Free Peer Learning is offered to all AAP students who want to strengthen their abilities to think critically and independently, read analytically, write well, reason quantitatively, and study effectively while mastering course materials. Every year, we train over 130 Peer Learning Facilitators (mostly successful upper division AAP students) to work as Peer Learning facilitators and to serve as academic role models. The Center provides Peer Learning Workshops to almost 2,000 AAP students every week. AAP Peer Learning workshops offer students an opportunity to shape their own educational experiences – and to excel. The Peer Learning Unit builds on the premise that critical thinking and intellectual independence are developed through questioning and dialogue. Most of our Peer Learning sessions take place in small groups of three to twelve students. This setting fosters discussion and allows students to listen to, grapple with, and articulate new perspectives. It enables students to work collaboratively, helping them to see that they can rely on classmates as well as Peer Learning Facilitators; it helps students develop the tools necessary for scholarly inquiry. We treat writing as a process of ongoing revision, teaching students to critically evaluate and edit their own writing.
Philosophy
AAP Peer Learning Makes a Difference!!!
AAP Peer Learning workshops are concerned with fostering excellence, not remediation. Every year, the AAP Peer Learning Center provides free workshops to more than 4,000 AAP students through its Humanities, Physical/Life Sciences, and Social Sciences Labs. AAP Peer Learning workshops offer you a unique opportunity to receive individual attention, to shape your own educational experience, and to push yourself to academic excellence.
The majority of our workshops are done in small groups of three to five students. Small group Peer Learning fosters discussion and allows for the articulation of different perspectives. It helps you develop the tools necessary for scholarly inquiry. It allows you to work collaboratively, to help one another, to see that you can rely on classmates as well as TA’s and Peer Learning facilitators, and to see that you are not alone in your personal or academic pursuits.
Composition courses are led almost exclusively one-on-one and focus on your own expression and understanding. Writing is treated as a process of ongoing revision, teaching you to critically evaluate and revise your own writing. Individual sessions allow the Peer Learning facilitator to become more involved in your learning process, and to get a close-up look at what skills, experiences, and knowledge you bring to the course. Individual sessions give you and the Facilitator a better opportunity to get to know and trust one another.
AAP’s Peer Learning philosophy is grounded in the following beliefs:
To become active and critical thinkers, students must assume responsibility for the learning that occurs in Peer Learning sessions. The aim is to place students at the center of Peer Learning sessions, making students responsible for interpreting materials, questioning concepts, and testing the ideas encountered in classes.
AAP Peer Learning facilitators do not reproduce the role of the instructor. In fact, they regularly encourage students to meet with their professors and TA’s. Peer Learning facilitators supplement instruction by getting you to engage course materials actively, critically, and independently through questioning, dialogue, and debate. The aim is to place you at the center of the Peer Learning session, making you responsible for interpreting materials, questioning concepts, and testing the ideas you encounter in your classes.
Students recognize their own intellectual authority best in an environment that combines rigorous academic expectations with encouragement, support, and respect.
AAP Peer Learning facilitators encourage you to share your experiences and insights freely during tutorial sessions; they provide you with constructive feedback that acknowledges the value of your ideas and validates your potential as an aspiring scholar; they actively challenge your perceptions and help you appreciate the power and value of your ethnic and socio- economic heritage.
Effective Peer Learning facilitators are intellectual mentors who offer their personal support and their knowledge of campus life.
Peer Learning facilitators are sometimes asked to mediate in problems and situations that have roots in distinctly non- academic spheres: in feelings of alienation, anxiety about family expectations, financial pressures, and the like. Trained in crisis intervention, AAP Peer Learning facilitators provide students with information about campus resources and refer students to the appropriate campus offices.
