Queen Margaret University Drive

Musselburgh

East Lothian

Scotland

EH21 6UU

Buses: There is a direct bus that goes straight to the university from the city centre, buses 30 & 4.

⏰ 18:30 - 20:30 (GMT)

📍All Bar One

📍Clydesdale Bank Plaza, 50 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh, EH3 9BY

This is a chance for us to get together in an informal setting in advance of the main Forum.

There will be drinks and food available to buy from the bar.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Vikki Hill is the Director of Learning Enhancement and Academic Development at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, a Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE, and a recipient of the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence. With over 20 years’ experience in education and leadership, she works in partnership with staff and students to enhance pedagogy and support equitable outcomes. Her academic development leadership centres on compassionate pedagogies, practices and policies, including projects such as Belonging Through Compassion, the QAA Collaborative Enhancement Project Belonging Through Assessment and the current QAA funded network Compassionate Assessment in Higher Education. Vikki’s research explores assessment, compassion, academic development and creative methods, with outputs spanning journal articles, podcasts, websites, film, book chapters, listening events and installations, reflecting her commitment to dialogic, collaborative and affective knowledge exchange in support of social justice. 

Abstract

It’s Not About Being Popular - It’s About Being Recognised
Love, Respect and Esteem in Peer Learning and Student Partnerships

In this keynote we will reimagine peer learning and student partnerships through compassionate pedagogy and a social justice lens. Drawing on recent peer learning literature and Axel Honneth’s Theory of Recognition, it explores how love, respect and esteem can be intentionally embedded within partnership practices to support belonging, transition and equitable outcomes. Vikki will share insights from collaborative initiatives such Creative Mindsets and the Student ChangeMakers that position students as knowledgeable, creative partners and challenge hierarchical, deficit-based approaches in higher education. We will consider how dialogic interventions can build confidence and foster mutual learning among students. Attending to both relational and structural dimensions, the talk highlights the emotional labour of peer learning and partnership work alongside the importance of formal recognition through institutional support. The keynote will conclude with provocations for peer learning practitioners, asking how compassionate partnerships can become sites of recognition and social change.

09:30 - 10:20 - Welcome and Keynote

10:30 - 11:30 - Parallel Session 1 

11:30 - 11:45 - Refreshments

11:45 - 12:45 - Parallel Session 2

12:45 - 13:40 - Lunch and Posters

13:40 - 14:40 - Parallel Session 3

12:40 - 14:50 - Refreshments

14:50 - 15:50 - Parallel Session 4

16:00 - 16:40 - Plenary and Close

(Manchester Metropolitan University) 

(Technological University of the Shannon) 

Abstract: This workshop explores how peer support can enhance students’ academic transitions. Drawing on experiences from two foundation programmes at the University of Edinburgh, the International Foundation Programme and the Part-time Access Programme, the session considers the role of peer support, in particular from student representatives and former foundation students, in easing this transition by sharing knowledge, normalising challenges, and fostering a sense of belonging. 

Participants will be invited to reflect on the value of peer support and peer learning at multiple transition points, including progression from one year of study to the next, and the shift from ‘new student’ overwhelm, to becoming a confident member of the academic community. Through discussion and shared practice, the workshop will explore practical ways of embedding peer support into transition support, with a focus on wellbeing, confidence, academic engagement, with an overarching acceptance that one size does not fit all. 

Abstract: In this interactive workshop, participants experience a short version of a peer-led session used in HW Global College’s mentoring programme. The programme is built as a developmental pathway (mentee → mentor → senior mentor) and includes home and international mentors. We explore how mentors are positioned as knowledge-holders and emerging leaders, and how this intentionally redistributes knowledge and authority into peer-led dialogue. Participants will take part in an anonymous “hidden curriculum” activity, hear brief mentor-style micro-narratives, and co-create a set of “belonging principles” that can be used as a support charter. Participants will leave with: a reusable session script, facilitation tips to keep power with students while maintaining safe boundaries, and quick evaluation questions to capture graduate identity and attribute development. 

