Abstract

This thesis equivalent is a theoretical performance improvement project of a peer tutoring program. It focuses on the literature on peer tutor training programs in higher education and provides recommendations for design solutions and evaluation tools based on best practices. The lack of studies on proper training and evaluation within the field of tutoring also lead to a general search on best practices in instructional design that could then be applied within the context of peer tutoring. This would corroborate the decisions of the tutoring programs reviewed in the literature and fill in the gaps, when necessary.
This thesis equivalent originally began with the intention of doing a thorough needs assessment of a peer tutoring program at an urban college and proposing performance improvement interventions and subsequent evaluation tools. Data collection from surveys, focus groups, and observation would have provided valuable information from tutors, tutees, and other stakeholders that would have guided improvements to the program. Issues gaining research ethics approval from the college combined with the Covid-19 pandemic made it apparent that data collection would not be possible within a reasonable timeframe. The proposed data collection tools for a needs assessment were created and included to be used when pursuing data collection becomes feasible again. This study has relied on primary sources to fill in the gaps on what I may have gleaned from the data had I been able to collect.
An analysis based on the literature identified a few major issues with the peer tutoring program. First, there is no current evaluation in place to determine if the training provided to tutors is effective. Second, learning objectives were never discussed or made explicit before the creation of the current training program.
I proposed modifications to the current peer tutoring program based on observations and my findings in the literature. Interventions included making it a recognized tutor certification program, adding training content to include metacognitive skills, self-regulation, and scaffolding. Modifications to the training delivery included more emphasis on situated learning with role-play exercises and observation. Evaluation tools were created to assess the modified peer tutoring program.