Frequently Asked Questions

What is Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)?
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) is an academic support program that targets historically difficult courses. PAL offers regularly scheduled, out-of-class review sessions to all students enrolled in the participating course. PAL study sessions offer an informal environment to review notes, discuss readings, develop organizational tools, and prepare for exams. Students learn how to integrate course content with reasoning and study skills. Sessions are facilitated by students who have been successful in the supported course (and subsequent courses in the series). PAL facilitators attend course lectures and complete assigned readings and problem sets; therefore sessions are directly linked to the material being covered in class.
What are the benefits of attending PAL study sessions?
Goals of the PAL program are to improve academic performance and increase persistence to graduation. Research has shown that collaborative learning strategies have a positive impact on both.
Do students have to attend every study session?
PAL study sessions are voluntary—you may attend any to all sessions. However, research on the University of Minnesota, Twins Cities campus suggests that consistent study session attendance (10+ sessions/term) is correlated with higher grade achievement.



' >