Abstract: In this session I will discuss a novel approach to peer learning and support.  This will be achieved by presenting a newly published theoretical model of peer mentoring and discussing how it helps with a wider understanding of other peer-related pedagogies.  I will begin with how peer related initiatives are often used to support students in moments of transition – which can often be fragile.  Having set the scene, I will draw on a rich body of scholarship to explain how these moments of transition take place as life-events.  This conceptual understanding allows me to then introduce the new model of peer mentoring.  Discussions leading from this will highlight new insights into developing appropriate practice in designing, managing and delivering peer learning and support initiatives.  The session is relevant to all staff or students with an interest in peer related pedagogies and peer support in general.  

Abstract: The University of Birmingham’s ‘Birmingham Scholars’ scheme supports students from widening‑participation backgrounds who may face additional challenges in navigating university life. To enhance this support, the Academic Skills Centre introduced the Birmingham Scholar Peer Learning Mentor (BSPLM) role in 2024, employing Scholars to co‑create resources and offer peer‑to‑peer guidance rooted in shared experience. BSPLMs develop relatable study guides, digital resources, and co‑host informal drop‑ins that provide lower‑stakes academic conversations. These peer‑led interactions help Scholars access the hidden curriculum, an area where many arrive with limited familiarity, while strengthening their sense of belonging, well‑being, and academic confidence. Feedback highlights improved study skills, greater confidence, and meaningful connections to a supportive community. 

This session will share insights into designing an inclusive, student‑partnered model centred on authenticity and representation. Participants will gain examples of how this approach can enhance inclusive academic‑skills provision and reshape staff understanding of what effective support looks like. 

Abstract: his presentation explores authentic student-staff partnership in designing and delivering peer support at Northumbria University, where peer support is embedded within our Access and Participation Plan. By adopting co-design methodologies, we position students as equal partners throughout the development process, from identifying support gaps to creating delivery frameworks and evaluation measures. Participants will hear directly from Lewis, our Senior Student Mentor, who will share his perspective on working collaboratively with staff and student mentors, offering valuable insights into what works, what challenges emerged, and his vision for future improvements. We will showcase our BSc Sociology Peer Support Scheme as a case study, demonstrating how our model combines centralised institutional support with departmental ownership and student leadership.   

This session highlights innovative methods to developing peer learning by demonstrating how co-design principles and a universal design informed approach underpins this student-led intervention to help build genuine community and foster belonging. 

Abstract: Most peer support models assume that continuous long-term engagement efforts produce better outcomes. However, at high-anxiety transition points, targeted, time-bound interventions have the potential to be more immediately effective and ultimately more sustainable over time. 

To elaborate, this presentation shares evaluation findings from a Peer Placement Support pilot delivered to first-year initial teacher education students (n≈108) at Marino Institute of Education, Ireland. The 90-minute intervention combined a placement briefing, a moderated Q&A, and small-group discussions with trained third-year ambassadors sharing lived experience, practical reassurance, and honest advice. 

Students rated the peer element exceptionally highly (9.16–9.28/10) and reported meaningful anxiety reductions (6.71–7.09/10). Ambassadors described gains in confidence, reflection, and professional identity. The programme required no additional budget and minimal staff time (two-hour ambassador training). 

Attendees will leave with a replicable framework for designing and evaluating targeted peer interventions in practice-based disciplines. 

Abstract: We have introduced PAL sessions for trainee probation officers who are studying for the Professional Qualification in Probation. They are juggling full time work with block study sessions and online learning. As a discipline, probation is increasingly exploring 'the lived experiences' with people on probation, of which peer support plays a part. This presentation will discuss the background to introduce the opportunity, the need to tailor promotion to the professional context, and addressing barriers to take up for time-starved professionals. 

Abstract: This presentation draws on findings from an ongoing PhD examining undergraduate perceived employability through a mixed-methods design examining undergraduates’ perception of employability development. While employability is often framed as an individual responsibility centred on skills and personal initiative, evidence from a systematic review and qualitative research with UK undergraduates suggests that students’ employability perceptions are strongly shaped by their peer contexts.

Peer relationships emerged as important dimension of employability development, as students compere their progress with others, negotiated their identities, regulated emotions, and learned informally about career opportunities and expectations. These dynamics could support belonging, motivation, and proactive career engagement, but they could also intensify anxiety, competition, and feelings of being “behind”. This is particularly important in higher education contexts where employability support often focuses on individual action, while giving less explicit attention to the social environments in which students make sense of their future careers.

