The University of Pennsylvania's Science and Technology wing:: a strong case for peer learning

Through collective effort, a volunteer programme for students in residence has been created and successfully run for more than a decade at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. It is aimed at those with intellectual orientation towards the natural sciences and technology (nearly half the students participants are not science or technology majors). Originally a freshman programme, it grew to also include upper classman, graduate students and post docs. The best in terms of peer learning happens among the freshmen. The participating students are self-selected; they form a generally egalitarian group (now 250 strong), have their own governing body (the continuum) and bylaws. They have had a fully-fledged computer centre with workstations and servers now for a decade (before most academic departments at the University had theirs). It is in the context of computer and information science that they have their best example of one on one, knowledgeable freshman or upper classman with another in need of guidance or information, teaching-learning interactions. The paper shows how the programme was organised and grew from 12 freshmen students to several hundred of knowledgeable members and the unique techniques developed for peer association, teaching and learning.