Math Science
A&O SCI 1
ASTR 3
CHEM 14A
CHEM 14BL
CHEM 14C
CHEM 14CL
CHEM 14D
CHEM 20A
CHEM 20L
CHEM 30A
CHEM 30B
CHEM 153A
COMPTNG 10A
LIFESCI 1
LIFESCI 2
LIFESCI 3
LIFESCI 4
LIFESCI 15
LIFESCI 30A
MATH 1
MATH 3A
MATH 3B
MATH 3C
MATH 31A
MATH 31B
MATH 32A
MATH 32B
MATH 33A
MATH 33B
PHYSCI
PHYSICS 1A
PHYSICS 1B
PHYSICS 1C
PHYSICS 6A
PHYSICS 6B
PHYSICS 6C
PHYSICS 10
STATS 10
STATS 13
Humanities and Social Sciences
AN N EA 10W
ANTHRO 8
ANTHRO 9
CHICANO 10A
CHICANO M159A
COM LIT 2BW
COM LIT 4CW
COM LIT 4DW
ECON 1
ECON 2
ECON 11
ECON 41
ENGCOMP A
ENGCOMP 1B
ENGCOMP 2
ENGCOMP 2I
ENGCOMP 3
ENGCOMP 3SL
ENGCOMP 100W
ENGL 4HW
ENGL 4W
ENGL 4WS
LING 1
LING 20
LING 120A
LING 120B
LING 120C
MGMT 1A
MGMT 1B
PHILOS 22
POL SCI 6
POL SCI 10
POL SCI 20
POL SCI 30
POL SCI 40
POL SCI 50
PSYCH 10
PSYCH 100A
PSYCH 100B
PSYCH 110
PSYCH 115
PSYCH 120A
RELIGN M60W
SCAND 40W
SOCIOL 1
SOCIOL 20
SOCIOL 101
SOCIOL 102
SPAN 25
SPAN 27
SPAN 44
SPAN 120
AAP PEER LEARNING ENROLLMENT PASSES
Effective Fall 2017, Peer Learning enrollment is divided into two assigned passes that give all students an opportunity to enroll in peer learning sessions, before an open pass for everyone. Please check MyUCLA for your individually assigned enrollment passes one week before the first week of each term.
Important: Students not enrolled in classes will be dropped from peer learning sessions.
Enrollment Queue
Beginning Wednesday of week 1 through the following Sunday, you may experience a wait time before accessing the Peer Learning system whenever the system is experiencing a high volume of Peer Learning transactions. Your individual wait time will be displayed on the screen. You may logout of MyUCLA during your wait time and your position in the queue will be preserved. However, it is critical that you return to the Peer Learning page and are present before your wait time expires, otherwise, you will be placed at the end of the queue and assigned a new wait time.
In order to allow sufficient time to wait in the queue and to complete the enrollment process, it is highly recommended that you login to MyUCLA and visit the Pear Learning page as close to the beginning of each of your assigned pass times as possible. You must complete your enrollment transactions before the end of your pass time.
Help keep wait times short for everyone! Once you have completed your Peer Learning Enrollment, please refrain from returning to the MyUCLA Peer Learning Page until your next pass begins.
First Peer Learning Enrollment Pass
During first pass, students may enroll in peer learning for one class. This gives all students a better chance to obtain at least some Peer Learning. Students who do not enroll in a session during their first pass must wait until their second pass to enroll.
Second Peer Learning Enrollment Pass
During second pass, students may enroll in peer learning for up to two classes
Open Peer Learning Enrollment Pass
Once the two initial assigned passes are completed, all AAP students will have an opportunity to add or drop sessions through the end of the third week.
Students are not allowed to enroll before their specified enrollment pass time(s). Enrollment pass times are assigned based on your year of entry to UCLA. Appointment times are randomly assigned within pass periods that are prioritized by group in the following order:
- New students
- Second year students
- Third year students
- Fourth year (or older) students
How to SIGN UP for AAP Peer Learning Sessions
- Access the MyUCLA Peer Learning feature by either of the following ways:
Click the Peer Learning link: http://my.ucla.edu/directLink.aspx?featureID=152&u=1Or
Log on to MyUCLA and click the “ACADEMICS” tab. In the “Advising and Academic Services” section, click “Peer Learning.”
- Read the terms of agreement. If you agree, check the box for each section, then click “I Agree.”
- Select the appropriate term from the menu in the upper-right corner (e.g. Fall 2017).
- Select AAP from the Unit menu in the top-left corner, if not already selected.
- In the PEER LEARNING menu, click FIND A SESSION.
- Click on the subject area you want to enroll in (e.g. Physics), then select a course.