The presentation argues that peer influence should be understood not simply as a source of pressure or comparison, but as a potential site for developing career agency. By reframing peer dynamics in this way, universities can move towards employability approaches that use peer learning, shared reflection, and relational support more deliberately, while remaining attentive to equity, access, and structural constraints. The session will conclude by considering how employability strategies might better recognise the role of peer contexts in shaping students’ confidence, motivation, and engagement with future career development.

Abstract: s higher education career services experience pressure to scale their offering to prepare graduates for ever-evolving labour market, peer learning models in employability context are becoming more prominent.  

In 2024, the University of Glasgow recruited its first cohort of Peer Career Supporters (PCS). Consistent with existing evidence, overall benefits for students receiving guidance were observed. Nevertheless, the impact on the PCS themselves remains under-researched.  

This presentation will demonstrate the findings from a Psychology Dissertation written by one of the PCS that illuminate how the position contributes to career adaptability. Through focus groups, current and former PCS reflected on the impact of the role on their curiosity, control, and confidence.  

Participants will gain a novel perspective on peer career models as dual-impact interventions, learning not only how they enhance student support provision but also how working in PCS roles fosters transferable skills and professional identity development in the student staff themselves. 

Abstract: This session will present a pilot initiative exploring the use of student interns as teaching assistants to support active learning in large academic writing development lectures within the University of East London. These lectures can include over 200 predominantly international students, many of whom have additional language needs that may limit participation in pair and group tasks. Previous research (Lomer and Anthony-Okeke, 2018; Straker, 2020) indicates that language barriers may significantly reduce engagement in group activities. To address these challenges, the pilot employed and trained high achieving students, hired as interns, to circulate during sessions, clarify task instructions, prompt discussion, and provide low-stakes support. Initial observations were positive and suggest that there were benefits for students, staff and interns. This session will outline the rationale, pilot design, and anticipated benefits of the scheme, highlighting its potential as a student-centred approach to peer learning and support. 

Abstract: Postgraduate study increasingly involves mobility across countries, creating culturally diverse cohorts. Yet home students may hold negative perceptions of international peers, contributing to exclusion and reduced engagement (Poort et al., 2022; Spiro, 2014). A “global learning” approach is therefore essential (Green, 2019). At the University of Glasgow, international students form a substantial proportion of the cohort. This paper presentation reports findings from a qualitative study on multicultural engagement among master’s-level students, examining collaborative group learning as a student centred strategy. It also explores how cultural backgrounds shape engagement and identifies factors that support inclusive and effective collaboration. 

Abstract: Digital platforms are increasingly adopted across higher education to enhance student engagement, streamline services, and scale support.  This session presents a critical evaluation of an online platform introduced as a 12-month proof of concept to support first-year students during transition. Despite intentions to improve efficiency, personalise connections, and provide real-time engagement data, use of the platform was associated with a marked decline in student engagement and an increase in student mentors withdrawing. Drawing on institutional engagement data, student surveys, and focus groups, this presentation explores how platform design, using an opt-in approach, and technical limitations introduced friction and made it difficult for students to connect. The session focuses not just on the rationale behind adopting the platform, but on the effects of misalignment between the platform and student needs. Attendees will leave with practical insights and lessons to help determine whether digital platforms are needed for this area and whether they support or hinder student engagement. 

Abstract: Supplemental Instruction programs thrive when leaders feel supported, connected, and equipped—but many rely on scattered tools and inconsistent communication. This session introduces the SI Leader Learning Hub, a streamlined digital ecosystem built using Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. Designed around three core pillars—Community, Connection, and Collaboration—the hub centralizes resources, schedules, training materials, communication channels, and administrative workflows. Participants will see how Teams fosters leader community, how SharePoint structures and secures program content, and how integrated workflows reduce administrative friction. In just 20 minutes, attendees will gain practical strategies and design ideas for creating their own centralized hub that strengthens leader belonging, improves program consistency, and enhances the overall SI experience. 

