Welcome to the Laurier’s online series of workshops. This slidecast is the last part of a four-part series on university relationships. In this slidecast we will discuss your relationship to your peers.

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At the conclusion of this workshop you will be able to: (a) Define and understand who your peers are; (b) Understand the support services available to you and your peers; and, (c) Understand why studying in groups with your peers is both an effective and efficient way of learning. Keep these learning goals in mind as we move through the workshop. Let’s begin.

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The term peer covers most students who you interact with at the university. Peers can include your friends, your classmates, your roommates, and other students you know within residence. Peers can include paraprofessionals such as Supplemental Instruction Learning Assistants, Writing Tutors and Peer Tutors; however, it is important to acknowledge that when you interact with these students while they are working, they are responsible for providing specific academic instruction to you in a peer-to-peer relationship. Many students believe that their Teaching or Instructional Assistant is also a peer. While it is true that students who are TAs or IAs may only be a few years older than you, these individuals have a specific role and duty that includes course instruction, and often, evaluation through the grading of assignments. While it is important to have a good “working” relationship with these individuals, it is important to remember that both TAs and IAs should not be your friends and therefore are not your peers. Professors and staff members are never considered your peers.

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There are many ways to meet and engage with your peers. For most incoming students, it is in residence where they will begin to forge relationships and engage with their peers. This is especially true if these students have roommates. Take advantage of these relationships to get more involved in other areas of campus life. Campus athletics is another way for students to engage with their peers. The Athletics & Recreation Department organizes many intramural sport activities for students. Getting involved in these athletic activities can benefit your body, through physical activity, your mind, by relieving stress, and your emotional well-being, through further engaging with your peers and building friendships. Laurier has a long history of student volunteerism. There are many activities and campus clubs that are organized by the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union (WLUSU). Taking advantage of these activities and opportunities can further your social skills and assist you in building friendships. Academics is another area where students can benefit from engaging with their peers. Taking advantage of SI learning sessions, which are academic sessions that encourage peer collaborative learning, can assist you both academically and socially.

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Take advantage of these sessions (when available) to build a course academic support group with your peers. If your course doesn’t have SI support, then create your own peer study groups.

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Studying with your peers can be a powerful learning tool. Many students believe that they must study alone when they enter university. This is incorrect, unless your professor has specifically banned group work. Even the most independent learner can benefit from studying in a group on a regular basis. Many students give up on group study for many reasons: 1. “I study better alone.” 2. “The group spend more time socializing than learning.” 3. “No one knows what they are doing.” Working in a group is a form of learning partnership. Everyone in the group is responsible for the success of the group. If a study group isn’t working, then you are responsible for trying to get the group back on topic. The following are some strategies to assist students in developing effective study groups: 1. Plan – Set a time, date and location that works for everyone in the group. Make sure that your location doesn’t have a lot of distractions (e.g., some coffee shops, residence rooms, concourse). Set an agenda that includes the goals for the group meeting and a tentative timeline to complete these goals. Many study groups fail due

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to poor planning, which results in more socializing than studying. 2. Relationships – Many time students will create study groups with their friends. This isn’t always the best idea as friends are more likely to socialize than a group of students whose sole reason for being together is to learn together. As well, most people create friendships with like-minded individuals. The result is a study group that won’t challenge each participant to explore new ideas. Challenging your study partner’s point

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Many students ask why they should study in groups instead of individually. The answer to this question can be found in the learning pyramid (which was developed by National Training Laboratories in Bethel, Maine). The learning pyramid illustrates that average retention rates for certain learning activities. At the top of the pyramid are the average retention rates for lectures and reading. The pyramid illustrates that most students will only retain 15% of what they learn through lectures and reading, the two learning activities used by most students. Although this retention rate can be increased through regular review, many students tend to only review before tests and exams and not on a regular schedule. At the bottom of the pyramid are the average retention rates for “practice by doing” (75%) and “teaching others” (90%). These learning activities are more effective at assisting students to retain the information they are learning. For this reason, it is essential for students to (a) attend all of their labs and tutorials and (b) regularly meet with a study group. By using the group study strategies presented in the last slide, students will learn and retain more information by actively engaging with the course content, teaching each other the content, and critically assessing the information.

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If you haven’t tried studying with your peers before, give it a try in the near future.

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When possible, it is important to try and develop a relationship with senior students within your field of study. These students can act as mentors to you and assist you in your personal development as a student. Senior students are senior students because they have developed the academic and social skills to navigate their careers at the university. Take advantage of their experience and knowledge to further your own development to become a successful student.

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Your relationship with your peers will never be perfect. Disagreements and conflicts will arise. There are, however, services available on campus to assist you in further developing your relationships or further developing the strategies and skills necessary to foster professional relationships. The Student Leadership Centre supports student leader development, student involvement and student leadership experiences on campus. The centre can help you to further develop your leadership skills, which can assist you with your peer relationships. Many personality conflicts arise within the residence system. Take advantage of the programs offered by Residential Services and talk to your Don if you are having problems. Counselling Services offers both personal counselling and performance coaching, which can assist you in developing your ability to relate to your peers more effectively on both an individual and a group level. Learning Services can assist you in further developing the academic skills you may require to facilitate effective and efficient study groups

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This concludes this workshop about your university relationship with staff members. At the beginning of this slidecast a number of learning goals were specified. To check your understanding of the information presented in this workshop try to answer the following questions. If you have any difficulties, please refer back to the slidecast.

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Thank you for your participation, and welcome to Laurier.

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