A Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) leader arrives to each study session with a plan, but that plan is just a starting point. The questions students ask, the concepts that challenge them and the pace at which they work help shape what happens next. This approach means that Memorial students go beyond being just participants in their PAL sessions, also contributing to their direction and focus.

Memorial’s PAL program is based on the Supplemental Instruction model (The International Centre for SI, 2022, What is supplemental instruction). The PAL program hires undergraduate students to re-attend lectures for a specific course and hold targeted study sessions for their peers. By attending lectures with the rest of the class, the PAL leader is able to keep pace with the students’ experiences and, through observation and dialogue in sessions, identify areas that are particularly challenging to students, making the session topics and activities as relevant to the interests and experiences of the students as possible. As students tell the leader which topics they find most challenging, they are actively involved in planning the sessions and identifying their learning goals. Using skills learned in training, leaders guides and facilitates learning rather than acting as teachers or tutors.

The role of differential learning 

This responsive approach reflects differentiated learning, which “involves deliberately planning lessons that address the unique learning styles of diverse learners by offering pedagogy informed not only by content, but also by the students themselves” (Gingerich, 2026, p. 1). Session leaders must have a fully prepared session plan including questions and answer keys, which ensures they go into the session with specific learning objectives in mind; and in engaging with students, leaders learn what students “already know about a topic, their readiness, [which] inform[s] their choice of content and challenge” (Moallemi, 2024, p. 24). They use this information going forward in order to incorporate differentiated learning as a “student centered and therefore an organic, ever-changing process” (O’Meara, 2010, p. 14). In this way, students are able to actively engage with and navigate their learning experiences. While sessions are targeted on certain topics, leaders are also flexible on future content and activities, letting student attendees progress through material at their own pace. Differentiation is not an added feature of PAL; it is central to how lessons are planned and facilitated.

Furthermore, PAL leaders are required to show a great degree of adaptability during the facilitation of a session. While each session plan generally requires two to three learning activities, leaders must actively adapt to the needs of the students. If the students struggle with a particular topic, the leader will adjust the pace and focus more on this specific activity, navigating the session in a way that best benefits the learners. In this way, PAL is responsive, with content and activities adapting to reflect the needs of students, and the leaders “consistently monitor and assess their student’s needs” (Goyibova, 2025, p. 2).

By incorporating a number of learning activities, such as informal quizzes, “two truths and a lie,” “find the error,” and incomplete outlines, PAL reflects “differentiated instruction as a process in which a teacher proactively plans varied approaches to what students need to learn, how they will learn it, and how they can express what they have learned" (O'Meara, 2010, p. 12). The variety in activities allows differentiation, exposing students to multiple methods of learning. This reflects an important principle of differentiation, as not just the content but the process through which the content is presented must vary in order to match the needs of the students.

A professor may use differentiated learning in tailoring course content, planning assignments and projects, and establishing the learning environment. Instructors have the opportunity to work with large groups of students, choosing which topics to focus on and creating tiered assignments, increasing in levels of difficulty. While PAL thrives on an informal, smaller group setting, leaders also use a tiered system of learning through a scaffolding technique; activities become more challenging and the leader provides only as much support as necessary, encouraging the students to do more and more independent work as the session progresses. Like classroom assignments, PAL session activities often reflect the levels of Bloom's taxonomy, beginning with exercises that involve students recalling content, such as terms and concepts, and progressing into the application and evaluation of this information in solving problems and assessing scenarios.

Supporting student engagement and success 

Differentiated learning has been shown to “activate student engagement, increase motivation, and create positive environments for learning,” in addition to “foster[ing] student autonomy, independence, and agency as well as encourag[ing] collaboration between students” (Gingerich, 2026, p. 9). These elements are central to PAL. Through planning, facilitating and reflecting on sessions, leaders respond to students’ needs, guide rather than teach, and create opportunities for students to learn from one another.

Research has also shown the positive effects of supplemental instruction on academic performance and retention (Bowman et al., 2023). PAL’s success is supported, in part, by this differentiated approach where leaders arrive prepared and remain responsive, and students help determine the pace, content and direction of their learning. In this way, PAL demonstrates how this combination of student agency and structured support creates meaningful learning experiences and fosters student success.

References

Bowman, N. A., Preschel, S., & Martinez, D. (2023). Does supplemental instruction improve grades and retention? A propensity score analysis approach. The Journal of Experimental Education, 91(2), 205–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2021.1891010

Gingerich, R. (2026). Attention to their uniqueness: Differentiation in a university classroom. MITESOL Journal, 7, 1-27. https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mitesol/vol7/iss1/1

Goyibova, N., Muslimov, N., Sabirova, G., Kadirova, N., & Samatova, B. (2025). Differentiation approach in education: Tailoring instruction for diverse learner needs. MethodsX 14, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2025.103163

Moallemi, R. (2024). The relationship between differentiated instruction and learner levels of engagement at university. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning 17(1), 21-46. DOI:10.1108/JRIT-07-2022-0041

O'Meara, J. (2010). Beyond differentiated instruction. Corwin Press.

The International Center for Supplemental Instruction (2022). What is supplemental instruction. https://info.umkc.edu/si/