The Role of Peer Assisted Learning in supporting student transition
to HE STEM programmes: PAL ‘in’ and ‘beyond’ the classroom
In this part of the project we take a critical look at how online integrative technology can be used to
facilitate developmental relationships within a Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) setting. The chosen
collaborative software is Microsoft Lync (MS Lync) and is used to support Online PAL (or ePAL)
one-to-one and small group sessions in four STEM courses at the University of the West of England
(UWE) Bristol. MS Lync is the preferred platform as it is supported well within the university but
more importantly fulfils the principles of confidentiality, anonymity and ‘safety to make mistakes’
which underpin the success of PAL.
Makis Malliris, University of the West of England
June 2012
Online PAL by Efthimios Malliris is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivs 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.
This activity was undertaken as a part of the National HE STEM Programme, via the
South West Spoke. For more information on South West Spoke projects, please see
www.hestem-sw.org.uk. For more information on the overall national programme,
please see www.hestem.ac.uk.
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Introduction
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) is an academic support scheme where more experienced students pass
on their experience and knowledge of the course they have studied to new students. PAL was first
piloted within the Department of Engineering at UWE in 2002. The UWE PAL scheme has since been
in constant expansion and as from this coming year 450 PAL Leaders will be providing academic
support to over 6,000 level-1 full-time students.
Presently (academic year 2011-12), this support takes the form of an in class timetabled meeting
between the more experienced student (the PAL leader) and a group of approximately twelve fulltime first year students (the PAL group). This format means that students studying part-time or by
distance find it difficult to participate, mostly due to timetabling restrictions, and in effect may miss
out on the PAL experience.
As a result, four PAL leaders and twenty part-time year 1 volunteer participants from STEM courses
have been recruited for the online pilot. All these students have a good understanding of what the pilot
will include and how the proposed research will be conducted.
The data for the study was collected over a 16-week period from a range of sources to ensure high
quality and in-depth information capture. Here we report from:



two focus groups discussions consisting of
o the student participants (excluding the PAL leaders).
o the PAL groups (PAL leaders and students).
interviews with two PAL Leaders and
post-class analysis of an online PAL session recorded in MS Lync.
Introductory activities to the online pilot during week 1 of the course involved:

a ½ day induction to the online software platform followed by basic training in online
communication techniques from staff at UWE’s Education Innovation Centre (EIC) was delivered
to PAL Leaders only. It is worth noting that by that point in time PAL Leaders had succesfully
completed a rigorous 3 day training programme from UWE’s PAL Office on group facilitation
techniques, interpersonal communication and situational leadership in coaching-mentoring.

a face-to-face meeting between PAL Leaders and their PAL groups. These were 1 hour hands on
sessions where the PAL Leaders were tasked to offer their PAL groups an induction to the online
platform and netiquette.

a member of the UWE EIC staff was introduced to the groups to provide a supervision function to
the participants.
The online PAL system (or ePAL) in this study is designed for purpose and transcends basic
electronic communication systems. In particular MS Lync main features include instant messaging,
Voice Over IP as well as video conferencing inside the client software. The main new features of this
current version are the addition of real-time multi-client collaborative software capabilities, which
allow teams of people to see and simultaneously work on the same documents and communications
session.
Some of these features are implemented as follows:


Collaboration through Whiteboard documents, where the participants have great freedom to
share text, drawing and graphical annotations.
Collaboration through Power Point documents, where the participants can control and see
presentations, as well as allow everybody to add text, drawing and graphical annotations.
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


Polling lists, where presenters can organise polls and all participants can vote and see results.
Desktop sharing, usually by allowing participants to see and collaborate on your windows
screen.
Windows applications sharing, by allowing participants to see and collaborate on a specific
application.
All collaboration sessions get automatically defined as conferences, where clients can invite more
participants from their contact list. Conference initiators (usually called organisers) can either promote
participants to act as presenters or demote them to act as attendees. This particular feature is very
useful as it resembles in class interactions where the PAL Leaders invite a group member to stand and
write on the whiteboard. They can also define some basic policies about what presenters and
attendees are able to see and do.
There are some system limitations:



MS Lync does not save conversation history if Microsoft Exchange Server is not installed.
Message length is restricted; 800 characters for the initial message, and 8,000 characters per
additional message in the same session.
Inability to send files bigger than 4 GB
None of the above limitations have been raised as an issue by the participants during this pilot. It is
also worth noting that a variety of communication media was frequently adopted where participants
extended their online relationships beyond the boundaries of MS Lync - for example the use of
Facebook for the scheduling of the online PAL sessions.
Ultimately , the study will attempt to propose an online peer tutoring model based around the themes
identified below.

Peer tutoring – the role of the online peer educator in the facilitator’s role of decision making,
setting up of task and approach to task.

Communication patterns in collaborative learning environments – in class and online. Online
community formed through social presence. Analysis of online messages by affective
responses, interactive responses and cohesive responses.
Factors influencing engagement in online collaborative learning – personal capability of using
technology.

Data Analysis and Discussion
Focus Groups and Interviews with PAL Leaders
Four willing PAL leaders were recruited to the online pilot during their intensive PAL training in
September 2011. These students had a good understanding of what the pilot was to include and how
the proposed research was going to be conducted. The PAL leaders all had an induction to the
software and were given a number of MS Lync ‘How to Guides’. The PAL Leaders were happy to
proceed with the pilot.
Twenty part-time student participants volunteered to participate in the pilot following a promotional
introduction to the pilot during relevant lectures. Groups of four or five student participants per PAL
leader were selected as this was perceived to be a manageable number in an online setting and also for
research purposes.
