A Training Guide for College Tutors and Peer Educators

By mirroring appropriate methods for organizing and presenting material in an academic support session, it allows the reader to experience for themselves the practices and strategies they will apply as future tutors and peer educators. Based on solid learning theory, the activities, assessments, examples and features included in this flexible and engaging text simulate recommended peer educator practices and emphasize guiding college students to become active, self-monitoring and independent learners.

While teaching readers the key, research-based elements of quality peer assistance, this first-edition guide also incorporates a comprehensive list of topics represented in certification programs. Peppered with practical examples and interactive problem-solving scenerios that readers can immediately apply in their positions, trainees will learn how to plan for sessions, how to assess students’ learning, how to create collaborative activities, how to integrate college learning strategies, and how to approach common issues faced on the job.

Sally Lipsky’s academic background and work experiences have centered on public education–from elementary to the postsecondary levels. Upon graduation from the University of New Mexico (B.S. elementary education), she began her career as a Title I reading instructor with the Houston (TX) public school district. After earning a M.Ed. in reading education from Texas Southern University, she taught in the Pittsburgh (PA) public schools. She earned a Ph.D. in language communications and adult education from the University of Pittsburgh and continued her career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she has worked for over twenty years as a faculty member in the Developmental Studies Department, College of Education and Educational Technology. Her work involves coordinating academic support services and peer assistance programming; supervising paraprofessional peer educators; teaching first-year seminar courses and a peer educator training course; and developing promotional, evaluation, and outcomes assessment procedures. She has made numerous professional presentations and written about aspects of postsecondary learning, including the text College Study: The Essential Ingredients (in its second edition) published by Pearson Education. Furthermore, as a member of the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA), she has chaired the Learning & Study Skills Special Interest Group. As a member of the National Association for Developmental Education (NADE), she has chaired the Peer Assistance Programs Special Professional Interest Network. To this day, she remains fascinated with the process of learning and committed to the value of public education.