Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions:
- What is a PLTL Workshop?
- Why use students to lead PLTL Workshops? They aren't professors!
- Do PLTL Workshops use answer keys?
- How are leaders compensated?
- Are PLTL Workshops only for undergraduates?
Student Questions:
- Why would I want to be a PLTL Workshop participant?
- What should I do as a PLTL Workshop participant?
- What if I think a particular class needs a PLTL Workshop?
- What’s in it for me to be a PLTL Workshop leader?
- How can I become a PLTL Workshop leader?
- What is leader training all about?
- Can I be a PLTL Workshop leader more than once?
Faculty Questions:
- Why should I consider PLTL Workshops for my course?
- What are the essential components of a PLTL Workshop?
- How do I recruit PLTL Workshop leaders?
- Where can I find out more about PLTL Workshops for my course?
General Questions
What is a PLTL Workshop?
A Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Workshop is a group of six to ten students in a specific course that meet weekly for 75 to 120 minutes outside of lecture. The facilitator is a student who has already been successful in the course and is concurrently attending leader training. During PLTL Workshops, students solve challenging problems together to help learn the material thoroughly and to prepare for their course exams.
Why use students to lead PLTL Workshops? They aren't professors!
Student leaders are not teachers, they are facilitators or guides to learning. The benefit of employing student leaders is their proximity to their own experience in mastering the course material. Student leaders understand the difficulties students have with learning the concepts and problem solving techniques in the course because they recently completed this process themselves. Also, PLTL Workshop participants often find it easier to practice with new material (when making mistakes is inevitable) in front of a near peer.
Do PLTL Workshops use answer keys?
Typically not. Answer keys, while they can seem helpful in the moment, are often false friends in the long run. An essential goal of the PLTL Workshop is for all students in the group to feel that their answers make sense by the end of the session. Copying down answers supplied by someone else undermines this "sense making" process. For those who are fans of answer keys, there are plenty of “right answers” available in any course (just look in the back of the text, for example). In the professional world, however, answer keys are seldom available and often there are many right answers to a given problem.
How are leaders compensated?
Leaders receive pay for facilitating PLTL Workshops and course credit for participating in the leader training course. In addition, leaders can be eligible for earning the Citation for Achievement in College Leadership.
The Workshop Leader training courses (CASC 352, CASC 353, CASC 354, and CASC 355) also count for all of Level 2 of the Medallion Leadership Program.
Are PLTL Workshops only for undergraduates?
While PLTL Workshops are mainly for undergraduates they also have been implemented in The Simon Business School and The School of Nursing.
Student Questions
Why would I want to be a PLTL Workshop participant?
As a member of a Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Workshop, students can improve their learning by active engagement in solving the PLTL Workshop problems with their peers. Ongoing research demonstrates that students who participate in PLTL Workshops are more likely to stay in the course and earn better grades. On surveys students often rate the PLTL Workshop as one of the most valuable components of the course.
What should I do as a PLTL Workshop participant?
PLTL Workshops are designed to help students put into practice what they have just learned in the course. Students aren't expected to do the PLTL Workshop problems ahead of time. They are expected to have prepared well for these sessions by attending lectures and completing the course readings and related assignments. In the PLTL Workshop sessions themselves, students get the most out of the experience if they don't hang back, but instead participate actively in the discussion. It is encouraged to make mistakes in PLTL Workshops; that is how learning happens.
What if I think a particular class needs a PLTL Workshop?
Students can talk to the course instructor/professor, the department chair, or anyone who uses PLTL Workshops for their course. You may also wish to contact our Study Group program to see if another peer-group study option might be available for the course.
What’s in it for me to be a PLTL Workshop leader?
Being a PLTL Workshop leader provides a valuable leadership experience, an opportunity to work closely with faculty, and a venue for achieving greater fluency in the subject. Leaders also receive recognition through course credit, financial compensation, and eligibility for the Citation for Achievement in College Leadership (see above). Former leaders have reported that this experience has proven to be an asset as they apply to graduate school, medical school, and employment.
The Workshop Leader training courses (CASC 352, CASC 353, CASC 354, and CASC 355) also count for all of Level 2 of the Medallion Leadership Program.
How can I become a PLTL Workshop leader?
Students may ask instructors of PLTL Workshop courses for an application to be a leader in a subsequent semester. Typically, applicants participate in interviews organized by the professor of the course and learning specialists from the Learning Center.
What is leader training all about?
Helping others learn difficult material is challenging work, so leader training is essential for effective PLTL Workshops. Leader training at UR is organized in a curriculum designed to give leaders the tools they need to do a good job. Training takes place in weekly meetings of leaders, the course faculty member, and a learning specialist (Learning Center instructor). During leader training, peer leaders learn and practice with the basics of learning theory, group dynamics, problem-solving techniques, and other useful topics. They also have the opportunity each week to practice with the PLTL Workshop problems themselves again. Leaders submit weekly journals and often complete an end-of-semester research project.
Can I be a PLTL Workshop leader more than once?
Yes. It is not uncommon to serve as a leader for more than one semester.
Faculty Questions
Why should I consider PLTL Workshops for my course?
Faculty report that their work in implementing Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Workshops has proven to be a good investment. They value the ongoing interaction with their student leaders and the significant improvement in student outcomes.
What are the essential components of a PLTL Workshop?
While the model is a flexible one that can be adapted for a range of course formats, there are several elements that are critical to the success of PLTL Workshops:
- PLTL Workshop sessions and materials need to be well integrated into the course as a whole.
- Faculty need to be closely involved with the learning specialist and student leaders.
- The student leaders must be carefully chosen and trained.
- PLTL Workshop materials must be appropriately challenging and encourage active group learning; the problems need to be viewed as important for success in the course.
- Logistics need to be carefully addressed, including group size, location, time, and teaching resources.
How do I recruit PLTL Workshop leaders?
Professors are advised to seek out students who have performed well in their courses and encourage them to apply for a leader position.
Where can I find out more about PLTL Workshops and/or how I could adapt PLTL Workshops for my course?
Contact any of our instructors or staff members:Nic Hammond, Cecilia Barone, Robin Frye, or Kyle Trenshaw.