Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
This is an essential guide for educators, administrators, policymakers, and the media. Glossaries are dynamic expressions of current language usage. Education has changed dramatically in recent years, and so must also the language used to describe and define them. We believe this glossary is useful for a wider field of educators promoting student success. This glossary provides precise language and definitions to use when communicating with peers and more effectively influencing administrators, legislators, and the media.
Student-to-Student Learning
Organized or informal approaches may occur during class sessions or afterward. If the activity is embedded within the course session, these could also be included in the Transitional Courses Programs category. An annotated bibliography of more than 1,900 publications is available of the major national and international peer cooperative learning programs described in this glossary (Arendale, 2021).
Accelerated Learning Groups (ALGs)
1. Definition: “ACCELERATED LEARNING GROUPS (ALGs) were developed at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in the early 1990s by Dr. Sydney Stansbury. ALGs were designed to meet the needs of students who had significant skill or knowledge deficiencies that often inhibited their effective use of other peer collaborative learning programs such as SI. ALGs combine peer-led small group learning activities, assessment, frequent feedback by a learning skills specialist, and individual education plan (IEP) development for each student. ALG students are concurrently enrolled in a challenging entry-level course while they develop the necessary skills and knowledge prescribed by the IEP. The ALG students are placed into a triad with another student with similar IEP objectives and a peer leader who works intensely with the students under the supervision of a learning skills specialist. Participation in ALGs continues in the academic term until the learning skills specialist deems it appropriate to transition into another peer development program such as Supplemental Instruction or individual tutoring. The developer of the ALG model, Sydney Stansbury, can be contacted via email at sydbury@yahoo.com. This peer learning model is one example of COURSE BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE” (Arendale, 2021, p. 14).
2. Compare with COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, COOPERATIVE LEARNING, and DEVELOPMENTAL-LEVEL COURSE.
adjunct instructional programs (AIP)
See COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE (CLA).
collaborative learning
1. Definition: Students working and learning from one another. These activities may be planned or unplanned. They may be under the supervision of an instructor or other students. These activities may occur within a classroom or in other locations. The goal is the development of knowledge and skill mastery.
2. Compare with COOPERATIVE LEARNING, COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, PEER EDUCATION, and STUDENTS AS PARTNERS.
cooperative learning
1. Definition: COLLABORATIVE LEARNING is a broad category of student activities in which learners work with each other to complete a task. The six critical features of COOPERATIVE LEARNING that differentiate it in the comparison include (a) positive interdependence among group participants; (b) individual accountability for involvement; (c) appropriate rationale and task purpose for the group; (d) structured student interactions with designated activities rather than free-form discussion; (e) facilitation by an instructor or expert peer; and (f) attention to the development of social skills such as interpersonal communications and leadership development (Johnson et al.,1998).
2. Compare with COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, PEER EDUCATION, and STUDENTS AS PARTNERS.
course-based learning assistance (CLA)
1. Definitions: (a) Forms of group cooperative learning that accompany a specific course to serve as a supplement for that course. There are a variety of CLA approaches. These activities may occur outside of class or may be embedded within the course. Student participation may be voluntary or mandatory. Some CLA programs award academic credit for student participation; and (b) CLA can also be less formal and take the form of study cluster groups and group problem-solving sessions (Arendale, 2005).
2. Examples: ACCELERATED LEARNING MODEL, EMERGING SCHOLARS PROGRAM (UC- Berkeley Model), PEER-LED TEAM LEARNING (CUNY Model), STRUCTURED LEARNING ASSISTANCE (Ferris State University Model), SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION-PASS=PAL (UMKC Model), and VIDEO-BASED SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION (UMKC Model).
3. Compare with COOPERATIVE LEARNING, COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, PEER EDUCATION, and STUDENTS AS PARTNERS.
embedded academic support
1. Definition: Academic assistance managed by a course instructor and operating in the course either during a class session or an online lesson. A student tutor, study group leader, or professional staff member could provide the help. This assistance could involve all students in the class or just one or a few to provide DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION.