Both PAL leaders and student participants were fully aware of the proposed research methods from
the outset and were asked to sign consent forms to confirm this. The questions asked of student
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participants focused on their perceptions of experiencing PAL via online delivery. PAL leaders were
asked about their experiences of delivering PAL online in their role as a peer facilitator. This level of
analysis was also used to examine the personal capability of all of the participants in using the
technology, with implications for the scalability of the scheme.
Introductory session
An introductory face-to-face meeting between the PAL Leaders and the student participants was
scheduled prior to the first online meeting. This session was designed to be deliberately informal for
scalability purposes as it was necessary to evaluate the minimum training requirements in the online
environment for PAL leaders and year 1 students alike. We wanted to determine whether the PAL
Leaders would be able to train their PAL groups to use the software effectively. This did prove the
case, with both student participants and PAL Leaders making positive comments on the introductory
session:
It just got us used to the software...how it works...without using it at home first;
It was good for us part-time students as we don’t do face-to-face PAL sessions...so it was the
only time we met them in person...so it’s good to know who you’re actually talking to on the
end of the computer...because sometimes we used the video and sometimes we used different
features of the Lync software but it’s nice to know who the actual person actually is...to talk
to them...
We had an introductory up here (computer room) and they showed us what it could do.
We were all there with the PAL leaders and they showed us first hand so we knew how to use
it
During our first session they hadn’t set up proper permissions so everyone could write
things/draw/and interact with it...showed how they [the PAL leaders] would be using
it...showing what the limitations would be or some of the positives so we could see what they
would be seeing when they’d be giving us the lesson...I found that quite useful to see how
they’d be interacting from their end
The introductory session we had with them explained everything...it was self explanatory...we
clicked on the white board...we could draw on it...it was quite intuitive...you didn’t need a
step by step guide to tell you how to use it
The more complex features it might be useful for but it was quite simple
PAL Leaders also found the introductory session useful:
... everyone seemed perfectly in tune with the way the software was going to work so it was all
perfectly happy
Using MS Lync for online sessions
Here students were asked whether they experienced logistical and technical issues. One PAL Leader
expressed some concerns with the software:
... if I struggled I definitely think they would struggle... it wasn’t a case of just pressing a few
buttons... you had to read some notes of how to access MS Lync which can be quite tricky
especially if your computer’s settings aren’t correct... it will throw everything out the
window; I recently built my computer so I know how it works so I know all the settings to it...
but regarding Microsoft Lync... not many students are computer orientated
Student participants also experienced some technical issues:
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I did have some trouble with the software at home...it was an old laptop…..when I bought a
new laptop it worked
I think it was halfway through the session they (PAL Leaders) turned the permissions back on
and started going through what we’d be seeing. We were all still in the same room...it was
good to talk and communicate with them...how they planned running the sessions and other
stuff...structuring them...it gave us a clear understanding so when we went home we knew
what we were expecting
It is worth noting here that although MS Lync is fully supported for UWE staff it will not be widely
available to students until September 2012. As a result a number of steps are required prior to the
setting of every meeting, resulting in some technical issues:
The problem with using the guest invite link is that if you are using something that isn’t
Microsoft...for example an android tablet...you can’t click the link that will automatically
start up...Lync as in the software...you have to use this password...but the problem is that we
are not entirely sure what they are...we’ve been told we have got them...but we never used
them in the end...we just used the link in the end...where I have the software on my tablet I
can’t use it cos I can’t log in...
The whiteboard I did use it at times...it was its quite difficult to use even with the pen...it’s
not...I’ve got a stylus which the PAL Office has let me borrow but it’s still quite difficult to
use...some of the tools are quite difficult to...it’s quite responsive but it’s just the way it’s all
kind of laid out...some of the tools don’t quite do what you’d expect them to do..I’d be happier
if I drew a box and it would know that I was drawing a box
The software seemed to get confused as to who was supposed to be taking the stage... who
was supposed to be showing so half the time it would just focus on the least talkative
person...the guy sat in the back of his bedroom as opposed to me or you know...
Logistics also emerged as a theme:
Actually the Tuesday we are at uni isn’t a good day to do PAL...it needs to be a day that we’re
not at uni as most of us have to travel quite a way to get here so we leave home at half 6 in
the morning for some of us so we won’t finish till gone 6 so by the time we get home you’re
looking gone half 7
We did use the live video though I don’t think it was particularly important to the PAL... the
small PAL sessions...
It needs to be less ad-hoc it sort of needs to be a regular occurrence rather than the date
moving all the time for when it’s going to be...for most of us its easier if we can book
something a week or two weeks in advance cos then it’s in our work diaries and we know we
have to finish work at so and so time that day and be home to do the uni work then
So it’s just getting in... I guess more hours where you know its bookable time so you’re still
...you’re not just picking up a book and having a read but for x amount of time online or here
you can actually study
You’ve got an appointment booked if you like...you’re more likely to do the work whereas if
you have lots of other distractions outside of the university if you’re home with your wife and
the kids...hobbies...
