Old fashioned penmanship lesson

 

The PALS Program in the English Department

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About The Program

SRJC’s Peer Assisted Learning Specialist (PALS) program is an equity-oriented program that seeks to increase student knowledge and skills by fostering community, agency, and persistence in the classroom. Students who have successfully completed courses are invited back to mentor and tutor current students so that they may find greater academic success.

In the English PALS program, these class-embedded peer tutors promote student success by connecting students to campus resources, tutoring students through the writing process, and cultivating a sense of belonging in the class and academic community. PALS also can provide light grading and teaching assistance to instructors.

 

Responsibilities

Here’s what PALS do:

  • Offer embedded class assistance to students on writing and other assignments and/or help students understand the instructor’s teaching approach and strategies
  • Hold individual tutoring sessions outside of any scheduled class meetings as needed.
  • At least one hour per week of class participation is required of all PALS to foster the class community with PALS and students. Attending a minimum of one hour a week of in-person class time or one hour a week of online discussions for online courses is required for PALS. More hours may be required depending on the needs of the class, as determined by the instructor.
  • Meet with the instructor as needed to plan and prepare.
  • Provide grading assistance to instructors on low-stakes, formative assessments, if desired by the instructor. (FERPA certification required) 

 

Eligibility

To serve as a Peer Assisted Learning Specialist, candidates must

  • Have successfully completed the course(s) they work within, or a more advanced course
  • be able to satisfy the requirements of the I-9 Employment Eligibility Form.

 

More Details

PALS are paid $17.75/hour. The number of hours allotted for each PAL varies by course/units, but the range is typically 80-140 hours for the semester. PALS attend a Kick Off Orientation at the start of the semester and have ongoing training opportunities throughout the semester for a total of 10 hours of paid training every semester.

If you’re interested in becoming a PALS, contact your instructor for more information.

 

Questions about the program?

Contact the English PALS Coordinator, Sheryl Cavales Doolan, scavalesdoolan@santarosa.edu.