I am a PASS leader for PSYC101 at UNE. I was asked by the university to become a PASS
leader for this unit last year due to my prior achievement as a student in PSYC101.
In PASS sessions students can ask questions about the course or can seek advice around
studying or time management. Group discussions also give students the opportunity to
share techniques and support each other’s learning. Students are also provided with
learning consolidation opportunities by answering questions for the leader or the group.
Resources are often given to students to use as study tools such as practice quizzes or
activities. These can be used as indicators for where to focus attention.
One of my main goals for accepting this position was to pass on study tips that have
worked for me throughout my degree so that other students don’t have to rely on trial and
error as I have in the past. Some of the tips I include within my sessions are to utilise quiz
creating resources, such as quizlet, in which you can input terms for practice in
memorisation. Doing so throughout my degree has significantly improved my long-term
knowledge on content across trimesters. Additionally, repeated testing has directed my
attention to the terms and concepts that I may require support with or prioritisation in
revision. I also recommend that students pay specific attention to the learning objectives
of each unit as they provide a guideline for assessable content. Studying with the goal of
answering these questions provides students with the ability to direct their attention
towards areas of content so that they may avoid being overwhelmed by time consuming
textbook chapters. Additionally, this avoids misdirection in studying content that may not
be relevant in the exams and allows the students to reflect on their knowledge each week
by intentionally answering questions about what they have learnt.
Providing support to students has been an amazing opportunity. However, it can be
bittersweet. A lot of the students are initially shy towards the beginning of the trimester and
begin to open up and form bonds with both me and each other towards the end of the
trimester, at which point the PASS sessions end and they move on to their next units. It is
excellent to see everyone gain confidence in themselves and with their answers and I hope
this confidence transfers to their future units and PASS sessions.
I often create activities with knowledge questions or scenarios. I have found that using mini
quizzes such as kahoots has boosted confidence in areas where students have been
previously uncertain. As PSYC101 is an introductory unit with a broad range of topics, it is
important to provide examples that help minimise confusion and can be easily recalled.
Getting students to assess situations and express their knowledge practically can do so,
as it gives them the ability to look back on their experiences in the PASS session if faced
with a similar question in the exams. Examples of scenarios I have used in sessions
include providing examples of impairments in a certain area of memory and having a group
identify which kind it is, providing experimental-question examples with the purpose of
identifying the independent and dependent variables, and providing examples of classical
conditioning and operant conditioning to help explain learning principles. When a student
has a question, I invite the group to answer. In situations where no one speaks up, I have
found it difficult not to reteach information or answer the question outright as I don’t want
to make anyone uncomfortable in the sessions by forcing someone to answer.
To those considering attending a PASS session I recommend getting involved in all aspects
you can!
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