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Here students are reporting on socio-affective elements which seem more difficult to develop in the
online environment:
That’s very good...we had a lot of difficulty with the voice chat because what I found was that
people were...To avoid talking over each other... people didn’t talk
The first session was particularly awkward...I spent about 10minutes trying to get somebody
to say something...even hi you know...it was...it was pretty crazy so the instant messaging was
the most valuable feature I’d say
Yes...the first session some of them weren’t talking at all so I wasn’t sure if they could hear
me...so I was typing at the same time you know...I ended up relaying everything I was saying
and typing at the same time...It took a little longer but it was effective
I think the study is like not your study alone so you can discuss the things...questions with
your peer who is doing the same course...and is better and inspiring and help...I found it is
very helpful as you can ask someone who has done it already and discuss with your problem
so it’s helpful for revision as well
There were some clear benefits of online environments:
I started shift work recently so during the PAL sessions I’d be at work and I take my tablet to
work so if the software had worked on that then I could have taken a break at work and could
have done it using my tablet cos I could store it on my works PC while I was away at home
Unsurprisingly students used social networking software to overcome MS Lync’s scheduling
limitations (this issue will be resolved by September 2012):
They started a Facebook group...with all of us part-timers...and people who were doing
online sessions would send the link to download the software...and every week they were
doing a session...they’d send a link to join as a guest
…..I asked on Facebook every week if it’s happening to check and always get an answer
through there... and if I’ve lost the link (to be invited) then he would send it to me
There is a fluidity comparable to the in class interactions once students get accustomed to the realtime collaborative features of MS Lync:
It’s user friendly, everything is there...you need to explore it...oh look a new feature and use
that for a bit and get to grips with it….You can’t really go wrong can you?...Yeah can’t think
you can go wrong…It’s pretty simple; we used the whiteboard and drew diagrams and instant
messaging...a couple of polls...
Yes there is definitely enough ways to impart information from their perspective...I don’t think
there was ever a point where they couldn’t explain...there was some way to explain it...the
ideas..and it’s like quite often they’d put the page from the module on the board as well so we
could point to it and work out solutions
Every time he (the PAL Leader) put something up on the whiteboard, even if you weren’t
allowed to write on it, everyone had different pointers of different colours so you wanted to
ask what is this?....You could point to things and question them and they could see and your
name would be highlighted and also you’d come up on the webcam immediately so everyone
know who exactly was asking the questions, what you were asking about, everything was
sorted…..It was like being there really...except probably easier
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The whiteboard was really good for binary operations and writing out little bits of code and
showing what bits move around...helps imply movements and it helps show how code moves
around
In-class versus online PAL models
Some limitations of online PAL with regards to practical laboratory work were frequently mentioned:
The advantage of the face to face is able to get the hardware out like the ICDS etc and play
around with those in your PAL sessions but you can’t do that here cause we don’t have it and
it’d be the same with c-programming as we don’t have the control rights...so that’s one key
benefit of face to face PAL but we can’t do that as we are part time...but that is a key thing so
they shouldn’t get rid of face to face PAL sessions as that is a key thing
Some modules are...I’ll compare it with C-programming...you’ve got to be there and when
you have the hardware in front of you... as if you don’t have the hardware you can be typing
code and none of it work...which I had earlier
There is an obvious advantage of in class PAL sessions with laboratory-based tasks:
I’ve attended some C-programming even though I wasn’t booked in...in this hour now... It is
useful to have the hardware in front of you... the most important thing about the PAL sessions
is the way that you can explain things... the coursework aspect has a lot of examinable
material in digital systems...whereas it’s all coursework based and it is essential to have the
hardware sometimes
I suppose the thing that would be better with face to face is that we do do some lab work that
requires particular software and equipment...
That will never be as effective at home as it would be in the labs
However, this can be easily rectified with the use of computer hardware simulation software.
Online comes into its own when timetabling is almost impossible:
Online is essential for a part time student...when you only get two hours off in a day and I
usually spend this hour in a c-programming and then an hour lunch...
The online PAL was really useful so although you can’t cater for everyone’s needs...it was
quite awkward I found that the time...to accommodate everyone Wednesday at 7pm
Participants offered useful suggestions for the extension of the online PAL model:
I think they should have more PAL leaders on the online PAL scheme...then you could even
open a facility where the regulars are there and people that are struggling more often could
attend three sessions a week if they can...and just watch and see the discussions and it would
help even then
If they had more...people could get so much out of it
That’s the great thing about it...you don’t have to go anywhere...if no one turns up then you
can just switch it off and go cook something….if you came into UWE for an hour just to find
that there was nobody here can you imagine how annoyed you’d be
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On a computer based course it covers most things better than a face to face obviously we’ve
mentioned hardware as the only thing that can really think of that is a problem so it’s
definitely really good especially for part time students...there is no other option
Some PAL Leaders expressed a preference of in class interactions:
I try to structure the online PAL and face to face sessions the same...I suppose in the face to
face we get more interaction so in terms of just interacting with people I much prefer it face
to face but for sharing data it was ideal because I could literally pull up myself and its like
having an overhead projector all the time….
Just having conversations and trying to relay any information its easier face to face so I can
see everyone’s reactions...it’s quite intuitive if someone is understanding it or they’re not...
Having one person on the camera takes away from that
That (f2f) would certainly be better.... I suppose even in face to face you even miss people…it
would be easier to see everybody at the same time
It’s a lot friendlier...it feels a lot more...it feels a lot more personal...I can’t really explain that
exactly…I feel a lot more comfortable personally face to face
I’ve got to know a few of the people that I do the face to face with and I see them a lot around
the campus where as its completely different on the online as I never see them and they don’t
contact me any other time or send me a message...
If they bump into me and ask me a question
You know them? It just seems like it’s a lot friendlier if you know what I mean?
However, PAL Leaders did not find the online class more difficult to manage:
I don’t find it any harder to do the online than I do face to face...it’s the same process... I
suppose it’s slightly harder to deal with ...
Although that view was not shared by one PAL Leader:
The people online because just trying to get them to communicate was quite a challenge...