Abstract: Since 2019, SI-PASS, a peer learning program, has been implemented in four faculties at the University of Liège. During this period, data collection and monitoring primarily relied on attendance records and self-reported questionnaires. While informative, these sources provide little insight into what actually happens during the sessions, knowledge that is crucial for accessing patterns of engagement, evaluating the program’s effectiveness and for assessing leaders’ adherence to its principles. To address this gap, 41 SI-PASS meetings were video recorded and analysed with Noldus Observer XT. This study can be considered an insight into the “black box” of session activity. By using a structured observation grid, it enabled fine-grained analysis of leader moves, interaction dynamics and compliance to official SI-PASS core principles and recommended technique. Results demonstrate moderate rather than full compliance with the official model, as leaders often adapted or abbreviated prescribed practices in response to contextual constraints. This suggests that the implementation at ULiège reflects a local variation of SI-PASS, raising the question of whether it fully corresponds to the international standard. These findings highlight the importance of fidelity checks and process evaluation: without them, outcome studies remain difficult to interpret. Beyond documenting practice, the study underscores the need to reinforce student-led facilitation in leader training, ensure sufficient time for sessions, and clarify what truly constitutes SI-PASS in order to maximize both academic and social benefits for students

Abstract: When a pilot of peer assisted learning was established at Salford University, an extensive impact evaluation was designed in. The chosen approach combined a variety of quantitative and qualitative approaches and was guided by an overarching theory of change. It sought to evaluate the impact of PAL on student outcomes, progression, students’ sense of belonging and confidence.  

While our approach was shaped by experts in data analysis from our institution’s Strategy team, this presentation will share elements of our approach that we hope will be useful for peer learning practitioners. These include comparing outcomes for student participants with matched control groups using propensity scores with demographics; and gaining a rich picture of students’ experience formed by recording and coding peer leaders’ reflections. We will share our approach and findings as well as practical lessons learned.  

Abstract: This presentation introduces a practical, budget- friendly approach to Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) that supports over 1,300 first year undergraduates across multiple programmes. Students are time poor and face high cognitive load (Ahmed, 2024), creating barriers to accessing PAL sessions and limiting engagement in the scheme. These challenges are often most acute for students from Widening Participation and Social Mobility groups (Jury et al., 2017), including those from multiple deprivation indicator areas and those historically eligible for free school meals. 

In response, we have reviewed our PAL provision to increase interaction points and enhance accessibility while maintaining financial sustainability. Our new layered approach represents the first implementation of dual- mode delivery, requiring no increase in budget while maximising Peer Leader time and enabling scalability. With this innovation come new evaluation methods and the opportunity to gain insights into the relationship between high- quality PAL sessions, student confidence, and academic self-efficacy. 

Abstract: Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) can enhance collaboration, engagement, and academic success, yet its implementation in transnational education remains limited. This session explores a PAL initiative for medical students in the Nanchang Joint Programme at QMUL, designed to align with disciplinary pedagogy, professional standards, and student success. Our results reveal that PAL tutors developed leadership and conflict-resolution skills, while participants reported deeper understanding, knowledge retention and exposure to diverse perspectives. Hence, PAL enhances academic and interpersonal development among transnational medical students. By fostering belonging and teamwork, PAL supports QMUL’s efforts to create an inclusive and future-oriented learning environment where students can thrive.

Abstract: Inclusive and Accessible Learning has been hotly debated for years and in the last ten years, big strides have been made in terms of delivering lectures, seminars and content in more inclusive and accessible formats. Yet often the way that PAL/PASS and Peer mentoring is being run hasn't necessarily changed and is depended on the students leading each course/session. In this workshop, I will break down some of the most common barriers students face and we will discuss and explore how PAL leaders can enhance their own professional development and session planning to be more inclusive, how staff can ensure accessible training and how you can work together with your students to tackle these challenges. 

Abstract: This session explores how the PALS programme within QMU nursing supports professional identity formation, aligns with the NMC code, and contributes to key graduate attributes, demonstrating the evaluative value of Peer Learning beyond academic support. This session will present the NMC code, how it relates to practice for registered nurses, and how it therefore forms the basis of curriculums and standards expected of nursing students across the UK. In nursing, PALS must align with a professional set of standards in a way that other subjects may not. We will examine how participation in PALS helps students work toward the NMC's principles. How is this, then, generalisable to other professional bodies/standards across different subjects and industries? The presentation also considers whether the term “peer” fully captures the mentoring role within PALS, and how leveraging peer learning initiatives with professional regulatory standards can strengthen evaluation, sustainability, and perceived value." 