- If no session time matches your schedule, click the “request an alternate time” link.
- If the course you would like is not listed, we encourage you to request the course using the WISH LIST function.
If you have any questions about how to sign up, please come visit us in 1214 Campbell Hall or give us a call at 310.206.7771.
Many students worry about using Peer Learning, thinking that it’s remedial. Perhaps you are one. Here are some reasons students give for not using AAP Peer Learning workshops and our responses to them.
Reason #1: I don’t need Peer Learning workshops because I’m not in academic difficulty.
Our program is broader than trouble-shooting or remedy-seeking. AAP Peer Learning workshops are designed to enhance your learning–even if you are an “A” student. Learning is enriched if it takes place in a social context where you can test your understanding in dialogue with others. Everyone can benefit from seeing how others view things, hearing responses to one’s own ideas and the ideas of others, and receiving encouragement from one’s peers. Peer Learning workshops give you a place to assume the role of instructor as well as learner; and it introduces you to a network of other students. Of course, if you are having trouble understanding class material, Peer Learning workshops are a fine place to seek assistance. We know that people sometimes feel stigmatized when they ask for help, but it’s important to recognize that you don’t need to handle everything alone. Working with a Peer Learning facilitator does not detract from whatever you accomplish.
Reason #2: I don’t want to depend on others.
Peer Learning workshop sessions are designed not only to strengthen your academic skills, but to cultivate your confidence and self-reliance. Facilitators will help you articulate your ideas, not impose their own. They will help you view your work critically and guide you to look for options. Peer Learning workshop sessions are student-centered. We encourage you and the facilitator to discuss expectations, to examine the Peer Learning workshop relationship, and to work on that relationship as you work together on academic material.
Reason #3: I don’t have time for Peer Learning workshops.
Time is at a premium at the university. The quarter system is demanding. Our workshops will help you get started quicker and become more organized and focused, all of which should generate enthusiasm in your work.
Reason #4: I had a bad experience with Peer Learning workshops.
Perhaps you have had a bad experience with Peer Learning workshops. That does happen. Things can go wrong in human relationships. Maybe it was a personality conflict, or perhaps your expectations were different from the facilitator’s. Whatever the reason, we urge you to try Peer Learning workshops again. Bad experiences are the rare exception in our program.
Reason #5: If I want Peer Learning workshops, I can use my friends.
We think it’s good for you to get together with other students and encourage you to do just that whenever you can. But we think you’ll find it useful to develop a relationship centered on our Peer Learning workshops. For one thing, friends may not always be available; or such sessions may have more of a drop-in quality to them than a sustained one. An ongoing Peer Learning workshop relationship, with a trained facilitator, guided by AAP’s educational philosophy, offers you an avenue to academic excellence. In closing, though we urge you to use AAP Peer Learning workshops for a number of reasons, one very important reason remains: this program belongs to you–the students. It was formed by students like yourself, and it has been passed on to you. 90% of the facilitators are AAP students like yourself. If AAP Peer Learning workshops are to continue to meet your needs, it is extremely important that you help shape its direction by your active participation.
Ifeoma Amah, Ph.D.
Associate Director and Lab Coordinator of Humanities and Social Sciences
1101B Campbell Hall
(310) 206-2659
Emmanuel Owaka, M.S.
Lab Coordinator of Math and Sciences
1201B Campbell Hall
(310) 206-9618
Axel Hernandez
Assistant to the Director
1214 Campbell Hall
(310) 206-7771
Humanities and Social Sciences Lab Peer Learning Supervisors
Economics & Management: Moises Juan-Guevara
English Composition: Beza Mengistu
Humanities: Yolanda Magana
Psychology: Katherine Ghobrial
Social Sciences: Asya Grigoryan
Math and Sciences Lab Peer Learning Supervisors
Chemistry: Rachel Elsanadi and Sean Ghiam
Earth Sciences and Computer Programming: Kristi Trinh
Life Sciences: Vivian Anigbogu
Mathematics & Statistics: Brenda Asilnejad
Physics: Sydney Nanton
BECOME AN AAP F/TSP Peer Learning Facilitator
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
What is a PLF?