Initially it started like that face to face the first few sessions it was a bit awkward but now
everyone just speaks up and is quite happy to share any thoughts they’ve got
However the loss of face-to-face cues was somewhat balanced by MS Lync’s video link:
The video as I said...if you could see everybody at the same time it would be more useful
Although when all audiovisual links were lost, PAL sessions were heavily dependent on text
messaging:
The instant messaging because it allowed everybody to communicate...if they didn’t have
microphones or speakers then that throws the voice out the window cause if one person
doesn’t have it then it’s completely useless for the whole group really...that means that person
can’t communicate anything
But instant messaging as it allowed us all to communicate with each other without the worry
of talking over each other…It was definitely the most valuable feature
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All four PAL leaders mentioned that some top-up training in facilitation skills for online
environments would be helpful:
My communication skills have improved and excelled in classroom... along with the use of
voice...The classrooms are about the same size as this room (E422) so I have to be able to
direct my voice to them especially the people at the back
Also management in comparison to the online... if everyone’s talking... you can’t really shout
on a computer...and it just becomes a ringing noise in your ear
The skills that I developed... I did develop skills on the piloting scheme but they are very
different to the in-classroom….The only thing that is similar is time management
With management in classroom I’d manage them by putting them into smaller groups so it’s
easier to control and would have a huge horseshoes of students sitting
In the online space you can’t really do it... they’re one group... I went from such a huge vast
number to such a small group and I mean like I said the lack of ...they have the knowledge but
a lack of recalling that knowledge was a struggle
The PAL Leaders were able to effectively train their student groups to the functionality of MS Lync,
which was good news for system scalability. The drawback here was the lack of clarity of online
transferable skills by the PAL Leaders:
I did develop skills but I just can’t remember all of them…Communication... time
management would sum it up well…Providing interaction from my hand and the whiteboard...
does that count as a skill... presentation skills?
Arguably, process management skills are more crucial to the online rather than the in class
environment. A specific training programme to address online facilitation skills for the online PAL
Leaders is planned for September 2012. Work is still in-progress, but this training is likely to include:
online teaching and learning frameworks, online behaviours and responses, e-moderation and
appropriate use of language.
Post-class Synchronous Online Session Analysis
Since the wider availability of the internet in the early 1990s a number of useful typologies have been
proposed for online learning environments. A useful framework for the analysis of online interactions
is Henri’s (1991) hierarchical classification system. Henri’s typology offers a useful ordering from
social through cognitive to meta-cognitive processes. The classification is comprised of five
dimensions, namely:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Participative
Social
Interactive
Cognitive
Meta-cognitive
Participative is defined by the compilation of the number of messages or statements transmitted by
one person or group with a key indicator of number of statements and/or number messages
The social dimension is defined by a statement or part of statement relating to formal content of
subject matter such as self-introduction, verbal support and statements of feeling: ‘I’m feeling ok’
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Interaction is classified as a chain of connected messages such as ‘...in response to Fred’s message’ or
‘as we discussed earlier....’.
The cognitive dimension is a statement exhibiting knowledge and skills related to the learning
process. Key indicators here are asking questions, making inferences and formulating hypotheses.
The fifth dimension is meta-cognitive and is defined by statement(s) related to general knowledge or
skills and showing awareness of self-control and self-regulation of learning: ‘I understand’, ‘I
wonder’.
Analysis of Online Interactions via Henri’s Classification System
(N.B. This data are from MS Lync instant chat messenger – no audio available – grammatical
mistakes are as in the conversation. ‘/’ indicates the enter key has been pressed and a new line has
started. The PAL leader is promoting the PAL Leader role to the students).
(1) Social
PAL Leader recruitment is based around a number of personal attributes and qualities such
trustworthiness, enthusiasm, transparency and generosity as well as academic competence. We are
able to observe these person characteristics in online interactions –as in the exchanges below- but we
question how easily the socio-emotional elements can be developed for such environments.
PAL(PL) Leader: Hi everyone, I appreciate that you have come online
PL: Yeah so if you don't have any questions then I will finish this
Student(S): No no I don't
PL: well thank you very much for trying, Cheers, See you bye
PL: Hi James...here we go...okay / How are you doing?
S2: Not too bad
PL: How was last week? How was the lecture this week?
S2: It was okay
PAL training for in-class group management and communication takes in to account the social aspect
of interactions. Although leaders are trained in extracting information from ‘small talk’ their goal is to
guide their groups away towards the academic and away from the social elements. In in class
interactions the ability to detect ‘body language’ makes the social aspect of PAL a less critical area for
training as this might develop unconsciously. However, building this type of rapport in online
settings is highly critical and should be reflected in the training of online programmes. The exchange
below illustrates this social component as the PAL leader engages in ‘small talk’ to build rapport with
a student:
PL: Do you still have your training sessions?
S1: yeah I had seven kids in my class yesterday and they were running around... it was really
good...I stayed at the gym for a while myself and was putting stuff away and was like I’m
going home
PL: when do you have the sessions?
S1: Monday at 8 o clock for adults and then Thursday at 7 o clock for kids
PL: where about is that?
S1: shall I send you a link on facebook
PL: yeah either here or on facebook...okay
S1: okay right that’s it
PL: yes...see you guys next week
S1: see you next week
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(2) Participative
As in in-class meetings PAL Leaders are trained to plan their sessions and continuously encourage
participation through questioning techniques.
PAL leader: so how where the last 3 lectures so far?/anything in particular that you want us
to cover?
Student: eer...I don’t think there has been anything too complex so far in this
PAL Leader: true
Student: it all seems very basic
PAL Leader: we can have a quick glance through the last 2 lecture slides and then/ have a
look at the 3 main components that you will be learning about in the lectures/So/have a look
at this
PAL Leader: We haven’t got that much time left/ so I’d say we have a look at the resistor/or
is there anything else that you need help with?