Abstract: At the University of Glasgow, a near-peer training programme has been developed within anatomy teaching on its medicine programme. A near-peer teaching scheme within anatomy teaching has the distinct requirement for practical application. The pedagogical and professional requirements within a medicine cohort allow for the integration of cadaveric and model-based teaching as well as the use of ultrasound. Coupling this teaching with a near-peer programme can scaffold learning for the students and near-peers alike, with appropriate training. In particular, this training, and the development of lead near-peers helps establish quality assurance, continuity, and sustainability of the near-peer programme. This presentation will demonstrate the methods and rationale of the near peer training programme at the University of Glasgow and highlight the multi-perspective evaluation of its ongoing development through qualitative reflections from staff, lead near peers, and near peers.  

Abstract: Students on the BA (Hons) Integrated Health and Social Care programme at the University of the West of Scotland were offered the opportunity to join the Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) project as PASS observers, extending the principle of peer support by providing an additional layer of guidance for PASS Leaders within the wider learning community. As part of a Level 10 work-related module, students are required to complete a project, with one assessment component requiring reflection on the graduate attributes and employability skills developed through their project, supporting Authentic Assessment. Students who volunteered for the PASS Observer role used this as the basis of their project. 

Embedding the PASS initiative within the module enabled students to recognise the skills they were gaining, with the observations representing only the visible aspect of deeper learning. This created a meaningful capstone experience that strengthened connections among students and across the wider university.

Abstract: Learning from failure is an essential component of higher education. The FLIP (Failure: Learning in Progress) Project uses a Student-as-Partners approach to create evidence-informed approaches to learning from failure for cross-disciplinary contexts. There is a growing collection of pedagogical techniques in the educational literature that explore how failure can be used to enhance learning. However, little educational research has engaged an inclusive and equity-centered approach to pedagogical failure despite the fact that interlocking systems of power and privilege dramatically shape who can afford to take risks, who gets to fail, and who has the resources and supports to try again. To challenge this, the Students-as-Partners approach emphasized the importance of developing and implementing peer-led failing-forward activities including peer-generated examples, collaborative error analysis, student-led scaffolding of problem-solving approaches, naming and surfacing of systems, and the importance of emphasizing joy and surprises. This session will provide attendees with practical frameworks and flexible techniques for implementing peer-supported failure analysis /productive struggle in cross-disciplinary contexts. 

Abstract: This presentation will explain workshop-based methods and other strategies that build connected peer networks from day one at university. Life on Earth is a first year first semester module for 240 students that builds lasting peer connections to graduation and beyond. Students participate in experiential and active workshops. There are no lectures. Students are assessed on a reflective commentary of a learning journal where they explain how peer connections facilitate their adaptation to University learning styles and enhance their wellbeing and transition to University. The Grand Challenge is a second semester activity for 500 first year students where peer collaborations are encouraged to spill over into tutorials, practical laboratory pairings, second semester modules, and cohort-based study sessions. Both Life on Earth and the Grand Challenge also build student’s trust and belief in student centred academic staff. This forms the basis of ongoing student support and engagement strategies. 

Abstract: Peer Assisted Study Support (PASS) was piloted at UWS in 2024/25, with Computer Animation Arts achieving the most successful implementation. This success stems from the programme’s long standing culture of peer review, teamwork, and extracurricular collaboration, which meant PASS could integrate naturally rather than operate as an isolated initiative. Strong staff–student partnership and an emphasis on cohort cohesion created a foundation where peer led learning was already valued and embedded. PASS has therefore enhanced, rather than introduced, a supportive peer environment. 

The presentation will outline how these existing practices developed within the programme and how PASS has strengthened them. PASS in Computer Animation Arts has not succeeded in a vacuum—it has worked because it builds on a well established culture of collaboration. 

This raises an important question: how might we extend these principles to strengthen peer led learning across the wider institution? 

