1. PASS @ Ulster
Amanda Zacharopoulou
School of Law
Melanie Giles
Cathy Carson
Stephanie Boyle
Deirbhile McKay
School of Psychology
Joan Condell
School of Computing &
Intelligent Systems

2. What is PASS?
PASS stands for Peer Assisted Study Sessions and
is a scheme designed to help lower year students
with some of the trickier aspects of their course
and to assist them with the transition to
university.
Specifically, its purpose is to support the student
experience through collaborative discussion and
involves higher year students (PASS Leaders)
working in pairs to facilitate regular study groups
with lower year students within the context of
their discipline.

3. What is PASS?

4. Breaking the Dependency Cycle
Deepening Understanding

5. Dependency Cycle: Tell them

6. Failed Processes: Tell them again

7. Failed Processes: Tell them more slowly

8. Break the Dependency Cycle: Tell them

9. Break the Dependency Cycle:
Tell each other

10. Break the Dependency Cycle: Tell You

11. Chinese Proverb
Tell me and I forget
Show me and I remember
Involve me and I understand

12. How does it operate?
There are 3 levels of student involvement:
 PASS Placement Students (DPP) – help coordinate
and develop the scheme
 PASS Leaders (normally year two) – help
facilitate study sessions
 PASS Participants (normally year one)

13. How does it operate?
 A compulsory one-day training course followed by two
discipline specific workshops for PASS Leaders.
 Working in pairs, Leaders facilitate weekly study sessions
with groups of 10 to 15 students for one hour. Sessions are
timetabled and generally targeted at difficult modules.
 Sessions are student led. Focus on group facilitation
techniques and associated activities during training
provides Leaders with the skills necessary to empower
students to identify topics for discussion.
 Sessions are monitored closely by the SI Supervisors.
Feedback is provided during weekly debrief sessions.
Involvement is accredited through the CPPD framework.

14. How does it operate?
The Certificate of Personal and Professional Development:
Students will be expected to enrol on two specific modules
and will be formally assessed on a range of outcomes some
of which will be specific to the process (e.g. their ability to
plan, deliver and evaluate a PASS session; apply relevant
learning strategies to enhance learning; employ a range of
collaborative learning techniques to facilitate group
discussion) and other more generic skills (e.g. their ability
to communicate effectively, manage time, work as part of a
team, reflect on personal development).

15. Evaluating PASS
Our findings suggest that PASS is indeed serving to:
 Enhance academic performance by providing
opportunities for students to clarify their learning
 Aid the transition process by allowing students to
build supportive networks
 Create an effective learning community

16. Evaluating PASS
Going to PASS means we get a chance to look over our
notes and gain a better understanding of what has been
taught in lectures. Hopefully that will pay off when we
get our results’
I wouldn’t have made some of my friends if it wasn’t for
PASS’. Its good because you have time when you can
talk openly to each other about the course and our work
because we wouldn’t do it any other time’

17. Further Developments
 Employability Project: Seeking to show that PASS also
serves to promote the development of skills and
attributes that will strengthen employability
particularly amongst its leaders.
 Problem-Based Learning Project: Seeking to show that
student engagement can be enhanced if we provide more
structure to our PASS sessions.

18. PASS @ Ulster
Employability Programme

19. What is t he Employabilit y
Pr ogr amme?
 The employability programme is delivered to PASS
Leaders during the weekly de-brief sessions in order
to increase their employability skills.
 The content and structure of these sessions has
been designed by students and consists of a series
of skill-building activities (games and practical
exercises) focused on those facets of employability
that are of direct relevance to the PASS
experience.

20. The Pur pose – Rewar ding
St udent s
 Thisprogramme was designed to help
students articulate the skills they have gained
during their time as a PASS leader: to make
the implicit more explicit.
 The programme was also created to formally
reward PASS leaders for their participation in
the PASS programme: the two CPPD modules
which are also completed as part of this
process are now a recognised component of
the Ulster Edge Award.

21. I t aims t o enhance a r ange of
skills…
 Reflection
 Time Management
 Listening Skills
 Teamwork and Communication
 Leadership
 Interpersonal Communication
 Creative Thinking
PASS Leaders in
 Presentation Skills
De-Brief Session

22. St udent ’s I nput
 DPP students help to co-ordinate the
employability programme
 DPP students have developed many of the
activities used within the programme.
 DPP students run the employability sessions
(during PASS debrief sessions)
 DPP students are helping to evaluate the
programme
 PASS Leaders views are sought at all stages of
the evaluation process

23. A Wor king Example…
Activity One – LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Objective:To highlight the strengths and
weaknesses of a good leader.
Break the students into groups of 3-5 people.
Choose a leader in each group and whisper a
letter in their ear. The leader must get his or her
group to form that shape without speaking or
pulling people into position. The leader may only
gesture or touch. If there is time, rotate until
everyone has had a chance to be a leader.

24. Evaluat ion
 An evaluation is currently underway to
assess the value of PASS in increasing PASS
Leaders employability skills.
 The evaluation involves both quantitative
and qualitative methods.
 It compares current PASS Leaders with non-
PASS Leaders and is focused specifically on
their perceived employability traits.
 Early indications suggest that the
programme is having a positive effect.

25. Summar y of Session
 The leaders facilitated the session – they did
not dominate!
 It was structured (timing, activities and
content)
 It was about exploratory discussion, not
being told the answers
 It was interactive and participative learning
 Energy booster activities used throughout
session
 It was ‘serious’ fun!