2. Compare with ACCELERATION THROUGH CURRICULAR REDESIGN, ACCELERATION THROUGH MAINSTREAMING, DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION, EMBEDDED PEER EDUCATOR, and PEER EDUCATION.
Embedded Peer Educator Model (EPE)
1. Definition: (a) a college student PARAPROFESSIONAL who has received training for their roles to help other students learn the difficult course material; and (b) The EMBEDDED PEER EDUCATOR MODEL (EPE) plays various roles, including MENTORING, FACILITATING, and guiding students. The EPEs can assist the course instructor during the class sessions within careful boundaries that exclude grading. EPEs can provide individual TUTORING but most often work in small or large groups. A key feature of EPE Model is that the EPE and the course faculty members work as a team to plan class activities in which all students are participants. This is different from most TUTORING and out-of-class approaches such as SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION which do not require much, if any, involvement by the course faculty member.
2. Example: EPE attends the course lecture sessions and assists the students in learning.
3. Compare with EMBEDDED ACADEMIC SUPPORT, FACILITATOR, PEER EDUCATOR, and TUTOR.
Emerging Scholars Program (ESP)
1. Definition: “ Developed by Uri Treisman in 1977, this multi-ethnic honors-level program originated as the Mathematics Workshop of the Professional Development Program at the University of California at Berkeley (Triesman, 1985). It is widely disseminated across the United States as a part of first-year courses in academic departments (Examples: mathematics, physics, and chemistry) and as an academic workshop component of numerous Minority Engineering Programs. In studies of ESP in research universities—such as the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the University of Kentucky (Lexington), Rutgers University, and others—not only do ESP participants score well above the general class average, but two-thirds or more regularly earn an A or B. Common activities include structured workshops of varying difficulty developed in collaboration with the course instructor. The ESP facilitator is often a graduate student due to the knowledge needed. Close coordination between ESP program and course instructor. Other components include building a cohort community of first-year students that are academically oriented and a source of peer support; providing the cohort with an extensive orientation to the college and with ongoing academic advising; advocating the interests of the cohort and monitoring their academic progress and adjustment to the environment; providing the cohort with ongoing supplementary instruction to develop independent learning; and linking high school-level and undergraduate-level affirmative action efforts. The program is known by various names including Emerging Scholars Program (often used in the 1980s), Gateway Science Workshop Program, Mathematics Workshop Model, Professional Development Program Mathematics Workshop (original name), Math Excel (University of Kentucky, Lexington), Excel (Rutgers State University of New Jersey), Merit (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and the Treisman Model (Asera, 2001) This peer learning model is one example of COURSE BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE” (Arendale, 2021, 18).
2. Compare with COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE and PEER EDUCATION.
facilitating
1. Definition: “Process of organizing and managing a highly participatory learning environment where learners are the primary generators of discussion, discovery, and inquiry about academic content” (Arendale et al., 2007, p. 20).
2. Compare with MENTORING, PEER EDUCATION, and TUTORING.
Learning Assistant Model (LA)
1. Definition The Learning Assistant (LA) Model attaches a student paraprofessional to a specific course and transforms the learning experience so it is more closely aligned with research-based instructional strategies. The three key components of the LA Model are: (a) Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduate students who facilitate student interactions during class sessions, (b) LAs participate in weekly content preparation meetings with the faculty member, and (c) LAs enroll in a LA pedagogy course. LA research reports academic gains for participating students and professional development for those who serve as LAs. A frequent report is an influence on the LAs with future careers as science teachers. Currently, most courses supported by LA are in STEM with many in biology, chemistry, or engineering. The faculty member that sponsors LA with their class often conducts rigorous research on the model. The LA model was developed at Colorado State University Bolder (CSUB) in 2007 through funding provided by the National Science Foundation and other national science-related organizations.