Abstract: In the 2024/25 academic year, the King's College London Students' Union (KCLSU) wellbeing team worked with the King's College London (KCL) evaluation team to produce a report analysing questionnaire responses from mentors and mentees across 4 KCL faculties and KCLSU itself, with some intriguing results.  

This creative workshop will open discussions around barriers to engagement with peer mentoring schemes. We will explore how these barriers affect satisfaction with schemes as well as their potential impact in areas such as perceptions of the scheme and/or higher education and sense of belonging.  

After being presented with the barriers to engagement found at King's, participants will work in groups to design a peer mentoring scheme for first year students that solves the engagement conundrum. We hope that participants will leave with ideas that can be implemented within their own peer mentoring schemes.  

Abstract: Peer mentoring programmes using standardised approaches may not serve all students equitably. This collaborative workshop explores how intentional design can build inclusivity for diverse cohorts transitioning to university, such as widening participation, foundation year and international students. 

Participants will explore practical challenges across the mentoring programme lifecycle through collaborative discussion and real-life scenarios, developing novel solutions and strategies. Drawing on the facilitators' experiences across different mentoring programmes, the workshop shares what has worked well, what has not and why. 

The aim is to co-create a practical framework for mentoring programme design. The session supports practitioners in considering novel approaches, whether designing new programmes or enhancing existing ones. 

This workshop is suitable for educators, programme coordinators and administrators.

Abstract: This interactive workshop will explore how you train your peer leaders. Have you been using the same training manual for many years? Does your training need to be overhauled? Not sure how to go about it? We’d like to help you to with that. Sharing our experience of training over the last decade, we will explore how you can adapt your training. We’ll discuss our current training method which uses a blended approach of online and in-person.  

The workshop includes an activity to help you analyse your own training and brainstorm possible changes. The session will also include a Q&A with student leaders who have been through training and a semester of leading sessions with first year students. We hope participants and facilitators will learn from others’ best practice/experience to enhance leader training.

Abstract: Sometimes, it’s easy to focus on challenges, but we also need to celebrate success! This workshop will encompass a whistlestop showcase of some initiatives that are working well in the CÉIM peer learning programme at University of Galway/University of Galway Students’ Union and then we’ll brainstorm together and share what is proving successful in participants’ programmes. Initiatives to be showcased cover technology (programme management, digital badges, group chat); leader recruitment, coaching and retention; inclusion and embedding critical thinking in peer learning sessions. Sometimes small changes can have a big impact. Come along, be inspired and have some positive conversations! 

Abstract: In this workshop you will be invited to try out some of the experiential exercises that form part of the Student Listeners training program at the University of Glasgow, and learning a bit about what we do. Student Listeners teaches students how to be effective, active listeners with their peers. They learn how to avoid giving advice, so that the person they are listening to, with warm and friendly, non-judgemental support, can find answers within themselves. Listeners learn by doing, practicing together in groups and pairs. Come and get a taster of what this looks like and try out listening to your conference peers.

Abstract: Peer learning is often framed as a support mechanism for academic success, yet in professional creative practice, it functions as a primary engine of knowledge creation. This session explores how dramaturgical processes developed in theatre rehearsal rooms can inform more dynamic, collaborative approaches to peer learning in higher education. 

Drawing on my practice as a dramaturg and my current MA studies in Arts, Festival and Cultural Management at Queen Margaret University, I will examine how structured critical dialogue, iterative development, and distributed expertise operate in rehearsal contexts and how these methods can be adapted for educational settings. Dramaturgy offers a process-driven, reflective, and responsive framework for peer learning that is responsive to diverse ways of thinking, including neurodivergent modes of engagement. 

The session will introduce practical tools transferable beyond the arts, including facilitated questioning techniques, collaborative analysis methods, and protocols for creating psychologically safe spaces for critique and experimentation. Case examples from interactive performance, hybrid digital storytelling, and immersive practice will illustrate how peer-led inquiry can support complex problem-solving and creative development. 

Participants will leave with adaptable strategies for embedding dramaturgical approaches into peer learning programmes, tutorials, and group work across disciplines. By reframing rehearsal methodologies as pedagogical tools, the session aims to expand how institutions conceptualise collaborative learning.

