Together with the University of Lincoln’s Graduate School, we developed a Peer Assisted Learning Support (PALS) scheme for PhD students. During the initial meetings with my co-facilitator, we discussed ideas about how to take this project forward.
We soon discovered that setting up a combination of peer assistance and action learning in the postgraduate research context, was a novel idea. Six months later, we completed the first round of PALS for PhDs. Looking back, it has been an unqualified success. The original student participants in this pilot have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic and eager to carry on. Many other students have expressed an interest in participating in the PALS scheme in the future.
As part of the pilot evaluation, we conducted a number of focus groups in September. During one of the focus groups, students asked me what I got out of the project through my role as a co-facilitator. At that point, some things came immediately to my mind. For example, hearing how we all face similar issues during our PhD studies or seeing people connect with one another… But I realised that, as difficult as it is to describe the power of action learning as a member, it is equally hard to describe exactly what you get out of it as a facilitator. Being a PhD student myself, I shared most of the benefits that it gave the participants. In addition, there was also something indescribable yet valuable. I guess it had something to do with being part of a scheme that enabled PhD students to look and reflect on themselves as individuals. Being able to provide this outlet within an academic setting and being trusted with issues that go deeper than solely the content of their work was a real pleasure. It was rewarding to see my colleagues develop, to see them present an issue, work through it and come back to the next meeting almost as different people!
PALS for PhDs has now reached the stage in which new participants are registering and additional facilitators are trained. By the new year, this project will progress to the next level and it remains a pleasure to be part of this!
