Student Peer Scheme

Dr Geeta LakshmiDivision of Accounting and Finance,

Lincoln Business School

Rationale

• The number of direct entrants to the university is growing every year and bringing a valuable and positive contribution to the university. Given the internationalisation of the university, it is important to set in place a scheme which benefits both local as well as direct entry (international) students.

Why do this?

• Direct entrants are currently given place within the system but previous experiences shows they struggle to imbibe the language and practices of the university. From local students’ perspective, it allows a foothold into understanding global culture and establishing long term international ties.

Literature around peer review

• Dochy, Sejers and Sluijsmans(1999, 32) review the literature around peer review system in education and find that successful functioning in this era demands an autonomous, independent, responsible and cooperative learner demonstrating cognitive, meta-cognitive, social and affective dispositions.

Direct entry students

• Majority of them come from Study Group and have been growing year to year.

• There have also been other direct entrants.• Many of them arrive in the university during the

first few weeks• The university has responded organically to this.• Most are Chinese but few from Middle East and

Vietnam.

Proposal in 2013

• Matching direct entrants in 2nd year with a student who has spent their first year (and subsequent) in Lincoln.

• Trial on ACC2015M Financial Management Students (from Business and Finance and Accounting and Finance undergraduate degrees).

• At the start of the scheme there were 59 direct entrants and around 12-14 volunteers.

Operational Design: How do we make this work?

• Announcement on BB personal community site in early summer>>induction>>ask students to specify their interest>>pairing through Year tutors in induction time (3 hours is a long time!).

• Notify International office of the scheme in summer so they can get

an idea of direct entry participation needs.

• Notify Students’ Union

Who can participate?• Any student who has been in Lincoln University for at least one year.

Call for Volunteers during Induction and week 1

• Pairing of volunteers with direct entrants usually within same seminar group.

• Exchange of name and emails• Involvement of student Union• Encouragement of collaborative piece of work

at the end of the year for a prize.

Who does it benefit?

• Direct entrants in understanding the academic practices, language and culture of UK

• Local students in understanding the culture of other countries and developing their mentoring skills

• Tutors and the University in establishing a smoother teaching environment

What are the direct rewards?

• Direct students have a chance to win a prize.• Local students have a chance to win a prize and

this will contribute to the Lincoln award.• Networking opportunity for potential future

international business connections.• Enrichment of local student university experience.• Counts towards requirements for Lincoln Award

for local students.• Skills training via the Students’ Union.

How do we monitor this scheme?

• Subject committees• Feedback sessions with participants at end of

the year• Year/Personal Tutors

Issues to Solve

• Some direct entrants do not respond to emails• Too many from one country and no motivation

to make friends from other culture• Don’t share common interests-pub culture?• Cultural sensitivities• Homesickness• British University Degree moves really fast-

demands from coursework

Current University Agendas

• Student as Producer• Internationalisation strategy• Lincoln Award• Employability

References • Dochy F., Sejers M. and Sluijsmans D., (1999) The Use of Self, Peer

and Co Assessment in Higher Education: A Review, Studies in Higher Education, 24(3), 331-350.

• HEA (2013) See http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/internationalisation/tne, Accessed 8th October, 2013

• Lincoln University Student Union (2013) See http://lincolnsu.com/news/article/student-buddy-training, Accessed 9th October, 2013

• Rabinowitz,P. (2013) Establishing a Peer Education Program, The Community Toolbox, ed. Brownlee T. & Berkowitz, B., University of Kansas, See http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/section_1245.aspx, Accessed 8th October, 2013