Peer to peer support

How PAL runs at Manchester Met

PAL leaders are recruited from specific courses of study and given training to provide sessions to students in a lower year group. Students who can attend PAL sessions have these scheduled on their academic timetables. They attend, and work as a group on activities relevant to their current academic work. At the end of the session, attendees can suggest topics for the next session.

PAL is:

• 2nd and 3rd year students providing practical advice and guidance to students from a lower year group to aid academic performance.
• Academic support from peers, as well as the promotion of other services available in the University.
• A chance for students to ask questions and gain clarity on content provided in lectures.
• A way to support with revision techniques and exam skills for increased confidence.
• A way of building communities within academic courses.

PAL is not:

• A compulsory session for people who are struggling - everyone can gain something from PAL sessions.
• Re-teaching content or introducing new material.
• Answering specific questions on upcoming assignments or giving feedback on assignments.

Find out more

Watch our video about the peer-assisted learning scheme

Taking up a part-time role as a PAL leader comes with lots of benefits, including:

Working with a team to provide support to other students

• PAL leaders work with one other leader to run sessions, and work as part of the wider team to ensure the scheme is visible and catering to the needs of students.
• Our leaders have described the role as rewarding, helping other students on an individual level and making a difference within their faculty.

The opportunity to revise course content while you work

• If there have been no changes to the curriculum, leaders will run sessions based on course content from a previous year of study.
• By creating and running PAL sessions, leaders revisit this content, with the aim of supporting the students who attend their sessions.
• This also has a benefit to the leaders, as it is valuable in refreshing previously gained knowledge, onto which newly acquired knowledge can be added.

Receive extensive training

• Leaders attend a full day training before starting the role, which covers many aspects of the scheme, including; facilitation skills, creating materials for sessions and dealing with tricky situations. This day is interactive and allows the opportunity for attendees to ask questions, try out techniques and understand the ethos of PALs in more detail.
• Before the start of the academic year, they also attend a two hour briefing with a staff member from their course. This session gives the attendees all the information they need to know about the course, units and content, with the hope that this gives them confidence to start the role.
• At different points of the academic year, staff will observe PAL sessions, with the aim of giving constructive feedback about how leaders can enhance sessions and their own skills. These observations are discussed at regular debrief sessions, where leaders can discuss their experiences, and further training can be identified. 

Make professional contacts in your field

• The PAL leader role includes interaction with a range of staff members from around the university, which can prove valuable in networking and gaining guidance on career development.
• Each course running PALs has a ‘course contact’; a staff member leaders can contact with queries about their sessions and the course content.
• There is also a ‘faculty lead’ for each faculty; this person is responsible for the running of the scheme, and they are also a member of academic staff within the faculty.
• The central PAL team are based within the Academic and Study Skills team, who provide additional academic support to students on a host of topics, from referencing, to critical thinking and writing. 

Being paid for a part time role that fits around your studies

• We see PAL leaders as highly skilled following their training, so we pay at the higher rate of pay via Jobs4Students. Leaders are also paid for all training attended (although this is paid at the standard rate of pay via Jobs4Students).
• Most weeks, PAL leaders work two hours a week (one hour planning, and one hour running their session). On weeks where there is a debrief session, the work is three hours. There are times, such as when we are recruiting, where additional work is available to those who wish to undertake this.
• Hours are allocated on a day and time when both leaders and the students who will attend are free within their academic timetables, and although we expect leaders to work the hours allocated to them, there are options to find cover where necessary. We aim that the job fits around students’ academic commitments, as these need to be prioritised.

Watch our video to find out more about the role, the skills developed and how we support our leaders.

Our Peer Guides are here to welcome you to the Manchester Met community and help you settle in. They can answer your questions – big or small – and share their experiences with you. This is your chance to get in touch with a current student, as you start your university adventure, and find whatever you’re looking for. Don’t be afraid to ask anything, there is no such thing as a silly question. They were in your shoes just one or two years ago and can provide excellent tips to help you on your Manchester Met journey.

Even if you’ve been a student for a while, our Peer Guides are happy to help all year groups. Get in touch if you need any advice or guidance, or just someone to chat to throughout your studies. 

Our Peer Guides are available to live chat Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 4:00pm. Download the app by searching ‘Vygo’ on the app store or Google Play and then register your details to get started. You’ll need to choose to ‘log in with organisation SSO’.  You can also chat to a Peer Guide through the web browser. 

Live chat to a Peer Guide.