Student: ok/ At the moment, I don’t think that there is
(The following is of the re-launch of the ePAL, of which only the PAL leader is present, until 15.51
minutes where the PAL leader is joined by a student)
The first set of exchanges is detailing different topics that the leader is covering alone:
PL: Sorry you weren’t unable to attend today unfortunately... I will probably only do it for
15 minutes cause I won’t have you guys to ask me questions back but I plan to email this to
you so you can go over it...I just started recording a little show for us all cause I wasn’t sure
if anyone was going to attend but I’m glad that you’ve managed to get on there
PL: What I was doing... I didn’t think anybody was going to attend so I was just doing a
quick little recording that I could send to you guys explaining for the different ways we can
approach the coursework really...what I will do ...I will run over what I was
saying...unfortunately I don’t think the others have been able to make it...
Greater care should be taken when training PAL Leaders for online peer settings – especially with
how to encourage participation in academic matters and at the same time maintain a level of social
engagement so that PAL sessions retain their ‘friendly’ character. We find that these areas of skill are
critical to the online PAL leader and we suggest that online training programmes ought to put effort in
developing these.
The following are exchanges between leader and student and also the leader by himself as the student
experiences technical difficulties (especially connectivity) throughout the chat:
PL: So we are recording now 
S: no prob...do you know if lucas is coming along?
PL: We are still missing Lukas/James I’d say we start anyway
S: that sounds like a plan
PL: Just very briefly: UWE is looking for many more PAL leaders next year/ So I’ll just flick
through the ppt on the right
Student: ok
PL: I don’t know if and how ePAL will be going next year. They are looking for PAL leaders
so this might be online or offline
Student: yea
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PAL Leader: Basically its about helping other students to work in groups/so they find out the
answers rather than you telling them/ always depends on the subject though/ so sometimes it
moves more towards teaching and sometimes it just runs on its own / Benefits:/ Apart from
the CV boost and that bit of payment and the 20 credits to your module/ you get a lot of cool
training/its 4 days/2 in this term(end of term)/and 2 or so next year/plus a few sessions after
you started during the year/so its quite a bit of fun/the training in September is really
cool/lots of practical stuff
PAL Leader: So as for commitments/ have a look
Student: It doesn’t look really as much as if its that much really/time wise
PAL Leader: well it depends/at the beginning its a bit of admin around it/and the preparation
takes a while/there is also some small task each month/i.e. I have to observer a different PAL
session this month changes/overall its not too bad
(3) Interactive
Some students are thinking of becoming online PAL Leaders next year. In the exchange below, the
PAL Leader is able to build trust and demonstrate his integrity as he explains his role to the group:
Student: yea/ How many hours a week would u say that u put in?/on average
PAL Leader: I’ve got 3 hours/week incl ePAL/ so 4-5 h I’d say/ don’t forget about sending
out emails with invitations/reminders etc/ prob more towards 4h
Student: that’s not too bad really/and yea, I got a load of them yesterday or day before
PAL Leader: you only get paid for the sessions though ;)/ yeah, hope that is cleared up now
Student: yea
PAL Leader: there are plenty of sessions on each of these Wednesdays
Student: I’ve thought about doing it, but then I’m not sure what module or whatever to do it
for or whatever
PAL Leader: should be up on the PAL website/ just apply and put down the modules you
might be interested in/ Fi who organises that all will pick of these then/ I think I applied for
all modules I took apart from C Programming so 6 or so/ definitely apply / no strings
attached anyway
Student: yea, I will do
PAL Leader: find out some more and then decide afterwards 
Student: how confident did you feel about it before you started, and before you applied?
PAL leader: not too confident/ the first 2 sessions were a bit sketchy/ but after that you get
used to it/ plus the training is really good/ we get more training than the profs do ;)
Student: yea
PAL Leader: So any more questions on PAL leading?
Student: Not at the moment./ I will let u know if there is anyway
PAL Leader:  great
In in-class settings PAL leaders use a facilitative coaching-mentoring approach asking non-directive
open questions, eliciting answers, listening supporting and even challenging when necessary. Their
aim is to structure conversations that allow for clarity, option generation and goal setting.
PAL Leader: I will put the poll back up/ either way we will look at the RLC stuff and go over
the final last few equations / have a quick look at the exam questions and have a look at how
the stuff looks from there
PAL Leader: just a second I will prepare some of the files for that
PAL Leader: so how you guys doing with the resonance so far...on the series circuit do you
know how to calculate the frequency of resonance as well as the other stuff like q-factor etc
Student 2: for parallel?
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PAL Leader: for serial
Student 2: for serial I’m alright
PAL Leader: I’ll get the exam paper for that one / I’ll put the first picture up here and you
guys want to sort it out while I sort out the other ones... its relatively straight forward I
guess..can you see anything?
Student 2: yes I can
PAL Leader: if you just want to put the answers next to the sign.
Student 1: Very quickly...does this exam format for this one go the same one as the last one? /
Three or four questions and we answer three of them
PAL Leader: I’m not sure how its going to be for yours / but with this one we’re just looking
at question for compulsory and you can attempt any two other remaining ones
Student 1: Yes its that that made me think of it
PAL Leader: yea so it should be similar if I remember correctly
PAL Leader: We’ve got 5 o clock already
Student 2: Yeah!
