For Peer Instructors (PIs)

Peer instructors are what this project is all about.  As a PI, your purpose in the project is both to increase students' learning and, we hope, to increase their interest in and engagement with the course material as well.  Because you are close to the students in age, you serve as a rôle model, a living, breathing example of a student who has recently succeeded in the course they are now struggling with.

PIs do different jobs in different departments.  In Chemistry and Geology, they lead evening help sessions.  In Astronomy, PIs serve as classroom aides; in Biology and Computer Science, as lab assistants.  In Mathematics, PIs facilitate sessions in which students solve problems in small groups.


Resources for helping students with non-academic problems

Your job is to help students learn, but sometimes students need other kinds of help.  Campus resources for student problems include the following:

Center for Experiential Learning and Career Development
Counseling Center
Disability Resources Office

Some other resources are listed on the Dean of Students' website.

Students may also find the following web sites useful.  The project doesn't endorse any of them, but they do contain some helpful ideas.

Study Skills Pages
howtostudy.org
http://www.how-to-study.com/
http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html

Math Anxiety Pages
http://mtsu32.mtsu.edu:11064/anxiety.html
http://www.mathpower.com/reduce.htm
http://www.oncourseworkshop.com/Emotions006.htm (contains many links to other math anxiety pages)
http://www.mathgoodies.com/articles/math_anxiety.shtm

If you know of other pages that have helped you or other students with the course for which you're a PI, please let me know.