Student Peer Teaching in Engineering Laboratory Situations

The impact of student peer led instructors on student learning in the skills and theory based laboratory (hands on) component of an Electric Circuits course is assessed. Each week a different team of two student Peer Assistants (PAs) presents background material concerning the week’s laboratory exercise and then assists the other students in completing the exercise. By the end of the course each student will have been a PA at least once. The PAs meet with the course instructor prior to their assigned instructional period. At this meeting, the PAs learn the necessary background theory and receive guidance on experimental and simulation techniques particular to the laboratory exercise of their assigned instructional period. The PAs then independently conduct the laboratory experiment. After the PAs’ meeting with the course instructor and their independently completed laboratory exercise, they prepare an introductory lecture on the laboratory exercise’s background theory, simulation expectations, instrumentation, and expected experimental results. At the scheduled laboratory period, the PAs present to their peers. In addition, the PAs take on the primary responsibility for assisting the other students during the laboratory period. The efficacy of using peer teaching in this setting is assessed through the use of three student surveys as well as course instructor evaluation.