PAL Leader: Is there anything specific you still want to know or happy for the time being
Student 2: nah I’m good, looking forward to Monday and learning more stuff
PAL Leader: So I’d say that’s it for today and if you guys want to send me some quick
feedback on Monday after the lecture of what you would like us to cover mostly... as there is a
lot of stuff that we could have a look at. Some of the normal RLC circuits as well...basically
we should do whatever you guys need or think is the most appropriate
Student 1: Yeah
PAL Leader: so if you just drop me a few words saying corpit oscillator or I’m perfectly fine
Student 2: we’ll let you know
PAL Leader: okay
(4) Cognitive
Generation of ideas, looking at alternative options and overcoming obstacles is a more subtle process
to navigate in online environments and one could argue almost ‘vital’ in online communications.
PL: Can you explain the formula on the top left?
Student(S): Ohms Law
PL: jap
S: V = IR / Voltage in current multiplied by resistance
PL: correct
J: Use that 1 far too often
PL: straight forward / hehe / and the green circle? / well blob
S: I'm not sure what that one is trying to show tbh
PL: do you know the name of these diagrams?
S: I don't think so / might know if i heard it
PL: phasor diagram / what can you find in the diagram? / anything that looks familiar?
S: I, V, and Omega symbols
PL: correct
…..
PL: any questions on these two? cap and inductor?
S: not at the moment
PL: great
S: If i get any, I will let you know
PL: perfect
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The role of the PAL Leader is crucial to give immediate scaffolding and ongoing feedback keeps the
interaction together. Teachers as facilitators are meant to give advice, answers, skills and know-how
and will be able to deal with much larger groups of learners than a PAL Leader. This boundary of
when the efforts of a student facilitator ought to stop and the professional starts occasionally results in
confusion about roles and responsibilities. The exchange below demonstrates the grey areas between
PAL and teaching with, in this instance, the PAL leader acting more as a teacher than as a facilitator:
PL: Have a look at this (slide is shown) /What does the formula on the right tell you? / Or
what does it describe?
S: the voltage at any point is dependent on the point of the rotating mechanism, say on a
generator
PL: correct / could you label the three arrows / explaining what the point at / what do you
mean by the current pos. of the mechanism / where on the image does it refer to?
S: The angel at which the circular thing is currently at / so the constant multiplier for the
output voltage
PL: kind of / basically the formula describes an AC signal / and what is the characteristic
thing about AC?
S: goes from positive to negative and back again
PL: Yes
S: And keeps looping
PL: the voltage varies over time / doesn’t necessarily mean it goes into negative / but yes
that’s right
S: yea, I was thinking about electricity that comes from the mains there
Effective PAL sessions both in-class and online should involve activities which are of a reflective
nature allowing both the leader and student to evaluate their progress. This process should be
practiced throughout the session.
PL: I'll start up here with the capacitor...what’s the trick? We have the phase shift. What
kind of values do we get...what special thing can we find out there?
S: err...I don't know
PL: yes its not easy...if we take a look here...
PL: Can you explain me about the stuff down here?
S: Its shows the phase shift between the full existing current
PL: exactly...do you know the name of this diagram?
S: Its down as I isn't it??
PL: no... its known as phasor
S: oh yes
PL: So we got the capacitor...so... any similarities with the capacitor
S: the phase shift but in the opposite direction
PL: exactly
S: there still in the...what’s it called... the inductive resistance...
PL: yes...the main thing is that we have the phase shift but in the different direction / its
important to also note down the different formula up here...
S: X L equals 2 pie f L
PL: L is the inductance
There are numerous organizational skills which might be found in in-class or online PAL - for
example, sustaining time on task and time engaged with task, goal setting and planning.
S2: The second one is going to be 400 isn't it?
Page 14 of 20
PL: Erm...Luckas?
S1: 200? Cos it is only for the...err...positive...no its positive then negative / so yeah 400
S2: Its either 400 or 800
S1: yeah
PL: Have a look at the ... it shows its basically 1 hertz you could say is one sanway
S1: yeah so ... no that is the positive 400...and negative 400
S2: so it will be
S1: so it will be 800 total together
PL: yeah I would probably write 400 positive and 400 negative so she will get what you
thought it was what you expected
(5) Meta-cognitive
Interactions related to general knowledge or skills and showing awareness of self-control and selfregulation of learning:
PL ( PAL Leader): I hope this is recorded okay...ah Terrence...you are there. I don't know if
you can hear me or not there... Terrence are you there?
S: Yeah I'm here …. but you are breaking up a little bit
PL: Yeah okay sorry about that...I just started recording a little show for us all as I wasn't
sure we were going to have anyone attend but I'm glad that you managed to get on there
T: okay but at the moment is telling me that my desktop and sharing is unavailable due to
connectivity issues
PL: are you able to see the screen that I am showing here? oh you can't see that okay.
I'm not familiar with the user as I have a different interface to you so I'm not sure how
everything should be shared...okay um...that’s clearly a bit of an issue...can you see my
face...is there anything you can see or is it just voice that you can hear?
PL: Is that showing up on your screen? Can you see that? It should be a report of the ground
glass granulated furnace slag...it might take a second to load
Okay I'm guessing you can see me again now?
Are you able to see that in the background?
PL: Okay i think we must be having some problems as I'm not hearing anything from you and
I don't think you can see this in the background unfortunately...
okay I'll try something...lets see...
T: Christopher...
PL: Hello there
T: okay I'm joining by phone...I think its my internet service
PL: Oh okay...
T: yeah I had problems with it last night and it seems to be playing up again
PL: okay not a problem...what I was doing then Terrance...
PL: Its a bit limited to what I can show you if we're just over the phone...
T: Yeah man its just the information that I was able to get out of a meeting in the first place
PL: Have you just called up off your phone then?
