How have Supplemental Instruction-Peer Assisted Study Sessions (SI-PASS) programmes adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic? Case Studies from four Higher Education Institutes in Ireland, Norway, the UK and Sweden.

Abstract

In this paper we look at the adaption of SI-PASS programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic drawing from four Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as case studies: The National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway in Ireland, Nord University in Norway, Lund University in Sweden and the University of Manchester in the UK. The paper also focuses on the role of SI-PASS in student engagement in an extraordinary time. Attention is given to the numerous challenges that the SI-PASS teams have faced. For instance, how to engage students in an online environment or in a face-to-face setting with social distancing, training student leaders to hold online sessions, support of leaders, and enhancing the student participants’ learning experience. Attention is also given to the potential benefits of online SI-PASS and lessons learned that can be incorporated in post-pandemic SI-PASS programmes.