Peer-to-Peer Instruction

 At a time when library budgets are not as healthy as in years past, increased efficiency can be vital to continued library growth and success. One potential method of stretching and expanding resources that instructional librarians might wield to advantage is peer-to-peer instruction. Peer-to-peer instruction can take many forms and be both versatile and strategic; it can be unidirectional or multidirectional; it can be formal or informal; it can be external or internal. It can help peers bridge problem areas or it can help them develop strengths out of weaknesses. In short, peer-to-peer instruction can move instructional services forward through the sharing of common ground.

According to an article by Holly Stec Dankert and Paula R. Dempsey, intra-organizational, peer-to-peer instruction can be used to promote job support, alleviate on-the-job stress, and enhance job knowledge [1]. Care should be taken, however, not to confuse peer-to-peer instruction with peer coaching or with peer mentoring. Though these concepts contain similarities, differences do exist. Peer mentoring is a dynamic that involves one peer offering guidance and/or support to another peer, while peer coaching is associated with peer-driven assessment/feedback activities. Peer-to-peer instruction, on the other hand, operates on a more level playing field with information exchanged between relative equals.

Peer-to-peer instruction can be a casual, two-way information swap, or it can consist of a structured gathering arranged to impart information in a preplanned, organized way. A peer-led student introduction to the library, a subject-specific resource list exchanged by liaison librarians, or individual troubleshooting techniques passed among peer educators all qualify as peer-to-peer instruction. Dankert and Dempsey also point out the potential for peer-to-peer instruction to promote peer-to-peer bonds. With peer-to-peer instruction, the potential is for everyone to be a teacher and for everyone to be a learner.

Peer-to-peer instruction is a process that can be applied in multiple, creative ways. Lisa A. Ellis and Aisha Peña look at how peer-to-peer instruction can focus on external stakeholders in their article called “Crowdsourcing as an approach to customer relationship building in academic libraries” [2]. Specific to the article are information literacy and the marketing of library resources. Ellis and Peña explore how peer-to-peer student instruction can provide librarians and library administrators glimpses of emerging trends among core constituents.

Additionally, Ellis and Peña stress the need for unified messaging surrounding all orientation or promotional activities. Furthermore, their article provides an example of how peer-to-peer exchanges can produce hands-on materials that help educate and advertise users of library resources and services.

In an article by Jiang et al., titled “Re-positioning library technology support on Campus-Wilson Library’s journey,” the use of peer-to-peer instruction is used to enhance and to further digital skills and competencies within certain user groups [3].

In their article, Jiang et al. find peer-to-peer technology instruction facilitates connections among significant stakeholder groups throughout the library’s academic campus, making ambassadors of sorts out of their student workers.

References

1. Dankert HS, Dempsey PR. Building reference strengths through peer training. Ref Serv Rev. 2002;30(4):349–54. Accessed June 15, 2021. http://search.ebscohost.com.lib-e2.lib.ttu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=ISTA3801810&site=ehost-live.
2. Ellis LA, Peña A. Crowdsourcing as an approach to customer relationship building in academic libraries. College & Undergraduate Libraries. 2015;22(3–4):273–95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10691316.2015.1076364.
3. Jiang A, Beavers K, Cady JE, McCoy L. Re-positioning library technology support on Campus-Wilson Library’s journey. Library Hi Tech News. 2015;32(9):14–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-08-2015-0053.