T: yeah my internet state...inaudible...finding the number
PL: Yeah I don't think there is much we can do...if you do have any questions or anything you
want to ask then go ahead but what I will do is end this now and have that emailed over to
you and you can run through it
T: Yeah no problem
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Using Computer Mediated Discourse Analysis (CMDA) on a Synchronous Online PAL Session
Here we used a supplemental model to the traditional social science methods (interviews, surveys,
observation) to analyse online interactions. CMDA, a term first coined by Susan Herring in 1995 (see
Herring, 2001) is in fact more of an approach rather than a model. It borrows methodologies founded
in disciplines such as linguistics, communication and especially computer-mediated communication.
CMDA is extremely valuable when investigating the study’s research themes of collaboration on task
between members and factors influencing engagement in online collaborative learning environments.
What groups are actually talking about as they work together on particular types of tasks has not been
greatly examined in online learning settings. Analysing the approaches and processes that online
groups adopt for completing tasks together is a useful starting point for assessing learner achievement
through the collaborative dialogue in an online PAL setting. In this part of the study we report the
analysis of one such group’s interactions and communications with the PAL Leader over a period of
1.5 hours on an Electronic Engineering course involving Digital Systems Development. The
participants are working through a number of past exams questions.
We use three levels of analysis: (1) Topic identification, (2) Functional move and (3) Participation.
Topic Identification
This level of analysis provides an insight into how the online discussions relate to the task in hand –
i.e. how the group approaches the task and how the work is divided. All topical threads were
identified and grouped into discussion topics. Then, individual messages (either text or verbal) were
coded according to the topic being addressed.
Topic of Thread
03.02.2012
Focus
Number of
Messages
1. PAL leader confirms that he has begun the recording, attendee
acknowledges and asks if other student is joining
2. leader confirms for recording that attendee does not have audio
available today so they are communicating via typed chat
3. Confirms that they will start without other student, attendee
acknowledges
4. Leader gives presentation on how the PAL office are currently
recruiting PAL leaders for next year
5. Attendee tells leader he is going to ask his flatmates to be quiet
6. Leader starts to discuss the student’s progress in the coursework
7. Start to run through the work – on white board – interact and both
draw on whiteboard, leader asks questions as they go along and
student answers, and they discuss the answers
8. Leader asks if the attendee has any questions
9. Leader says that he will see the attendee next Friday
10. Student questions application to PAL leader recruitment
11. Leader asks student to request presence of other student to join
next week
12. Leader goes to close, student asks a question, leader answers and
reassures student not to worry
13. Exchange farewells
Total number of messages: 174
Duration of session:
1:19:50
Logistical
3
Technical
4
Logistical
3
Logistical
42
Social
Logistical
Conceptual
1
10
86
Logistical
Social
Logistical
Logistical
4
1
5
2
Social
6
Social
7
Page 16 of 20
The number of topical threads from this and two other sessions revealed that topics overlapped. Four
broad categories fit the data: Social, logistical, conceptual and technical. This level of analysis
indicates that the online PAL session has a clear academic focus; participants are focused on task with
very little social interaction. Some technical issues were discussed but these stayed at minimal levels.
The data here provides clear evidence that participants are engaging in collaborative dialogue in order
to develop conceptual understandings of the task in question.
Functional Moves
This level of analysis informs how and whether individuals in the group respect one other. It also
sheds light into how members, and especially how the PAL Leader, challenge each group member’s
thinking or seek alternative approaches to the task in hand. Messages are grouped into functional
moves. A functional move is defined as the purpose served by a particular part of a message, similar
to speech acts or what Henri and Rigault (1996) define as a speech segment: “the smallest unit of
delivery, linked to a single theme, identified by a single type, having a single function”. Each
functional move is then coded as either conceptual or non-conceptual in nature. Conceptual moves
addressed the conceptual understanding of the learning theory being studied during the unit task. Nonconceptual moves were related to logistical issues, technical concerns or social exchanges.
Two members of staff, one of whom was the course teacher, coded the functional moves. The coders
reviewed the nature of tasks in question and all of the groups’ communications in order to fully understand
the context of each online discussion. However, the non-course teacher was not told explicitly what the
nature of the task was.
Functional Move
Example
03.03.2012
Agree/support: express agreement with Yea, I will do (limited)
or support of another person’s
statement
Explain: provide elaboration or
Imagine the arm of a clock
explanation of a previous statement
starting at zero degrees,
depending on the frequency of
the signal – the sine wave the
arm will move at a given speed
so after some time it will reach
90 degrees and the Vout will
therefore be at its maximum
Request clarification: ask for a
I’m not sure what that diagram
previous statement to be
is trying to show to be honest
clarified/explained further
Request confirmation: check with
Are you clear on the difference
others to confirm that his/her
between WT and sin (degrees)?
understanding is correct
Suggest: suggest a possible course of
We can have a quick glance
action or interpretation
through the last two lecture
slides and then have a look at
the three main components that
you will be learning about in the
lectures
Provide clarification: provide
It is the Phasor diagram
clarification of a previous statement,
may follow request for clarification
Provide information: contribute
I don’t think there has been
information to the discussion, usually
anything too complex this far
Total
%
22
13
11
6
10
6
10
6
3
2
14
8
10
6
Page 17 of 20
follows request for information
Restate: paraphrases anyone’s
previous statement (including own) or
provides a summary of the discussion
Provide confirmation: follows request
for confirmation
Request information: ask for
information
Elicit opinion: ask what others think
about a proposition
Counter-suggest: make an alternate
suggestion, one different than a
previously stated suggestion and/or
one currently being considered
Offer to act: offer to do something
Suggest alternatives: offer several
alternative suggestions for
consideration
Request action: ask individual or
group as a whole to do something
So the output will be = Vpeak
and it goes on etc
4
2
Yes
8
5
How were the last three lectures
so far?
