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Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) is a student let program designed to support students transitioning into university and tackling traditionally difficult first year core subjects. The model is collaborative with student leaders facilitating activities and discussions driven by student need. Consistently research has found that students can benefit, in terms of increased grades, from attending PASS, however findings for online delivery modes are mixed. These studies have generally only compared face to face (F2F) with online modes of PASS-like programs for one subject. No study has compared different subjects from varying disciplines to investigate if the benefits of PASS online are the same for all students. PASS at UOW conducted a pilot study of synchronous online sessions, tested across three different first year university subjects. A total of 1.471 students enrolled into these subjects, with 409 attending some form of PASS. Result revealed PASS students gained significantly higher average final marks compared to students who did not attend any type of PASS, regardless off subject. However, results for PASS varied depending upon mode of delivery engaged in (F2F or online) and also with subject. Although not all differences were statistically significant, trends suggest a student/subject interaction that may vary the amount of benefit gained from PASS online formats. Possible drivers for these results are discussed as well as consideration given to cohort effects and student skills for online learning modes.

As the demand for flexible learning increases, it is important to explore and expand online learning opportunities, especially in student supported learning. Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) is a student led academic support program designed to help students transition into university and increase student retention. PASS is offered in traditionally challenging first year core subj ects. Due to increased popularity of PASS, along with limited space and time availability, a synchronous online format (Blackboard Collaborate) was piloted in three first year University of Wollongong (UOW) subjects in the faculties of Business, Nursing, and Psychology. The aim was to test the effectiveness of the online delivery of PASS by comparing student final grade outcomes from online cohorts with face-to-face (F2F) modes, and those students who had not attended PASS. Results demonstrated that students who attended PASS obtained significantly higher marks compared to students that did not attend PASS. Final grade outcomes for F2F versus online also varied between subjects. The different result profiles for the three subjects suggests there may be different drivers for student success in the online space. This paper presents these findings providing consideration of different factors that may influence student success, with directions for future research.

Research training should facilitate effective researcher role development. While researcher roles require the performance of specialised knowledge and skill, they also require development of personal research identities within social contexts. Interaction with research peers can provide opportunities for reflective role development. Ad-hoc cohort-specific peer interventions are relatively common in research training, but these can lack standardisation and clear conceptual frameworks to underpin strategies. Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) provide a structured approach to peer support for learning. As such, we aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a PASS program for research trainees. Participants (N = 21; (9 male, 12 female; exercise science n = 5, biomedical science n = 7, science n = 2, public health n = 4, nutrition n = 3) were post-bachelor honours students and PASS was provided on a weekly basis. Demographic, academic, and PASS data were collected from institutional records. Students completed standardised PASS satisfaction evaluations. Standard undergraduate PASS administrative, funding, and reporting strategies were successfully applied. Leader selection, training, and PASS resource development processes were adapted for the research training context. Attendance and student satisfaction was high as was timely completion of research related assessments. PASS has been shown to provide methodological consistency and a transparent conceptual framework to frame expectations about the process, leader and participant roles, and mechanisms to evaluate impact. PASS enables institutionally sanctioned but peer driven opportunities for social exchange wherein reflective interpretive approaches to research role development can be considered.

World-wide peer learning programs support students in their transition to university. Peer leader support is distinctive, being closer to the learning experience or transition encountered. This paper explores transition into the first year of university through the reflections of peer leaders. It outlines two synergetic programs at the University of Wollongong (UOW): one supporting high school students in the early stages of transition to university (In2Uni); and the second supporting enrolled university students (PASS). Focus groups were conducted to elicit the voices of leaders reflecting on their own transition and experiences of mentoring peers through transition. The findings suggest peer leaders assist transitioning students to confront change; develop strong social networks; make connections within and across curriculum; and learn how to learn in the new academic context. It was found that peer leaders valued peer support in their own transition (or wished for it) and saw its ongoing significance for others in transition.

Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), a peer led academic support program that has multiple documented academic, social, and transition benefits, is increasingly being utilised in Australian institutions. Whilst PASS has been evaluated from multiple angles in regard to the undergraduate cohort, there is limited research regarding the benefits of PASS for postgraduate students, particularly international postgraduate students. This specific cohort's perspective is significant as international students constitute a large proportion of postgraduate students in Australian universities. This study investigates the role of PASS in contributing to the experience of international postgraduate coursework students at an Australian university through an investigation of its perceived benefits by this cohort of students.