Abstract: The purpose of the roundtable discussion is for participants to explore how voluntary Peer Assisted Learning Scheme (PAL) roles can be meaningfully recognised and validated within and beyond the institution. Whilst PAL leaders undertake training, facilitation, and leadership activities, their work is often voluntary and may be inconsistently acknowledged or recorded by the Sector. The discussion will focus on how universities can better evidence and value these contributions, particularly in relation to employability, professional identity, and progression after graduation.  

Participants will be invited to share approaches recognising PALs involvement, including institutional award schemes, recognition, and opportunities to work towards professional acknowledgement such as Associate Fellowships in Higher Education. The roundtable will also consider how low-cost, sustainable validation approaches can enhance motivation, inclusion, and programme sustainability. The session aims to generate shared insights and practical strategies that can be adapted across diverse institutional settings.  

Abstract: Peer support sessions can be a challenge to provide for distance learning and Masters students. The purpose of this roundtable is for participants to explore, share and discuss approaches to provide peer support to these two cohorts. At a time when UKHEI’s may be pushing to grow these programmes as a revenue stream, how do we support these students to succeed? Hopefully, we will inspire and learn from each other.  

We will also share a new approach that we have piloted at the University of Birmingham for History PGT distance learning students to build community and peer support. We adapted the concept of an action learning set to enable peer-peer coaching for this pilot. In term 1, 25% of the cohort took part, it received positive student feedback and participants were keen to sustain it themselves. There were immediate pedagogic benefits as discussion boards were populated with actual student discussion. 

Abstract: 'Artificial Intelligence' tools such as chatbots, text and image generators are increasingly common in the everyday academic environment. Their use brings relevant questions to the peer-led context: Should we model the use of AI in study sessions like SI-PASS? How well do students understand university policy? Do these tools decrease the relevance of peer-led groups? Join this interactive discussion with some key tips and pointers for how AI might affect your student group activities (and members) - and how it shouldn't.  

Abstract: How do we as supervisors or coordinators support the quality assurance of our peer learning or peer support programmes? Through this round table discussion, we will explore what quality assurance is, why it is important and the approaches and processes through which it can be achieved. Building on our experience in supporting peer learning programmes across Europe that operate according to the SI-PASS model, and informed by an ongoing international project on zones of excellence for SI-PASS programmes (personal communication Malm, J. 2026), we will share our insights on quality assurance, and invite participants to contribute their own experience from both SI-PASS, and other peer learning and peer support programmes. The aim is to highlight examples of good practice for quality assurance of peer learning and peer support programmes by leveraging our shared community of practice.

(Queen Margaret University)

Accessing the campus by vehicle
Vehicles can access the campus via the A1, between the exit for Newcraighall/Craigmillar and the Old Craighall Roundabout. There are entry and exit slip roads to campus on both northbound and southbound carriageways of the A1. Drivers should note that the access by car is not permitted via Whitehall Farm Road (by Musselburgh Station).

For free parking, please provide us with your details on this form (Name and car registration) at least 48 hours in advance. If you do not provide this informatio, you will need to pay the £6 daily charge.

To pay for daily parking we recommend you use the PayByPhone App, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store 

You can also pay for parking using the PayByPhone website or by calling 0330 400 7275.

The charge for daily parking is £6 per day. Please pay when you arrive, using one of the methods listed above, after you have found a space.

The location number for QMU is 807056.

As you can see we're packing a lot in, but there are plenty of hands-on activities to scaffold your research plan, and we'll reserve an optional Q&A at the end for those who want more bespoke 1:1 advice or direction.

In 2024, the University of Glasgow recruited its first cohort of Peer Career Supporters (PCS). Consistent with existing evidence, overall benefits for students receiving guidance were observed. Nevertheless, the impact on the PCS themselves remains under-researched.  

This presentation will demonstrate the findings from a Psychology Dissertation written by one of the PCS that illuminate how the position contributes to career adaptability. Through focus groups, current and former PCS reflected on the impact of the role on their curiosity, control, and confidence.  

Participants will gain a novel perspective on peer career models as dual-impact interventions, learning not only how they enhance student support provision but also how working in PCS roles fosters transferable skills and professional identity development in the student staff themselves.