Is there anything else you need
help with?
Put it on the board...it may be
easier
18
11
9
5
11
6
I’ll send you another link
So gotta change stuff on your
calc. for that
18
10
10
6
Could you label three arrows on
the diagram explaining what you
mean by the current position of
the mechanism
Total
17
10
172
Again this level of analysis strongly suggests that participants work together on conceptual matters with
very little technical and logistical discussions. There is also some evidence of an individual approach to the
task. Encouragement from the PAL Leader to maintain dialogue in the group is also evident. The
questioning techniques applied by the PAL Leader mirror that of face-to-face interactions.
Participation
The total number of messages and average size message length was calculated to determine the
participation level of all of the participants. The functional moves were also calculated to give a view
on the type of individual contributions to the discussions.
Functional Move
Agree/support
Explain
Request clarification
Request confirmation
Suggest
Provide clarification
Provide information
Restate
Provide confirmation
Request information
Elicit opinion
Counter-suggest
Offer to act
Suggest alternatives
Request action
Total
PAL
Leader
7
8
2
3
2
6
1
1
5
6
3
7
2
7
12
72
S1
S2
S3
4
1
1
1
4
3
2
5
3
1
4
1
2
30
5
3
2
2
3
1
3
4
1
2
3
29
6
2
4
5
1
2
3
3
2
1
9
2
3
43
Page 18 of 20
Equal participation was noted by all members with the PAL Leader dominating during the beginning and
end of the session. There was no indication from this session that any other individual was dominating the
conversation. It is worth noting that all members in this group were male, the majority mature students
with a few years of work experience.
Conclusion
Within this study and other selected studies to date we have clearly identified some advantages and
disadvantages to online PAL. A summary of these are listed in the table below.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Often diminishes visual status and cues
Lack of opportunity to emotional and
physiological information ie: body language, tone
of voice, facial expression
Can break down geographical barriers
Online PAL relationships are as easy to break as
they are easy to make
Can increase pool of available peer educators
Can be difficult for the PAL Leader to pick up
on what is being said or shared
Can break down time pressures on participants –
convenient, easy to access, more scheduled
sessions
Easy to develop unrealistic expectations about the
regular relationships
Interactions can be automatically captured and
recorded
Experiential learning can be more difficult
Even though our literature review has found a small number of good quality published research and
development in relation to online peer learning, we still see three emerging broad models of online
PAL (or ePAL):
1. Pure ePAL –where all aspects of peer assisted learning are done using electronic communication
media
2. Blended ePAL –where the majority of peer learning activity takes place in electronic media but
fused with some in class meetings.
3. Supplementary ePAL –where the use of electronic media is seen as a useful additional aspect of
the process but not central.
This study has focused on a version of pure ePAL, but looking on the above models it is clear that the
majority of the 40 or so PAL schemes in UK universities fall under the supplementary model.
However, we posit that this trend is going to change. This is because electronic media are now central
in people’s daily lives. Although the core interactions may still be in class meetings, it is increasingly
likely that these will be followed by some supplementary form of electronic communication.
Participants in PAL schemes will inevitably create and develop ways of interacting with each other
through a variety of methods. Similarly, if the starting point is purely online –given there are no
significant boundaries – it is likely that in class meetings will follow.
There are no current rules or clear boundaries as to where one model starts and another ends; further
research into online PAL schemes may reveal more distinctions and differences. It is also quite clear
Page 19 of 20
that research studies from the field of applied linguistics are helping to develop significant
understandings around the online dialogues between PAL group participants.
Overall, online PAL is an under-researched activity. It is only a matter of time before fully fledged
online PAL schemes become commonplace. In this study, we have examined some of the issues and
challenges of ePAL and have accepted that the generation that has grown up with the latest
technology will find it natural to incorporate it into their ways of working. However, merely
providing the means for interaction is insufficient. Attention should focus upon the pedagogical
principles underpinning effective online peer interaction. Ultimately, we will need to add to our
understanding of the impact of such schemes and develop appropriate methodologies for their use.
Questions for Further Research
What is the optimum blend of in class and online PAL?
What is an appropriate and effective length of an online PAL session?
What will be the impact of online PAL to the in class meetings?
What consideration should be given to the online skills training of the PAL Leaders?
How do we evaluate the efficacy of online PAL schemes?
References
Henri, F. (1991) Computer conferencing and content analysis, in: Kaye, A. R. (Ed.) Collaborative
learning through computer conferencing (Heidelberg, Springer-Verlag).
Herring, S..C (2001) Computer Mediated Discourse, in D.Tannen, D. Schffrin, & H. Hamilton (Eds),
Handbook of Discourse Analysis (pp. 612-634). Oxford: Blackwell
Herring, S..C (2004) Computer Mediated Discourse Analysis: An approach to researching online
behaviour. In S.A. Barab, R. Kling, & J.H Gray (Eds.), Designing for virtual communities in the
service of Learning ( pp.338-376). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Henri, F. & Rigault, C. (1996). Collaborative distance education and computer conferencing. In T.T.
Liao( Eds.) Advanced educational technology: Research issues and future potential, pp.45-76. Berlin:
Springer-Verlag
Roberts, T.S. & McInnerney, J.M. (2007). Seven Problems of Online Group Learning (and their
Solutions) , Educational Technology & Society , 10(4), 257-268.
See also project report bibliography.
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