About U:PASS

U:PASS (UTS Peer Assisted Study Success) is a program which assists students with subjects that are perceived as difficult or have a historically high failure rate.

Hourly group sessions are run for selected subjects and are designed as an additional resource for learning alongside lectures and tutorials. U:PASS sessions are run by trained students called Peer Leaders, who have previously performed well in that particular subject and have a good overall academic record.

U:PASS sessions are not tutorials. Groups are informal, flexible and responsive to students’ abilities and needs. In a typical session, students may compare notes, work through problems and past exam questions, share study tips and discuss course material with each other and their Peer Leader. Not only is it an effective way to learn, the U:PASS program is a great way to network with fellow students, especially if you don’t have much time to hang out on campus.

Research from other Universities in Australia and around the world indicates that students who attend 10 or more sessions in a semester gain significantly higher marks than students who do not attend at all. Importantly, the U:PASS program does not target “high risk” students but rather “high risk” subjects – which means that anyone can benefit from the program.

Acknowledgements

The U:PASS program being implemented at UTS is largely based on the Supplemental Instruction program developed by Dr Deanna Martin at the University of Missouri (Kansas City) in 1973. SI and similar programs have been established in a range of universities across the world.  The introduction of U:PASS to UTS has been informed by the experiences and materials of SI from UKMC and a number of other universities where it has been implemented. UTS Student Services Unit gratefully acknowledge the assistance provided by staff of The University Wollongong, The University of Queensland and The University of Sydney.