2. CSUB created the International Learning Assistance Alliance (ILAA). The mission of the ILAA is to connect people and institutions to support the implementation and assessment of the LA Model, to improve educational experiences and access across disciplines. The ILAA hosts an annual conference, conducts training workshops, develops software, sponsors research projects on the efficacy of IL and software assessments related to pedagogy, and hosts a website, https://learningassistantalliance.org/
3. The ILAA has developed a suite of software and digital resources for classrooms and LA Programs, most of it available to members free of charge. The Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) is an online platform to support instructors in assessing their courses.
4. The LA model is also known by a variety of other names including the Colorado Learning Assistance Model, Learning Assistance Colorado State University Bolder, and others. LA programs operate at more than 120 institutions globally.
5. Compare with COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, EMBEDDED ACADEMIC SUPPORT, EMBEDDED PEER EDUCATOR, and PEER EDUCATION.
facilitator
1. Definition: “Organizer and manager of a highly participatory learning environment in COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE programs. This role may employ students, non-student paraprofessionals, professional staff, and instructors” (Arendale et al., 2007, p. 20).
2. Compare with COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, EMBEDDED PEER EDUCATOR, PEER EDUCATOR, and TUTORS.
mentoring
1. Definitions: (a) Interaction in which a more knowledgeable and skilled person helps another one to acquire skills and knowledge; and (b) Nurturing relationship between a peer mentor and a student in which mentors share insights and provide reality checks on students’ experiences (Johns, 2012).
2. Compare with ACADEMIC ADVISING, ACADEMIC COACHING, FACILITATING, PEER EDUCATION, and TUTORING.
peer education
1. Definitions: (a) “PEER EDUCATION serves as a comprehensive designation over a myriad of PARAPROFESSIONAL peer-helping-peer positions found on college and university campuses. Whether housed in academic affairs, athletics, or student affairs, the breadth of PEER EDUCATION programs across the field of higher education continues to grow.” (Keller & Porter, 2020, p. 10); (b) “PEER EDUCATION should be acknowledged as a high-impact practice considering the benefits it provides to the student it serves, to the PEER EDUCATORS themselves, and to the institutional bottom line through retention and persistence” (Keup, 2016 in Keller and Porter, 2020. p. 11); and (c) Such programs are often guided by national and international certification programs for PEER EDUCATORS. Examples of those organizations are the Association for Coaching and Tutoring Profession, Association of Colleges for Tutoring and Learning Assistance, College Reading and Learning Association, Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, International Center for Supplemental Instruction, NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and the National College Learning Center Association. For more information, see the website of the Council on Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (2021). For more on PEER EDUCATION, see Keller and Porter, 2020.
2. Examples: ACADEMIC ADVISING, ACADEMIC COACHING, campus events, campus organizations, COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, health and wellness counseling, STUDENTS AS PARTNERS, and TUTORING.
3. Compare with COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, COOPERATIVE LEARNING, COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, FACILITATING, PEER EDUCATOR, STUDENTS AS PARTNERS, and TUTORING.
peer educator
1. Definitions: (a) College student PARAPROFESSIONALS who receive training for their defined roles based upon the complexity of the work in helping other students learn and achieve outcome expectations by the institution; and (b) “PEER EDUCATORS play a variety of roles that include teaching, mentoring, and creating and presenting workshops and programs” (Dennett & Azar, 2011, p. 10), and “PEER EDUCATORS do not replace teachers. Instead, they act as guides to other students’ learning, students whose background and experience somehow mirror their own” (Haras & McEvoy, 2005, p. 259.)
2. Examples: ACADEMIC ADVISING assistant, ACADEMIC COACHING, peer counselor, health and wellness counselor, MENTORING, orientation leader, residence hall assistant, study group FACILITATING, TUTOR, and undergraduate or graduate teaching assistant.
3. Compare with COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, EMBEDDED PEER EDUCATOR, FACILITATING, PEER EDUCATION, STUDENTS AS PARTNERS, and TUTOR.
Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL)
1. Definition: “The program was developed at the City University of New York in the 1990s. Support through a grant from the National Science Foundation has assisted in the model being adopted by more than 100 institutions. Student-leaders (peers) guide the activities of small groups of students in weekly Workshop meetings. The students work through challenging problems that are designed to be solved cooperatively. The peer leaders are trained to ensure that the students are actively and productively engaged with the material and with each other. This methodology offers a number of educational opportunities: the supportive format encourages questions and discussions that lead to conceptual understanding; students learn to work in teams and to communicate more effectively; peer leaders learn teaching and group management skills. The following are guiding principles of PLTL: the program is integral to the course through required attendance at two hours of workshop time weekly; peer leaders are trained in group leadership and course content; activities and materials are challenging yet accessible (e.g., worksheets, supplemental workbook); faculty are deeply involved in the program; physical space and environments are conducive to discussion and learning; and the program has strong support from the institution (Roth et al., 2001). The Peer-Led Team Learning International Society supports practitioners and institutions implementing PLTL, both in the U.S. and internationally. The international PLTL organization hosts an annual conference that rotates around the globe, http://pltlis.org/” This peer learning model is one example of COURSE BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE (Arendale, 2021, p. 60).
2. Compare with COOPERATIVE LEARNING, COURSE- BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, and PEER EDUCATION.
Structured Learning Assistance (SLA)
1. Definition: “SLA was developed at Ferris State University (MI) in 1994. It is available to all interested students in targeted courses which are historically difficult. SLA features a weekly study and practice workshops in which students master course content, develop and apply specific learning strategies for the course, and strengthen their study skills to improve performance in the current SLA course and future courses. Some SLA programs make attendance mandatory for all students until the first exam. In some SLA programs, students earning ABC grades on the first major exam are invited but not required to attend further (Morton, 2006). The SLA homepage is http://www.ferris.edu/sla/ This peer learning model is one example of COURSE BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE” (Arendale, 2021, p. 225).
2. Compare with COOPERATIVE LEARNING, FACILITATING, COURSE- BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, and PEER EDUCATION.
Students as Partners (SaP)
1. Definition: A pedagogical approach that employs faculty, staff, student union leaders, and students working as equal partners in course redesign to improve student learning outcomes. Cook-Sather et al. (2014) describe SaP as a “Reciprocal process through which all participants have the opportunity to contribute equally, although not necessarily in the same ways, to curricular or pedagogical conceptualization, decision-making, implementation, investigation, or analysis.” Three principles guide their work: respect, reciprocity, and shared responsibility (pp. 6–7). Sometimes SaP is referred to as STUDENTS AS PARTNERS in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
2. Compare with COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, COOPERATIVE LEARNING, FACILITATING, PEER EDUCATION, and PEER EDUCATOR.
study group
See COLLABORATIVE LEARNING.
Supplemental Instruction (SI-PASS-PAL)
1. Definition: “SI-PASS-PAL was initially developed for health science students at the University of the Missouri-Kansas City by Deanna C. Martin and her colleagues in 1973. With permission of the instructor, SI was implemented in historically-difficult courses with permission of the instructor, which commonly serves as gatekeeper introductory courses that require mastery before advancing in the subject area, invite voluntary participation in out-of-class student-led study sessions, provide extensive training and ongoing coaching of student facilitators of the study groups throughout the academic term, and evaluates outcomes in each course every time it is offered. Based on studies from hundreds of institutions in the U.S. and abroad, participating students earn higher final course grades, demonstrate lower rates of DFWI, and have higher persistence rates. Some studies also show that participation improves personal and professional development outcomes for both the participants and facilitators. The goals of SI include (a) Improving student grades in targeted courses; (b) Reducing the attrition rate within those courses; and (c) Increasing the eventual graduation rates of students. All students in a targeted course are urged to attend SI sessions, and students with varying academic ability levels participate. No stigma is attached to SI since historically difficult courses rather than HIGH RISK STUDENTS are targeted. SI is scalable and can be implemented in one or more courses each academic term. There are four key persons involved with SI. The first is the SI supervisor, a trained professional on the SI staff. The SI supervisor is responsible for identifying the targeted courses, gaining faculty support, selecting and training SI leaders, and monitoring and evaluating the program. Once the historically difficult courses have been identified, the SI supervisor contacts the faculty member concerning SI for their course. The second key person for SI is the faculty member who teaches one of the identified courses. SI is only offered in courses in which the faculty member invites and supports SI. Faculty members screen SI leaders for content competency. The third key person is the SI leader. SI leaders are students or learning center staff members deemed course competent, approved by the course instructor and trained in proactive learning and study strategies. SI leaders attend course lectures, take notes, read all assigned materials, and conduct three to five out-of-class SI sessions a week. The SI leader is the model student, a facilitator who helps students to integrate course content and learning/study strategies. The fourth key member of the SI program are the participating students.” (Arendale, 2021, p. 235).