In Scotland, the term "pals" creates a friendly, low-threshold connotation. This has helped us build a welcoming, friendly, student-led space for learning and belonging. The PALs initiative began as a small pilot in the first year of our undergraduate Nursing programme, two years ago. It has since grown to support all nursing students and has been embedded with staff support.

Our sessions offer short skills-adjacent activities (roleplay, SBAR sprints, bioscience drills and assignment preparation alongside peer support for all aspects of the programme).

These sessions have clear agendas, captioned resources, and are provided on an opt-in basis for attendees. PALs also offers a friendly, informal space where people feel able to ask those questions; they don't always feel comfortable asking in a lecture.

For those facilitating the sessions, we gain experience in leadership, receive feedback, and develop presentation skills. These can all be mapped to the NMC Code (2018) and also build readiness for Practice Supervisor/Assessor roles on graduation. This role also enables us to meet learning outcomes for the course. Our Nursing programme also incorporates an Active Learning Community module, which is an integrated peer-support programme for both the theory and practice elements of the course.

We will share an example of a session, attendance and return rates, student reflections, and discuss the opportunities for those involved, as well as the importance of established peer support for both university and a nursing career.

This poster will demonstrate how PALs, when adapted with intention, can become a powerful tool for nursing education, enhancing both student experience and professional development.

Workshop 1

(with a choice of two times to attend)

Title: Qualitative research options - moving from an initial idea toward a realistic project plan

Facilitated by Dr Nevan Bermingham, co-editor of the Journal of Peer Learning, this session will focus on qualitative research options and guide you from an initial idea toward a realistic project plan. Through instruction and guided hands-on tasks, we’ll aim to simplify the research process by offering a few logical methodology pathways, highlight how to achieve publication, and demystify how academic journals like the Journal of Peer Learning work. The boot-camp approach will help you avoid potential pitfalls as you take your first steps toward research publication.

• Queen Margaret University, academic building

• Thursday, 21^st May

• 10am – 1pm

  • and repeated at

• 2pm - 5pm

• There will be refreshments served during a break mid-workshop.

Workshop 2

Title: From idea to impact: experience the power of writing groups

Become an active participant (Freire, 1970) in a dynamic writing group by joining this workshop facilitated by Dr Theresa Clementson. It offers delegates a creative, interactive and non-performative space in which to “talk, write and learn together” (Aitchison, 2009, p.261). You will try out techniques and strategies to overcome writing blocks, develop your writing voice, generate and organise ideas, and develop a focus for your own article, talk or research project. Taking place over three hours, you will have time to think, write, share ideas, move projects forward and come and go as you wish.

This workshop draws on Theresa’s work at the University of Brighton, her research and the wider literature. Writing groups can provide an inclusive, student-led, innovative way to initiate peer learning alongside the curriculum, which is low budget and easy to implement, and has been found to develop students’ confidence, disciplinary competence and agency as well as bringing joy back into learning (Clementson, 2024). The workshop will include an optional discussion of how writing or similar peer learning communities can be implemented for students in your contexts. We will also discuss the option of continuing this group as an ongoing writing community of practice.

• Queen Margaret University, academic building

• Thursday, 21^st May

• 2pm – 5pm

• There will be refreshments served during a break mid-workshop.

  
  

Lunch is not provided; however, delegates will be able to buy lunch from one of the catering outlets on campus, or can bring a packed lunch (microwaves are available for heating food).

Abstract: At the University of Glasgow, a near-peer training programme has been developed within the medicine programme. A near-peer teaching scheme within anatomy has the distinct requirement for practical application. The pedagogical and professional requirements for medical training permit the integration of cadaveric and model-based teaching, as well as the use of ultrasound into student teaching. Coupling this teaching with a near-peer programme can scaffold learning for the students and near-peers alike, with appropriate training. In particular, the near-peer training, and the development of lead near-peers, helps establish quality assurance, continuity, and sustainability of the near-peer programme. This presentation will demonstrate the methods and rationale of the near peer training programme at the University of Glasgow and highlight the multi-perspective evaluation of its ongoing development through qualitative reflections from staff, lead near peers, and near peers.