The Peer Learning Facilitators (PLFs) are mainly upper division undergraduates who successfully completed courses in the Math, Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines. They seek to help AAP Students assess and develop the reading, writing, quantitative reasoning and analytical and critical thinking skills necessary for success at the university. PLFs provide students with the intellectual challenge, encouragement, and personal support they need to recognize their own authority as thinkers and learners. PLFs also act as mediators and mentors, helping AAP students deal with the academic expectations at UCLA.
What do they do?
For the most part, the intellectual mentors facilitate sessions in small groups. This approach fosters discussion and allows students to listen to, grapple with, and articulate new and different perspectives. It helps students develop the tools necessary for scholarly inquiry and enables them to work collaboratively, to help one another, and to see that they can rely on classmates as well as on teaching assistants and PLFs in the learning process. Sessions allow the PLF to get a close-up look at what skills, experiences, and background knowledge the student brings to the course. In addition, sessions allow PLFs and students an opportunity to get to know and trust one another.
POSITION LOGISTICS:
• You must submit the completed application and supporting documents to 1214 Campbell Hall by Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 1:00 P.M (Priority deadline).
• Supporting documents include:
1. resume
2. current unofficial transcript
3. Summer 2018 schedule
NOTE: No online or email submissions will be accepted; Applications will be accepted on a rolling
basis until positions are filled.
• Interviews will be held by appointment between Monday, May 7 and Sunday, May 20, 2018.
• Training will take place from July 30, 2018-August 4, 2018. F/TSP Salary is $5139 for the program appointment period of August 5, 2018 – September 15, 2018. The program expects your commitment to attend all trainings, classes, and meetings.
NOTE: If selected as a PLF or Alternate, training hours will be compensated at the appropriate hourly
rate according to student status: ($15.49 Undergraduate, $19.27 Graduate, $18.76 Non-Student).
• This position is covered by the UC-UAW Academic Student Employee bargaining agreement.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
• Strong academic background in the subject of interest
• Completion of at least one full academic year (undergraduate or graduate) at UCLA by June 2018
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and writing skills
• Good academic standing (minimum overall GPA: 3.0)
• Past facilitating/tutoring/teaching experience and/or experience with AAP, FSP, TSP, or EOP programs preferred
• Must be able to attend training the week of July 30, 2018 – August 4, 2018
• Other on-campus employment is not allowed above 20% time (8 hours/week) during the training appointment dates of July 30, 2018 – August 4, 2018, as the F/TSP PLF training position has an appointment equivalent workload of 80% time.
• Employees may only be appointed for all campus positions for a total of 100% time (40 hours/week. Other on-campus employment is not allowed during the program appointment dates of August 5, 2018 – September 15, 2018, as the F/TSP PLF position has an appointment equivalent workload of 100% time (full-time).
• If you have on-campus employment restrictions due to receipt of fellowships, scholarships, or any funding, please disclose those details if you are selected for an interview.
COURSES INCLUDE:
Freshman Summer Program (FSP):
English Composition 1: Introduction to University Discourse
English Composition 2: Approaches To University Writing
English Composition 3: English Composition, Rhetoric, And Language
English Composition 100W: Interdisciplinary Academic Writing
Math 1/98XB: Pre-Calculus/Excel
Chemistry 96/88: Special Course In Chemistry – Chemical Principles
Honors Collegium 26: Representations of Medicine in Literature, Art, and Film
Comparative Literature 1D/89: Great Books From The World At Large
Geography 3: Cultural Geography
Sociology 1/M5: Introductory Sociology / Social Organization of Black Communities
Life Science 30A: Mathematics for Life Scientists
Transfer Summer Program (TSP):
English Composition 100W: Interdisciplinary Academic Writing
English Lit. 119: Literary Cities: Los Angeles Phase
Chicano & Chicana Studies 191/193: Exploring Ethnic Los Angeles: Race and Place
Political Science 181/189: Politics of Latino Communities
Psychology 175/189: Community Psychology
History 150B/Afro-Am Studies 158B: Introduction To Afro-American History
Chemistry 153A: Biochemistry: Introduction to Structure, Enzymes, and Metabolism
Honors Collegium 101A: Student Research Forum