2. The original name for SI was Supplemental Course Instruction (SCI). Alternate names for SI may indicate that it has been modified to meet particular needs at an institution in the U.S. or globally: Peer Assisted Learning (PAL), Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), Peer Assisted Study Schemes (PASS), or Peer Assisted Study Support (PASS). A few times SI is named Academic Mentoring, Peer Mentoring in Praxis (PMIP), Academic Peer Mentoring Scheme (APM), and simply Peer Mentoring. The homepage for SI is https://info.umkc.edu/si/ This peer learning model is one example of COURSE BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE.
3. Compare with COOPERATIVE LEARNING, COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, FACILITATING, PEER EDUCATION, and STRUCTURED LEARNING ASSISTANCE.
tutoring
1. Definitions: (a) “One-to-one or small-group facilitated learning assistance that explains, clarifies, and exemplifies a topic and ultimately promotes independent learning; (b) Individual or small-group activities designed to supplement formalized instruction that may employ a simple or complex protocol of activities; and (c) Individualized instructional techniques” (Arendale et al., 2007, p. 30).
2. Compare with FACILITATING, MENTORING, and PEER EDUCATION
tutors
1. Definition: Individuals providing instruction through TUTORING by offering assistance to reach the learning outcomes/learning goals. This role may be played by students, non-student paraprofessionals, professional staff, or instructors.
2. Compare with EMBEDDED PEER EDUCATOR, FACILITATORS, and PEER EDUCATOR.
Video-based Supplemental Instruction (VSI)
1. Definition: “VSI was developed at the University of Missouri-Kansas City by Deanna Martin during the 1990s. VSI combines course content and Supplemental Instruction (SI) study sessions with video recordings of lectures identical to the instructor’s in-person class session. Trained facilitators, using the recorded lectures and the SI model, guide students through the learning process while emphasizing critical thinking and study skills. VSI students, led by a trained facilitator, start and stop the videotaped presentation at predetermined times and, in addition, whenever they have a question or want clarification. Professors design the video presentations to include periodic small group assignments to ensure mastery of one concept before the next is introduced. Students complete these tasks under the supervision and with the guidance of the facilitator. When the taped lecture resumes, the professor models how they think about the assigned tasks. In this way, the students have time to construct and verify their understanding as well as compare their own thinking to that of the expert. Assessment is provided by the professor, keeping the facilitator in the role as a peer supporter and not an evaluator. The program was originally designed to take the place of developmental-level courses that were prohibited due to an institution mandate. VSI differs from SI in several respects. The students enroll in required, core curriculum courses. The course professor records all didactic presentations on videotape for use with underprepared students and other students. Instead of attending the professor’s regular lecture classes, students enroll in the video section of the professor’s course. Students in both sections are held to the same performance standards. Specially designed facilitator and student manuals support the video sections, This peer learning model is one example of COURSE BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE” (Arendale, 2021, p. 636).
2. Compare with ACCELERATION THROUGH MAINSTREAMING, ACCELERATION THROUGH CURRICULAR REDESIGN, COOPERATIVE LEARNING, COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, DEVELOPMENTAL-LEVEL COURSES, EMBEDDED ACADEMIC SUPPORT, PEER EDUCATION, and SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION.
zone of proximal development
1. Definition: Learning occurs when a teacher or peer assists a person to accomplish a task that cannot be completed without the assistance of that person. Assistance continues until the peer or teacher is no longer needed (Vygotsky, 1978; Zone of proximal development, 2023, April 9).