CAS - Peer Academic Leader program

Do you have students that are shining stars in your program? If so, maybe they can help other students who need a little support by serving as PALs!

Peer Academic Leader 
(PAL)

A Peer Academic Leader (PAL) is a student who serves as a resource and role model for students enrolled in historically challenging courses. A PAL meets a required GPA of 3.0 and is involved in several organizations around campus. PALs serve as a liaison between the faculty member and the students and maintains and upholds the following roles and responsibilities.

Role

·         Build a sense of academic community among a small group of students.

·         Assist students with assignments in and out of class.

·         Assist students with content clarification.

·         Recommend study strategies and techniques for understanding content.

·         Assist in making connections with other campus resources and support services.

·         Be a resource for students who have questions or concerns about the course.

Responsibility

·         Attend a training workshop prior to meeting with students.

·         Meet with your faculty instructor and CAS to discuss the class, any projects, or assignments.

·         Hold weekly or biweekly study sessions for your group of assigned students.

·         Take attendance at each meeting and return information to CAS.

·         Meet with CAS supervisor at least monthly during the semester.

How is a PAL different from a tutor?

A PAL is a trained peer mentor with content knowledge who supports a group of specific students in a specific course.  Unlike a tutor, a PAL is assigned to a class from the beginning of the semester rather than requested by an individual student.  Students may choose to attend the sessions with their PAL at their discretion.  Think of your PAL as a combo of lab tutor/teaching assistant/GSS leader—and pal!

Learning Outcomes:

• Develop effective communication and leadership skills
• Demonstrate the ability to work with diverse groups of people and as a member of a cohesive team
• Promote learning strategies to encourage student self-sufficiency
• Engage in professional career development

​A training program will be implemented to ensure that students receive the support needed to become effective PALs.  We will pay students for the time in training and when they meet with students.  The rate of pay will be $10-$13) per hour based on degree and experience. A mandatory tentative training date is scheduled for Wednesday, August 24, 2016, from 10:00 am to 2:00pm.

Please share the above information with your students. Interested students should forward their resume and transcript (does not need to be official) tosg-cas@umd.edu.