As a college student, you’re now part of a community of scholars that includes your professors and fellow students. As part of that community, the staff of the Peer Assisted Learning Program provides several ways for you to engage with your peers around your course content to encourage deep learning in a collaborative environment.
Peer Learning Services
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PAL Group Learning - learn from both your classmates & a trained Peer Learning Consultant -
Study Halls - add structure and accountability to your studying
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1-on-1 Peer Learning - if you find that a group isn't working, then individual attention might be right for you
Learn How to Get the Most From Peer Learning
Group Learning and Class Study Groups are meant to build on each other, just like your classes do. You’ll get the most out of the sessions if you attend regularly and treat them as part of your normal study routine instead of trying to drop in and just ask a single question.
Make sure you can easily access your notes, textbook, syllabus, and other course materials during your session. It will help if you review your notes before your session and try to assess your own learning so you know where you’re struggling or need support.
Peer Learning is meant to be a collaborative experience for everyone, including you, other students, and the Peer Learning Consultant. In fact, one of the best ways to learn content is to teach it to another person, so expect to engage with your course material through collaboration with others.
While the Peer Learning Consultants will generally be familiar with either the specific course or broader discipline you’re learning about, remember that they are students, too! Be ready to engage in a co-learning experience where you and the Peer Learning Consultant may need to learn alongside each other.
Peer Learning is intended to support you in your learning and studying, but your professor is always going to be your best and first resource, especially if you have very specific questions. The Peer Learning Consultants can do their best to help, but they will also encourage you to talk to your professor during office hours.
PAL and Generative Artificial Intelligence
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems that can create, or generate, “various forms of traditionally human expression, in the form of digital content including language, images, video, and music” (MLA-CCCC Task Force on Writing and AI Working Paper 5).
You may be familiar with a few different generative AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini. Both are large language models (LLMs). This means that they have been trained on vast amounts of text to “learn” how language is constructed.
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini have been trained by analyzing large amounts of writing and text. The computer systems that make up ChatGPT and Google Gemini have “learned” from the training data what letters, words, and phrases are statistically likely to follow one after another in human writing.
Check out this explainer from the Guardian. It’s a couple of years old, but it explains the basics in easy-to-understand language!
That depends! What does your professor say about AI?
Check your assignment sheet or syllabus for your professors’ AI statements. It’s possible that every professor will have a different approach, so you can’t assume that if one professor allows it that others will!
Most often, professors are more interested in your ideas and your original work unless they explicitly tell you that you can use AI.
Furthermore, you learn more through working your way through a process than by getting an AI tool to help you. Let’s take note-taking as an example.
One of the benefits of taking your own notes is that you can learn more by paraphrasing, jotting down questions, and reorganizing your notes by rewriting them. New ways of approaching the content or new connections may come up when you do the hard work yourself.
That depends! What does your professor say about AI?
Check your assignment sheet or syllabus for your professors’ AI statements. It’s possible that every professor will have a different approach, so you can’t assume that if one professor allows it that others will!
If your professor allows you to use AI, then the PAL Consultants can help you. Depending on your professor’s guidelines, we might use generative AI as part of the consulting process or help you learn how to use it as part of your assignment. But it all depends on your professor!
There are a couple of great resources available!
- Elon University and the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) have put together a free Student Guide to AI
- The Modern Language Association (MLA) has a Student Guide to AI Literacy