in the subject. They’re able to speak and engage from direct experience as a student of the subject, with a better idea of the challenges you might face in the course of your studies.
We’re often on the lookout for new leaders. Please check out our registration page to start your application.